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Imagine you need to brainstorm with coworkers about promotions to run for your site. Instead of creating a document, writing an e-mail, or jotting an instant message, you create a wave, which is a bit like all three put together.

You start at the Google Wave inbox, where you create a new wave and add the coworkers you want to see it. Everyone you add is a full collaborative partner on the wave. You then write your ideas and ask for input.

Once you're done, your coworkers will be able to comment and you can even view their comments and work collaboratively with them in real time. You'll be able to edit their work, and they yours. Everyone can add links, notes, or attachments.

That wave, and others that you've either created or have been added to, live in your main Google Wave inbox, where you can see which waves have new comments. Presence indicators let you know which contacts are currently online.

The Wave Roll Out

You've probably heard about Google Wave already and had questions about what, exactly, it's supposed to be. It can be a little hard to figure out because (1) this is a whole new type of communication and productivity tool and (2) it's not actually out yet. Google Wave only exists in beta. Google began the beta program on September 30 by sending out 100,000 invites.

Google has a history with beta products, and we're doubtful that Google Wave will leave beta anytime soon. After all, Gmail was in beta from April 1, 2004 to July 7, 2009. Keeping a product in beta gives Google's developer a nice long time to improve a product before it's officially released. It's also a phenomenal way to build buzz. The limited supply of Wave invites insures that few people that want to use the product can actually do so, and that keeps interest high.

So, What's it Do?

It seems that some people get the benefits of Google Wave immediately and some don't. That's probably because some people aren't used to working collaboratively and have a hard time catching on. If you often send around documents for comment, however, you'll likely get the benefits immediately. Google Wave is like a mashup of email, instant messaging, and word processing.

The current product is only the beginning. Google has announced that some features not in the beta release need to be added. These include being able to remove a participant from a wave, being able to create groups of users, and a draft mode. The team also plans to add permissions features.

There will be more to Wave, however, beyond what Google builds in. The Wave platform will be open and developers will be able to build their own extensions. They can then share these extensions with the online community. Extensions highlighted on Google's preview site include a party planner that lets you see how guests are RSVPing and a chess extension that lets you play the game with a Wave colleague.

We don't want to overhype something that's not even out of beta, but Google Wave is pretty impressive so far. There's a good chance that it will simplify how a great many of us collaborate, and soon many offices will be catching the Google Wave.

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