Google Wave, although still at a stage where you have to be invited to use the BETA version has already become our key tool for online communication, collaboration and project management. The working day at VR3 Media carries on well past 5pm and we also have freelance developers and designers who work for us remotely. Instead of relying on numerous emails and telephone calls, not forgetting the perfect memory recall, Google Wave helps communicate effectively online.
Conversations or 'waves' work like instant messenger with a number of added features. For example the messages are shown as they are being typed and can also be edited after the fact. The two features that I find the most useful are that anyone involved in a wave can upload files, jpeg, mp3 etc. It is also possible to play the waves back when ever required with each element of the wave loading in sequence.
Both of these features allow colleagues who were not part of the conversation initially to see what had been said, sent and agreed without the need for another long phone call, email or face to face conversation where every last details has to be recalled.
Google will be releasing APIs and giving access to the code allowing a number of developments including embedding elements of the platform into other web applications. A feature I would like to see added and maybe it will be in the future would be a real time voice recording system that could either convert voice into text or save as an audio file. It would also be useful to be able to send links to a wave to a colleague or team member by email or SMS.
We will continue to use Google Wave to complete projects and general communication, I look forward to any future developments to the system and no doubt VR3 Media will be putting all new features to good use.
No comments:
Post a Comment