Wave & ECM : My feelings and opinions

Hello everyone!
If you don't live on another planet, you've probably heard about GOOGLE WAVE phenomenon. Having obtained the precious sesame since october, I've tested the tool and I'm now ready to explain my opinion about it.

I'm not going to get an n-th presentation of Google Wave. The resources on Internet (and google of course) are not lacking. So today I just want to share with you my recent thoughts on the relationship between ECM or CM in general with Google Wave ... Does Google Wave will crush ECM or marry to it ? Is it a white elephant or technological breakthrough?

Collaboration and Communication
First Wave is like Google's definition says:

Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.

a tool to exchange information (in other words communicate...) between one or more persons synchronously (interactive) or asynchronous (Static) ...

Let's do a little inventory. In the category of collaboration tools and communication exist:

• E-Mail : is a method of exchanging digital messages.
• Forums: Exchange Place where users ask or answer a given question. The various contributions, accessible to everyone, from forming a thread (thread in english). Each forum addresses a specific theme.
• Instant Messaging: allows the instant exchange of text messages between computers connected to the same computer network, and most commonly the Internet. Unlike email, this medium is characterized by the fact that messages are displayed in near-real time and enable an interactive dialogue.
• Mailling List: is a specific use of email that allows the mailing of information to users who are enrolled.
• Podcast: podcasting allows users to listen or download the automatic audio and video broadcasts for personal music players for an immediate or later viewing.
• Wiki: This is a website that offers users the chance to make editing pages.
• Collaborative Document Edition: Set of tools to create jointly in a group one or more documents.
  

Now put everything into a single application, add a strong dose of Mashup-based widgets, shake it all and you get a Collaborative Google Shake ie Google Wave!

Google Wave: A Genetically Modified Collaboration Tool .
That is what appears when you use Google Wave. This UFO is impossible to store in a box and that is what is surprising and disturbing at the same time most users. Deja vu for some, a revolution for others. And you, how you can see this UFO?

Google Wave: One ring to rule them all?
Compare that with the phone. 10 years ago, the phone was used to ... Call! Then it allowed us to send SMS, MMS, E-Mails ... It turned into portable music player, photo album, and movie theater ... Today it serves to locate us, to browse Internet or just playing ... Yes there's an app for that!

Well you can compare Google Wave Revolution to mobile phone Evolution . It will allow us to make a lot of stuff most brilliant (or not. It depends on the ideas ...) between you and me (why not!) Or between you and us (I have friends!) Or between you and us (because you also have friends) or within a community now, tomorrow or even later.

In content modeling we call this a primary or generic content (Does Google put a node into genetic heritage of a Wave ... Mystery ...) able to adapt and adjust.

Google Wave: ECM Killer?
And well, given its genetic heritage ... My answer is NO! (After I'm possibly go wrong ...)
Rather it is a very promising PLUS (meaning +) to make content management easier (?). Indeed the interest of a wave is that

• Is not replicated on each client (as in every mailbox in the case of e-mails)
• Is easily shareable (you can easily tell who has right or not being in a wave)
  
• Is classifiable and therefore indexable and thus discoverable (it's still the job of google to find after all...)
  
• Can be changed at will! (everybody can put his personal touch)
  
• Can be synchronous or asynchronous (you're not there ... too bad I'll leave a message. You're here so we can go faster!)
  
• Manage versions (Playback. .. I'd like to see who added what and when)
  
• Is deployable at both in supplier and in my network safely behind my firewall!

Google Wave has taken some basic principles of content management (versioning, categorization, collaborative editing, user management ...) but can not be a "tool for content management" (as I said earlier we can't put in a box ...). Its raw material is the content! Remember : Content is everywhere and is everything! Wave can create and disseminate information easily and simply.

Google Wave in Business?
Google Wave will, of course, land in business like most Google tools. Who has never used a Gmail, a Google map, a Google Reader or Google for his professional usage? (Yes, you can excludes those without Internet at work...) But this will not immediately .. Firstly because it is a beta (a real one), partly because it requires that everyone starts to tame the monster to be a faithful companion and finally because we must invent new practices based (or not) on the ancient best-practice.

Who will benefit?
First, the small will still lucky for one simple reason.
Why do we invest in each tool like wiki + instant messaging + e-mail + collaboration tool + Forum ... One tool is clearly enough for my needs. Furthermore I have no infrastructure and I don't want! An SMEs / PMI offers should be available soon as is already the case for Google Apps.

Then Apps Creators
As for Iphone, Facebook and other means of communication in the wind, we'll see (and is already the case) full of gadgets, widgets and other add-ons to increase and enrich our user experience. It will be probably the same with some shiny and smarty User Interface.

After Third integrators
A good integration will be Archiving Application which can long-term preservation of waves ie how to archive information exchange between one or more persons. This will be less dependent on storage volume but probably more complex due to integrating external data sources.

Other integrations are those that we see recursively : office desktop tools, CM or ECM apps, business applications, security system...

And then WE... Because we are at the root of everything.

Finally
Once Windows providing all services through one operating system and softwares.

Now Google offers all services through Internet and Apps.

This becomes increasingly visible and palpable. Impressive for an integrator like me, normal for lambda users ... That is also the magic of computers!

Thank you for reading and see you soon.

PS: I still have 2 invitations Google Wave ... The first 2 to post a comment will be lucky! That is also the magic of the waves. The hunt for the invitation ...