What We Can Learn From the Beaching of Google Wave

Last week’s announced demise of Google Wave reminds us that effective execution and promotion are at least as important as a good idea.

I was one of the early Google Wave proponents who spent weeks desperately seeking a coveted invite into the exclusive community of initial users. I loved the idea of melding productivity and social networking tools into one tool on my desktop. I had visions of collaborating across clients and countries without need for tracking e-mail strings and endless versions of documents. When a colleague finally sent me an invite, I jumped on to what I imagined to be a virtual cruise ship filled with innovation and idea-sharing. What I found was a bunch of canoes paddling in circles. Forthwith are some lessons I’m taking away as we wave goodbye to Google Wave.

A good brand can lead a horse to water, but it can’t make him drink.  Google Wave initially benefited from the solid, yet innovative, Google brand. Few people understood exactly how the tool would change our lives, but we believed it would, because Google said so. I actually had more discussions with people about the tool in advance of its release than I did using the tool. The problem was that Google Wave seemed complicated and exclusive, exactly the opposite of Google’s friendly, accessible brand.

Stephanie Hannon of Google Wave | Photo From Flickr User niallkennedy

A whole bunch of people in the same place isn’t the same as a community.  Google Wave was seen as a collaborative tool that could streamline communication among communities. Yet, I found myself patching together a network of unlike-minded friends to even try out the tool. Google’s cautious approach to the roll out of the Wave served to discourage early adopters who wanted to dig in with their pals and see what was under the hood.

Keep promotion simple.  For those who were motivated, Google supplied many tools, tutorials and ideas for how Google Wave could change the way we work. Unfortunately, the tool had so much potential that it was hard to describe to friends and colleagues. Apple’s new iPhone OS has more than 100 new features, but they have focused on just one simple concept—the ability to conduct video calls with friends and family.

Know when to quit.  There are lots of good ideas, but only a fraction become real products and services. Google paid close attention to Wave, and they knew when the product had lost momentum and was putting their gold-plated brand at risk. It’s hard to give up when you’ve invested a lot of time, energy and emotion in a project, but it’s even more difficult to survive a long-term, widespread public failure.