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Less than a week has passed since Google vowed to ax new development on Google Wave and dismayed users of the user-generated content persuasion are already going to bat for a real-time collaboration service.
Google Wave rolls e-mail, instant messaging, live character typing and social networking on one palette and it didn’t catch on because it, well, offers e-mail, instant messaging, live character typing and social networking on one palette.
People weren’t ready for it, so Google is putting it on life support through the end of the year, allowing it to live in open source and eventually in other Google applications (I can easily see live editing for Google Docs, can’t you?).
Already a Wave user group in Canada has struck up the call to save Google Wave in fine fashion. This Save Google Wave Website notes:
“When we heard the news about Google Wave being shut down, we were devastated. Google Wave is an invaluable tool that we use every day to keep track and collaborate on projects (in real-time). Please help us to keep it alive and spread the word: SAVE GOOGLE WAVE“
The first thing users can do when they go to the Website is click the Thumbs Up button to save Google Wave. There were 21,836 as of this writing. Not bad.
Wave aficionados may also slap a hashtag onto the #savegooglewave Twitter account, click the retweet button, petition on its behalf on Digg or just use good ole-fashioned e-mail to tout Wave to friends or the Wave group:
This group is hardcore. Not only have they collected quotes from Wave users upset about the platform’s impending sail into the sunset, but they’ve had buttons and T-shirts crafted to sell:
And here’s a frustrated Wave user:
“I run a corporate consulting business, providing financial and corporate advisory services to a number of small to medium-sized clients. I have convinced a number of my corporate clients to adopt Google Wave (indeed, the entire Google Apps for Domain Premium suite). Google Wave is incredibly useful for project management for our clients. I have found that the Google Wave environment offers the perfect balance of structure and free-form. I am able to manage agendas, allocate tasks and maintain communication and accountability, all within a single, intuitive environment.“
Oops. Here’s to hoping Google makes it relatively painless to get users’ data out of Wave, or there could be problems.
So refreshing, this passion for technology.
By the way, Save Google Wave won’t work. The people have already judged Wave and found it to be wanting, or at least too daunting.