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5 Things Google Wave Users Love

If you’re still waiting, like many eager wavers-to-be, to get your invite to Google Wave, chances are you’re starting to wonder if it’s going to live up to expectations. After all, it’s a bit like waiting to see an overhyped movie like Twilight or Titanic, there’s always the possibility of it just being good, rather than astounding.

While Google has done an excellent job of turning up the anticipation level on their latest release, some of the lucky few who have their invites are starting to share experience. So, what are they saying about the Wave? Let’s take a look at some of the favorite features.

1. Wave extensions. The ability to manage everything from within Google Wave is a big reason people love using it so far. They can manage just about everything they do online just through Wave, making it easier to access everything.

2. Embeds. The web is buzzing with ideas for embedding waves (individual conversations, complete with all that entails, photos, files, etc.) into any webpage. The possibilities here are huge and you can essentially share any conversation with the world in minutes. It’s even possible to drag and drop a wave into your outgoing emails.

3. Playback. This feature is a great one if you come in late to a conversation or end up missing part of it. Rather than sifting through the entire conversation, you play it back and get the general idea of things right from the start.

4. Private settings. If you are collaborating on a wave with several other people and want to say something specifically to one person, you can talk to them privately. It’s essentially like a DM on Twitter and allows you to keep the conversation private.

5. Conference calls. By using the Ribbit application, you can set up conference calls that are automatically organized without anyone seeing anyone else’s phone number. Privacy while talking online could be handy, but the real benefit here is the ability to create a wave while you are in your conference call.

Google Wave has plenty to show us and the search engine giant is still working on many of the features which we can expect to see in the near future. Some are already working in a basic form, but will improve over the next few months. If you haven’t received your invite yet, hang in there, it looks like this is worth the wait!

Search Engine Wars: Microsoft-Yahoo Against Google

Google has long been the leader in search engines, but with the arrival of Bing, things have been a little different. Bing doesn’t pose a huge threat to Google at the moment, but they soon could. Microsoft and Yahoo are working on a deal that will help both the underdogs rise above the search engine giant.

While the details are still fairly sketchy, it looks like Microsoft will be merging with Yahoo for a ten year term. During this time, Yahoo will be using Bing, Microsoft’s latest search engine which has turned out to be surprisingly useful despite doubts from many before it was released. Microsoft, in turn, will be selling search advertising worldwide for both companies. If the deal pans out, then it really could end up posing a threat to Google.

What does all this mean for the average business website? Well, until now, most people have been gearing their SEO toward Google. However, if Bing shows itself as a worthy player, you’ll need to consider optimizing your website for both search engines to ensure maximum traffic. Bing doesn’t work like Google and while the algorithms of the newest search engine on the block are still being figured out, it’s already clear that search engine optimization is going to take a turn.

Some experts are suggesting dual landing pages, with one optimized for Bing, while the other is optimized for Google. This is actually a technique that was used frequently before Google took over the world of search engines and became the only search that internet marketers and business people took into consideration.

Whether Microsoft and Yahoo make their deal final or not, it’s a good idea to start considering how well your website would perform if Google were not at the head of the pack.

Facebook Decides to Embrace Twitter

Anyone who has used both Facebook and Twitter knows that Facebook has recently made some changes. And those changes turned the social networking site into something rather similar to Twitter, with live status updates flowing on the home page. So it comes as something of a surprise to hear that Facebook has decided to add a Twitter application.

It’s been possible to post Twitter updates to your Facebook status for some time. However, this new development will allow you to choose which of your Facebook posts you want to tweet from your fan pages. This isn’t limited to just text, either, you can tweet your photos and videos, as well, making the two social media networks very useful to each other.

Many people are astounded by the Facebook announcement after what seemed like a war was brewing between the two sites. However, evidently, Facebook realizes the potential of having “from Facebook” links throughout tweets that are posted during the day. It could be a very powerful method for the site to boost their members.

What does this mean for users? Well, for most of us, it will be a time saver. If you have a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account, you no longer have to choose which one to be on. You can easily send updates to the other from wherever you happen to be. Another huge advantage is the fact that you can upload your links, videos and photos quickly and easily on Facebook and then zap them to Twitter for all your followers there to see, saving even more time and preventing the need to store your photos on more than one site.

This new development will also make it possible to encourage people to find you on Facebook, without announcing it frequently. They can just click through your links and join you on the popular social networking website.

However, though the Twitter app has been released, so you no longer have to wait. To start using it, visit http://www.facebook.com/twitter/.

Save the Date: Google Wave Invites Roll on Sept. 30, 2009

In June, we wrote a post on launch of Goole Wave. Now, they are ready to roll it out!

Despite the huge publicity behind Google Wave, the revolutionary new communications tool from Google, very few people have had a chance to try it out. In fact, just 6,000 new developers have been able to check the tool out, though there will be another 20,000 invited to test it in August.

Google Wave is still in the sandbox version and it’s obvious from the small numbers being permitted to enter that sandbox that there are still some kinks to work out. However, Google expects to be in good shape by September 30, which is when they will invite a whopping 100,000 developers to join them on the Google Wave live site.

The newest, and biggest, tool by Google is expected to change the way the internet works. It is a real time communications platform that allows people to brainstorm and discuss just about anything, no matter where in the world they are. While it can be used as just another gossip tool, the real value lies in business uses. Imagine being able to combine Twitter, wikis, IM, project management and social networking all into one browser and you have Google Wave. It’s a bit difficult to picture, but those who have had the opportunity to test it are amazed at the possibilities.

While a select few have been permitted into the inner sanctum, the rest of us will simply have to wait our turn to see the awesomeness that is Google Wave.

Bing: Still a Rising Star?

Many people attributed Bing’s initial success with the fact that they were new. With all the hype around a potential competitor for Google, people flocked to the new search engine to try it out. Experts predicted that the interest would wear off and, like any shiny new toy, Bing would lose its luster. So, just how is the search engine faring after a month of operation?

The net’s latest search engine recently released their stats for the past month or so since they have been up and running. You can check that out here. Bing has apparently seen fairly steady, albeit relatively small, growth throughout June and though they haven’t overtaken Google, the ongoing popularity is impressive.

The site is now number 13 on the most visited website list, according to Compete.com. That means Bing has already trumped such giants as Digg, Twitter and even CNN, not bad for a one month old!

While Bing is still no real competition for Google, they are most definitely working on it. Already, the new site is releasing webmaster tools to make integration with the search engine easier, as well as cash back options for consumers who opt to shop via Bing Shopping.

There are still some vital flaws in the search engine, such as the fact that it fails to register news as being more important than regular sites or the lack of suitable images in many cases. However, Microsoft seems to be doing a pretty good job of working on issues and is moving quickly to bring their search engine up to speed.