Google Wave tops the list of flop products of 2009. What say?
How many of you people have used Google Wave and how many actually likes it and using it?
Clarification added December 16, 2009:
I always appreciated Google's Services and Tools. But this one leave me to think where to begin to use this service. This could be something to do with Mareketing of tool/product or targeting the right users, but I personally feel this is not what I was waiting for so long.
Good Answers (5)
Rajat M.
Country Head - Emerging Business ,Personal System Group, Hewlett Packard Sales India Pvt. Limited
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Hi Aakash,
Google Wave is not a product yet . It still a Sandbox /Alfa/ select user release and Google will look at user feed back to create a road map. Don't forget that Orkut share has dropped drastically and Chrome OS is still on drawing board. So with this Alfa release Google will get real user feed back on what they want to see (Consumer and Enterprise ) and eventually they would decide to integrate this in their Social Networking strategy and may on Apps for Enterprise.
Last but not the least Google will adopt similar strategy like Android to transform Wave into a solid backbone for communication and then release APIs for developers to create value for customer. If you look at Salesforce chatter it a different implementation of what Google Wave is today.
So this is smart move by Google to do a dipstick check on whether the platform is worth investing in.
Regards
Geoff F.
"Hands-on" Software Architect and Senior Developer
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Not a product at all. Never sold and in an Alpha state. I also think that functionally it is very much a work in progress that is not ready for prime time.
Google really lags on human factors and realistic end user use cases. I think they have some idea that they will change the approach and the game but this has never worked in the past. They have to come down to earth and start from where people are.
Let me share an experience from the past.
I grew up in a remote town in India. Our life there was a lot different from the world we live in now.
Fuel used at home during my early childhood days was wood and kerosene. I remember that Liquid Petroleum Gas was getting to be in popular use, during my school days. One of my cousins happened to be one of the early users to get the gas connection (gas connection being issued by a Government agency).
Interesting twist to the story is that they surrendered the connection back finding it to be more of nuisance.
A tool helps when we understand its strength and apply the tool for a purpose leveraging its strength. What I find interesting about Google Wave is that it renders itself to human thought process and dynamics of group discussion, both of which are typically non-linear. It should help when used in group processes; not necessarily a replacement of email and IM
Success depends on adoption and large scale application, ensuring critical mass. As a user of Google Wave, I am finding quite a few interesting and useful discussions on Google Wave and it seems to be gaining critical mass
Will it actually be a success in the market? Well, there is more to success in the market than just realization of need and a good product. Critical mass, financial muscle, marketing push, competition and many other factors too play a major role
It's definitely far too early to call this offering a flop. It's an ambitious idea, tearing down the walls between IM and e-mail and, to some degree, Twitter. Three things could have a dramatic impact on its (perceived success): (1) The creation of third-party apps that leverage Waves and incorporate new functionality, especially on Android and iPhone platforms, (2) a purchase of Twitter and integration of the two... and (3) the merging of gmail and Wave. Note I said could, not would.
Right now, the Wave Web interface is your only touchpoint, and that's a big deterrent for a lot of people.
Any, all or none of these might happen, or some other Wave upgrade or integration, so let's not shove Wave into the same bucket as Jaiku and Dodgeball just yet.
I was right at the front of the line begging for an invite to Google Wave, the next Social Media revolution. I was so hopeful and intrigued. Now I can't even remember why; so disappointed that the reality doesn’t approach Google’s empty hype. While Google's much ballyhooed social media extravaganza has some potential, its preview version is deeply flawed, unfocused and far from being viable, even as a limited real-time messaging medium. Yet Google is not merely introducing a new freeware social media app. or messaging format. With Wave they aspire to move the mountain; the very way we communicate, down to the name of that branding boast - an email shall be evermore known as a real-time Wave, says the Google PR gods. Don't bet on it! In fact, run out and short this soon to be penny stock. Google's aspirations, out-sized viral marketing and PR campaign are pointing straight toward a not too distant watery grave. If you want to move the social media multitude you had better bring something so unique to the table; something so vital that it cannot be ignored even for all its intrinsic flaws. Only a seamless, simple, outstanding Freeware App. has a chance of achieving what Google is touting. Certainly, Firefox has had great Freeware success and evolved into a true innovator by letting others do the dirty work. Yet that was a different era and a far different platform, driven by the inferiority of IE , delivered by a distracted and gorged Microsoft. After using and researching Wave for two weeks, I have gone from believing the hype that Google could not miss with Wave, to now thinking they already have.
How can a company like Google purport to have a revolutionary Social App, when app. does not even have the ability for a user to empty their Trash folder? That is an astounding lack of foresight or more likely, insular development. Wave uses a tremendous amount of memory and CPU, particularly when there are multiple people on a Wave or there are attachments and gadgets. My fan strained, while my internet response slowed to a crawl. That is a deal breaker right from the get go - I'm off like a prom dress; never looking back. Innovation suggests new, essential and necessary, while delivering on at least some level. Wave is certainly different but it is not innovative. No matter how much money Google throws at it, Wave remains innovative only for its failed aspirations and its insular leap to nowhere. A friendly wave of the hand is an easily forgotten, unimaginative gesture, requiring little effort. The disappointing Google Wave is much the same, with one glaring difference: it requires far too much effort!
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More Answers (17)
Used it.
Indeed looks like a big flop product.
But Google may use their muscle to force the market to use it.
Time will tell.
Ramesh K.
CTO & Human Search Engine
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I used wave only to distribute invitations :-)
I never liked it ! I dont even understand why they released this product !!
There was nothing special about it .
Ramesh
The Human Search Engine
Abhilash P.
IT Infrastucture Professional, ITIL, PMP, CEH
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Though it has not been a runaway hit, too early to brand Google Wave a flop.
Frank F.
►CEO/Bd Director ►IT Governance Advisor ►Future-Proof Strategy ►Keynotes ►Inno-Change ►Social Media Mktg ►China Advisor
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Oh, don't be too soon to prejudge this.
I suspect it will turn out to be a BIG hit.
Like the others, I am not using it. No time
to learn how. It is not intuitive enough.
It's an ugly duckling.
However, I believe this could be a key
platform for the multimedia future of the
Web and Search. It will converge a lot
of things, if they do it right.
Don't write it off yet.
I'm not ready to write it off just yet, although I agree that so far it has been less of a game-changer than the hype led us to believe. It's one of those situations where its value increases the more people use it, but it hasn't reached that critical mass yet. It suffers in that regard from being a closed environment. If Wave could communicate with and integrate email, it would go a long way toward closing that gap. I understand that functionality is in the works, so we'll see.
As Abhilash said it is too early to declare Google Wave as a flop or a success.
It is still a Limited Preview version for testers and Sandbox version for developer. Also, currently there is even no connection between the Wave Sandbox and Wave Preview.
Being an real-time communication and collaboration tool it needs extensive testing. With current version Google must be evaluating how people use it and trying to fix as many bugs possible from the user experiences, before launching it for all users.
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Muthukumar G.
Social Media & Mobile Solution Strategist | M-Learning & E-Learning adviser | Professional EPMO Mentor
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I used google wave, and in first few days, i really wonder what makes it special. Google, having a good background on customer requirement analysis in recent years, I am sure, they will use this wave as a platform for their own social media business by making it as a centralized communication platform. In that stage, crome and wave will be a better combination.
Noel K.
Video Conferencing Sales Manager | Specialist in RADVISION and Vidyo | Sales and Demo support coaching|
I have used it now for a while and actually got a good bit of use from it. Planned events through it and brought together a lot of different formats of documents into a centralised place. The downside is its not portable like email is but on the + the info is all there in a decent format whenever anyone needs it. Collaboration benefits the most from Wave and Im sure once Google get the feedback it will change quite a bit from the sandbox.
1. Google Wave is not a mature offering yet.
2. It is great tool and idea for brainstorming.
3. unlike Google's previous products like Search,Mail,Chat,Groups ... wave was not introduced to the user in any other way, which makes it difficult to judge unless we actually try understanding where we can fit it in.
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Rakesh K.
EMS Consultant at Freelancer
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Remember Google Wave is still a Preview Release. Google is still making improvements & learning. Also making plug-ins available.
Also Wave is an attempt to change how people communicate & I seems to like it. Not to forget it can be a very good Brainstorming tool.
I haven't tried it but checked the video demonstration. It seemed to have created the right hype to get the audience interest going. I must admit i'm slightly surprised to see the question - which is why im now more keen on using it.
But, I surely like the look of their logo. They definetly got that right!
Prashant B.
Founder at Awazdo
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Use the wave to discuss an idea and add people to it. See how people collaborate on the platform in real time.
One wave is one communication. Its not email or micro blog. Its a though or discussion just like a real face to face communication that happens.
So you can have a wave to discuss sales with your sales team. A wave to discuss production.
Used it & liked it. If one is already using other Google products, Gmail, Google Docs, this would be a nice addition. Can't wait for more connections to get on the Wave. The U.I. is easy to use, makes it easy to drag & drop the folks who you want to collaborate with.
I don't see it as a flop. It's less bulky then Microsoft's Groove and has alot to offer team productivity. The feel it gives me of a more " intimate" social system incontrast to sites like facebook, myspace and even linkedin.
H. Scott M.
National Account Manager at MLT/Instructing Technologies
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I couldn't disagree with the naysayers more.
Early adoption of any open source application is difficult in the beginning mainly because we the masses, don't know what to do with it yet, the possible applications/implications the platform might have in our business and or lives.
For those that can’t see the writing on the wall, Google is positioning itself to put Mr. Gates into early retirement.
4 Surprising Uses of Google Wave
Google Wave Gets Explained (Video)
A Complete Guide To Google Wave
And yes, if it isn’t obvious, I’m one of the million invitees/early adopters of Google Wave.
Respectfully,
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I think it is a great tool. You can see everything on one page and share the waves real time. I guess it is too early to form an opinion at this stage when Google has not formally released the tool.
I just look it as a better technology then the existing gmail application.A slightly different concept in communication. A mix of gmail and facebook.
What exactly it offers, and how can it change the user's experience in communication, will show up gradually, as and as it would become common and more people would enter to use it.
