Google Wave: A Marketing Success, Software Let Down
You got to hand it to Google. They had all of us buzzing in a Steve Jobs like fashion over Google Wave; that is, until they unveiled it.
It didn’t take long before Robert Scoble panned the launch on his blog, and other tech influencers followed suit. People were very unimpressed. My speculation is that everyone over hyped the service as the next big thing, and when it launched it was nearly useless, and somewhat annoying. Google made us all look bad.
Google Wave won’t be the next big thing. It may not even be more popular than Basecamp for a long time. But kudos for Google for doing one thing well, MARKETING.
Usually Google under invests in this department. They have never realized marketing as a function of driving their billion dollar revenues. It’s always an after thought. In this case, marketing was at the forefront of their decision making.
Another anomaly was the bulky U/I from Google. Their User Interface department is famous for toning down the features, toggles, buttons, and overall distractions you encounter when using software (ie Google Voice). This initial release looked more like a Microsoft web app to me, than something Google designed.
I think Google Wave will survive this initial backlash. It is only a matter of time before interesting use-cases emerge, propelling it to become a service we see used by the masses.
5 Responses to “Google Wave: A Marketing Success, Software Let Down”
Leave a Reply
I think the real problem is that people got caught up in the UI. The real power comes from the applications built upon it. If you sit people down and show them the Ribbit Conference gadget(plug: I coded that) and how they call conference call and do SharePoint-y things, they get it. If you show a live podcaster the Yes/No/Maybe gadget for quick polls, they get it. The current UI is just information overload.
I think Wave will be big but not until there are several choices for the Wave console and Wave hosts. Localized Wave servers where you can go to talk about surfing (or whatever) in realtime to other passionate people will be compelling.
I still want to try it. Why is that?
I agree matt. they did a great job of marketing and buzz creation. The product has a LONG way to go. It is a collaboration tool and they sold people on the idea of it as an email replacement. interesting positioning actually.
lots of google products take years to gain traction. if this was launched by a startup people would bash the hell out of it. but the google brand gives the product a halo effect and a chance to live and get better.
[Blog Post] Google Wave is a Marketing success, but a software let down. http://bit.ly/t3nNi What was your first impression? #fb
Reading: [Blog Post] Google Wave is a Marketing success, but a software let down. http://bit.ly/t3nNi (via @sdmatt)