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Today’s big announcement of Google Wave from Google generated lots of buzz.

This great guide from Mashable describes Google Wave like this……

Google Wave is a real-time communication platform. It combines aspects of email, instant messaging, wikis, web chat, social networking, and project management to build one elegant, in-browser communication client.

It is early, so lots of questions remain about what Google Wave is, how it will work, and what it could mean to future of communication and collaboration.

But one thing that is clear….Google Wave is a next step, probably a very big step, into a new era of collaboration.

Cisco CEO, John Chambers, described this new era of collaboration in an October 2007 blog post titled Ushering In a New Era of Collaboration.  Chambers’ comments are in a business context, but as you read through this excerpt of his comments you will start to see how this new era of collaboration, enabled by internet driven collaboration technologies, will impact almost every aspect of our lives.

We are on the cusp of a new era where the Internet is transforming businesses large and small, and creating an entirely new environment for today’s workforce to communicate, collaborate and achieve. We have an opportunity to usher in a new era of economic growth and productivity and Internet-driven collaboration technologies are at the core of this transformation. Changing the very nature of work, these technologies are driving the rapid evolution of the workspace, where the desktop is complemented, and in some cases replaced, by smart phones and devices driven by a network-based platform.

As the value of information technology moves from the edge of the network into the core we will see a corresponding transition from transactional communications like phone calls and email to continuous collaborative experiences, similar to today’s social networking. Not only do we now expect to be able to connect to everyone from everywhere through every device, we expect it to be seamless, secure and simple. The intelligent network is what is making this possible.

Collaboration is the future. It is about what we can do together. And collaboration within and between firms worldwide is accelerating. It is enabled by technology and a change in behavior. Global, cross-functional teams create a virtual boundary-free workspace, collaborating across time zones to capture new opportunities created with customers and suppliers around the world. Investments in unified communications help people work together more efficiently. In particular, collaborative, information search and communications technologies fuel productivity by giving employees ready access to relevant information. Companies are flatter and more decentralized.

What are your thoughts on collaboration?  How has technology positively influenced your ability to collaborate with others?  What barriers to collaboration do you still face today?

Google is looking to make big waves in the Social Networking space with their latest offering – Google Friend Connect.

The Google Friend Connect beta release is now available to invited users everyone.

I figured I would give it a test drive here on my blog. So head over to the side bar to join this site and connect with other readers.  It’s super easy with a Google, Yahoo, AIM, or OpenID account.

Also, go connect with these early adopters of Google Friend Connect:

Tony Morgan // Tony Steward // Church Crunch // Human3rror // Lifechurch.tv Internet Campus Blog

I love Election Day.

I will be glued to the TV tonight (and maybe the early morning hours of Wednesday) as the results start rolling in.

Google offers us another option for viewing the election results in real-time.

Check it out……..

It’s Halloween…….

so here is my bag of treats.  A list of some internet based products that make my life a little better, a little easier, a little more efficient.

google     gmail     editgrid     twitter     wordpress     iPhone     google maps     mint     youversion     pandora     trailguru     drudgereport     evernote     google reader     priceline     wikipedia     firefox     picasa     amazon     google talk     hotwire

What am I missing?  Anything I should add to my bag of treats?

I ran across this post on Google’s Official Gmail Blog.

The post describes a new feature in Google’s Gmail product that allows a Gmail user to quickly send an email message without text in the body of the email.  Gmail usually displays a warning message when users try to send an email without text in the body, but now users can bypass the warning message by simply typing “EOM” at the end of the email subject line.

It is a relatively small feature that will never be used by most Gmail users, but it is a perfect example of 1 of 10 principles that contribute to a Googley user experience.

This is how Google describes this design principle…….

Engage beginners and attract experts. 

Designing for many people doesn’t mean designing for the lowest common denominator. The best Google designs appear quite simple on the surface but include powerful features that are easily accessible to those users who want them. Our intent is to invite beginners with a great initial experience while also attracting power users whose excitement and expertise will draw others to the product. 

A well-designed Google product lets new users jump in, offers help when necessary, and ensures that users can make simple and intuitive use of the product’s most valuable features. Progressive disclosure of advanced features encourages people to expand their usage of the product.

Google is brilliant at building advanced features into their products that power users love without letting those features get in the way of beginner users.

- Apply this design principle to the design of a phone and you end up with device simple enough for a 7 year old to use and a device powerful enough for an adult to use for email, texting, scheduling, voicemail, notetaking, stock portfolio tracking, GPS tracking, and much, much more.

- Apply this design principle to the design of a workplace and you end up with an organization that attracts and develops new employees while satisfying and retaining those employees with more expertise and experience.

- Apply this design principle to the design of a coffee shop and you end up with a place where a new customer feels comfortable ordering just a small black coffee and a long-time, passionate customer can order a triple venti sugar-free vanilla, nonfat, extra hot, extra foam, extra drizzle, caramel macchiatto.

- Apply this design principle to the design of a church and you end up with an experience that is comfortable and attractive to unchurched people and a community where believers can grow and mature and serve.

Engage Beginners & Attract Experts