[Cialug] Google Wave

[Brandon Griffis]

You could be right in your predictions (I'm writing this on my Palm Pre), but I have to take your predictions (email dead/replaced & smartphones replacing netbooks/small laptops) with a grain of salt as I've heard them every year (and said them myself once or twice) since 1996 (when I was 16).

The prediction is sound on paper, but historically seems to fall apart in attempted application. It basically boils down to "people are comfortable with what they know". And while your point of the early 20 somethings is well made we've got another 20+ years until they're a majority and able to actually direct that migration.

But, I've been wrong about email being dead in the past, so it's entirely possible I'm wrong about it not being dead anytime soon now. I certainly personally believe email needs to die in a fire (the irony of saying this *in* an email is not lost on me BTW), I just don't think it'll happen anytime soon.

-B

-- Sent from my Palm Prē
Matthew Nuzum wrote:

On Fri, Nov 13, 2009 at 9:18 AM, Brandon Griffis <brandongriffis at gmail.com> wrote:

I've had google wave for about a month now, but haven't played with it much.  It's not for not trying, but it just seems rather useless.  I don't think it'll replace "classic" email (at least not in its current form) as it doesn't have the same kind of features as email, and doesn't interact across different (read "non-google") servers.  


My experience has been about the same but I think you're wrong about it replacing classic email. Email is as dead as snail mail. Who picks up a pen and writes a letter these days? My grandmother does. Few other people do and it's considered a very formal method of communication now.


This is the way people in their early 20's and younger view email. This is both from my personal observation and also has been shown through other's research. (see some links below)

The netbook is a transitionary device. Soon everyone will have a mobile phone that can keep them in touch with people and the information they need. Then they won't need netbooks anymore. Email is the same thing. It is a technology that fills the gap between one thing (paper mail) and whatever comes next. And I think the increase of connected devices will be the catalyst for email decreasing in importance.


I don't think email will be replaced by Google wave but it is an interesting experiment that combines some of the benefits of email, the immediacy of instant messaging and the richness of the web. I expect that Google Wave, Gmail and Google Talk will combine into a single service at some point.


Remember, you heard it here first. ;-)

/me has always been a bit of a futurist

references: 
arstechnica.com/old/content/2006/10/7877.ars

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,227721,00.html
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4719083.stm

www.useit.com/alertbox/teenagers.html
(just search google, you'll find plenty of reports)
-- 
Matthew Nuzum

newz2000 on freenode, skype, linkedin, identi.ca and twitter


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