Mashable’s take on Google Wave
July 22nd, 2009 by JasperMashable have released an initial review of Google Wave. I think that Ben Parr hits the nail on the head in his line of questioning.
Is it altogether too different to how people work today? Does it demand people learn too many new techniques and approaches to be usable?
I find myself caught in the middle of this debate. I would love Wave to be successful because it addresses real issues around communication and collaboration. But my brain agrees with Ben that this is asking too much – people are very reluctant to make significant changes to how they work. For example, it always amazes me that people don’t use IM more and that’s pretty simple. Twitter achieved critical mass because it was familiar: It feels like a text message.
Off the top of my head I can’t think of a technology that has achieved critical mass and which required the level of adjustment that Wave demands.
In a sense we’re trying to navigate a path between the two. oneDrum uses the same approach as Wave but integrates with existing productivity tools such as Microsoft Office. So I hope Wave is a success because it will add drive to our business as well, but there is a steep hill to climb for Google and its users.