Google Wave begins a bumpy ride toward the future of collaboration

Our senior programmer cautioned that most people aren't accustomed to working with beta versions of computer applications. A simple function might work in the morning, for instance, but not later in the day. Or, it might disappear altogether only to reappear in a slightly different form. Fascinating for an IT guy; maddening for someone like me. Nonetheless it's apparent that Google's new Wave has immense promise.

No one, including Google, seems very good at describing just what Wave is. Regardless, I will try. Basically, you log onto a Web site where you can enter into real-time conversations with closed or public groups. You can see characters appear as others type. Users can post documents, photos, video and Web links to share. Most of this can be viewed without ever leaving your group or "wave" as it's called.

How might you use it? A number of ways.

Milwaukee and Austin groups quickly sprung up to share tips on how to use Wave. The international brand development group I'm involved with from the Transworld Advertising Agency Network (TAAN) certainly could use it to communicate and share. When dealing with crisis communications (provided Wave proves to be secure) collaborating on multi-media documents in a single spot certainly has benefits.

At the moment I feel lucky to be among the non-techies with access to the Wave preview. Despite the fact I find using it confusing sometimes and that Wave can be quite glitchy, it's fun to watch it evolve and imagine what the future might bring.