-
blog search
-
most recent posts
post calendar
categories
Google drops off the Wave
Monday, August 9, 2010 by Angela Ashenden
Last week, Google announced that it was killing off Google Wave, the communications and collaboration tool which sparked an explosion of both enthusiasm and skepticism when it first previewed in May last year. The tool, which has remained a trial product in Google Labs during the last 15 months, was designed to break away from the traditional way of thinking around collaboration technology, combining established tools and concepts such as email, instant messaging and discussion boards, as well as emerging tools such as collaborative editing, to create an environment where people can communicate and share information and ideas in realtime. While this type of innovation is just what the market needs to help it move beyond our current dependency on (and overuse of) email, the problem with Google Wave is that it represents such a dramatic change in the way the majority of people work with technology today (especially in a business context) that it has clearly been just too innovative and progressive for Google, seeing inadequate adoption figures for the company to justify continuing the investment.
Personally I think it is very sad that the company has abandoned such a market changing concept so quickly – a year was never going to be long enough for people to adapt; we at MWD are always pointing out to organisations who want to be more collaborative that changing people’s culture takes a long time to effect, it isn’t enough to just show them a new flashy tool and expect them to change. However, whether or not Google continues its investment in this area (and it has already said that it is considering how to use Wave features in other Google products) Wave’s momentum does not necessarily stop here, with other companies (such as Novell with its forthcoming Pulse product) leveraging the Wave protocol which Google made available as open source code in July 2009. The question is whether these companies are prepared to continue their own investment in this direction when a company with the financial resources of Google thinks it’s a no-go. I hope so, but I guess only time will tell.
For more analysis of collaboration trends and best practices, click here to download free Guest Pass reports, and click here for more on our premium collaboration advisory service.
Posted in Collaboration
I also was sad to see it go, but it is clear that there were structural problems with the offering. However, I believe it achieved its success as a demonstration that would not have been successful if they had compromised in the ways required to make it popular. That sounds twisted, but the jist is that I think Wave will not be forgotten.
Some have linked Wave to BPM / Adaptive Case Management, and have gone so far as to suggest that the demise of Google Wave will cause problems in the BPM / ACM market. Here is my response to that:
http://kswenson.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/google-wave-no-effect-on-bpm-acm/
-Keith
Thanks for your comment Keith, I think you’re right. Much of the problem of course (if you are looking at its potential from a business use perspective, which I am) is that for Google Wave’s success (or lack thereof) is all about mass consumer market success, and of course what is needed to be successful in the consumer world is very different to what is needed in the business world, even if one does heavily influence the other. But as you suggest in your article, Wave will undoubtedly have an influential effect in the market despite its shelving by Google, not least because the Wave protocol is still out there as open source code for developers to learn from and build upon.
Great blog – I think the privacy issue killed this social media tool off from the start; when there are many other similar alternatives out there that are already firmly cemented into the market place, you have one chance to get it right.
Thanks Richard. I think the lack of integration with the broader set of Google tools was more significant in Wave’s case – the common mistake with new collaboration tools is that they mistakenly believe they can replace rather than co-exist or enhance, and of course no one’s going to switch tools or habits just like that.