High Tide at CUA: The Rise of Google Wave

Google's newest, and somewhat mysterious, project "Google Wave" was unveiled earlier this semester in a gradual "invite-only" fashion. As little details about Wave were released, and the invites were so selective (at least initially) Google managed to generate a great deal of buzz for this new endeavor. "Google Wave" was constantly featured in Twitter's trending topics (a list of the most commonly tweeted words or phrases), and Wave became a focus of many New Media gurus within the blogosphere.

I must admit I totally bought into the hype, and eagerly (maybe even impatiently...) awaited an invite. So when google sent me an official invite over Thanksgiving Break (I had requested one through their website months earlier), I was initially filled with excitement. I finally had one of coveted invites everyone had been talking (and tweeting) about, and with that invite came the power to invite 9 friends to the exclusive service as well. I invited a few of my closest friends who I knew would appreciate a new Technology, and my father, in case he could put Wave (a tool for real-time, collaborative communication) to use in his small business. But once the initial thrill of being invited, and inviting, passed; I realized that Google Wave's exclusivity wasn't really so appealing after all. Though I was thrilled to have Google Wave, it seemed a bit useless with so few other people to wave with.

However, this all changed as I returned back to campus Sunday. It seems I wasn't the only person who got their official invite over break, but rather google had sent out a large bulk of invites. Thus, there were several other people within the CUA community who had recently gotten invited by Google as well. And furthermore, something I hadn't realized initially, each person I invited (or who was invited by one of the other few original invitees) got 9 invites to pass along as well. People began tweeting to offer their available invites and soon, everyone in the "CUA twitter community" who wanted to be on Google Wave had access. Facebook Statuses and Twitter Accounts were updated with news of people's newfound access to google wave, and soon those not initially aware of the service began asking what all the buzz was about. Since so many invites were now floating around amidst the CUA community, people answered their inquiries by inviting them as well. Within a matter of a day, my list of Wave contacts grew 4 times its original size, and has been continuing to grow exponentially. What was once as highly sought after and exclusive service had now exploded, at least within my network of peers.

So what does all this mean? I'll admit that despite having an invite and seeing the service there are still many things about it I don't understand and I couldn't begin to predict the impact Google Wave will have on New Media. But what I can say is if the strength of Google's marketing strategy is any indication of their product's merits--than I'd say Wave is certainly something to watch. Their strategy in unveiling Google Wave in this invite only format created a remarkable buzz, while at the same time allowing the service to spread VERY quickly among a particular network once it arrives there. Thus, allowing people to take advantage of the service, and start communicating with their network, right away. The only problem with this marketing strategy would be if the product they've put forth fails to live up to the immense buzz they've created about it. Then, I think google may face many disgruntled users who regret seeking an invite so aggressively. But, assuming Wave is indeed a good product ( or is at least on its way to being one as it moves out of the preview stages), then Google has certainly set themselves up for another big success.