Is the Google Wave Making A Splash?

It seems like "Google" and "King Midas" are almost interchangeable--everything they touch is gold. Over the past few years, Google has established its dominance and demanded customer use. It started its success by becoming the most useful search engine, and ever since has expanded into new facets exponentially. Even in the past months, I've discussed the impact of Google's latest releases, including Google Voice, Google OneBox, and even Google's supported phone (Droid). While these new applications are yet to make their full impact, they have shown potential and have opened the doors to new and innovative opportunities.

In fact, not surprisingly, Google recently released yet another application, Google Wave. This new application's primary goal is to simplify the group email process so that it is easier to add or remove individuals from an email thread. According to Leah Betancourt of "Mashable," it has been used in the media world for "community building, real-time discussion, crowdsourcing, collaboration both inside and outside the newsroom, and for cross publishing content." She mentions that in essence, it is bringing elements of different communication tools (email, social networking, and chat) to other applications (Google maps and calendars) into one cohesive unit.

Based on this description, Google Wave has potential to revolutionize online communication once again. This consolidation of tools may provide individual users and companies alike with an unbelievably useful tool. However, Tris Hussey of "A View from the Isle" makes a formidable argument otherwise. He responds to Leah's post, "Huh, funny that kinda sounds like what message boards and blogs have been doing for a while. What’s different now?" He simply believes that it's too early to know if this new application is going to change anything at all.

While Tris makes a good point that it's too early to tell what Google Wave's impact will be, it's existence alone is enough to be noted. Regardless of whether Google Wave that revolutionizes online communication, it has set a new standard for other social media and communication tools to follow. As usual, Google has opened a new door to the online world that will without a doubt influence the future of the internet.

It looks to me like a small shift in the tide might get some waves to start rolling in.