Just a few days ago I was elated to receive an invitation to try Google Wave.
Google Wave is the latest from Google and described as a tool for communication and collaboration. Essentially, Google has combined free e-mail, free instant messaging and free richly formatted text documents into one service that allows a group of people to share and edit various types of information.
Google allowed only a limited review in an effort to prevent bugs and to develop and improve the system with user feedback. Limited invitations and a “word of mouth” buzz was a helpful bit of marketing.
Anxiously I’ve been waiting to receive my invite for the chance to join those lemmings ready to leap from the cliff and immerse myself in the great, deep opportunity of a wave.
But surely I can’t be this excited about a program that would allow me to work more. At a college newspaper where collaboration between several people and different viewpoints are taken into account and shared, Google Wave could really lighten the workload and improve the overall product.
That’s what excites me. In the way that a stay-at-home-mom is elated at the prospect of a front loading washing machine, Google Wave will likely make the work that I do less taxing and more dynamic. And this is a sign of getting older and being career-minded. Anything that will make your job and therefore, your life, easier is a gift.
While Wave potentially could make newspapers, offices and numerous other businesses easier and more efficient, it’s still no substitute for knowing your job, doing your work and doing it well. As the semester winds down, don’t leave it to the easiest or fastest solution. Dig in and don’t be afraid to go against the current.