I was thrilled to find a Google Wave invitation waiting for me this morning in my Inbox!  I was a little disappointed I didn’t get into the first round of public beta testing.  I was certain I had goofed up my application by thinking Wave was a reinvention of Sites instead of a rebirth of email.  Here’s the evidence, though, that I must have done something right to get in on the second Google Wave!


I think Google Wave will be a Blackboard killer in the classroom and a 37signals killer for online collaboration in the workplace.

When I first logged into Google Wave, two messages were waiting for me.

The first message had an embedded video extolling the values of using the Google Wave to communicate.

The second message was an invitation for me to invite eight other lucky people to join Google Wave.

If you want one of the 8 Google Wave invitations I have, you need to do the following:

1.  You must have a Gmail account — Google Wave doesn’t work with Google Apps yet — and you must click on the “Sign In” link at the bottom of this article to login here, using your Gmail account, to place a comment on this article.

2.  In your comment, please tell us why you want to check out Google Wave.  The most innovative and appropriate comments will then be tossed into a hat, and the winners will be randomly pulled — over the next few days or so — from that hat until we run out of invitations.

We’re waiting to ride the Google wave with you!

110 Comments

  1. I want to use Google Wave because I think it will be a neat way to teach online. You can share information in real time. You can send videos — that’s great for teaching ASL or for Deaf learners — and the Wave seems like a “constant on” for peer learning any time of the day or night.

  3. I would like to use Google Wave because it would be a great way to help me teach people how to read the Hebrew Language online. The Hebrew language is a very visual language and I think that Google Wave would be tremendous in helping to communicating the nuances of the language.

  5. Because I write for this blog? That probably should have occurred to me. 🙂

  7. Funnily enough, now when I google “hat-eligble” this blog entry is the first that comes up. 🙂 OH! I just figured it out.

  8. Hi, David! It’s me — Gordon — in my gmail incarnation! Here is my formal gmail incarnation comment: I would like to use Google Wave because it would be a great way to help me teach people how to read the Hebrew Language online. The Hebrew language is a very visual language and I think that Google Wave would be tremendous in helping to communicating the nuances of the language.

  10. ailinxu@gmail.com
    Like others, I also need a Google Wave Invite. The reason is that I am dying for it. Who can blame me for being a Googlemaniac. But of course, I have one more reason. I am a teacher of computer science, I have been doing research on social networking, I have been following the development and innovation in this area. Happily to witness so many great ideas coming into being and I need to convey all these facts and ideas to my dear students. My teaching has always been Internet-based and Google-centered, and my main channel of communication with my students is these ever-changing ways online. So you can imagine how important Google Wave means to me and my students as well as colleagues.
    In addition, I want to use Google Wave to teach my twin children, inspiring them with great ideas and creativity.
    Even though I get no invite, I don’t blame anybody. I greatly admire Google’s way of doing self-promotion and marketing. If it is true to say that Market is key to Microsoft, then it is also well to claim that People is key to Google. I want to be one of those early people.

  11. Hi David, I think it would be great for me to get a Google Wave invite because it would help me a great deal to communicate with my peers from all over the world while we work on making this world a better place by spending our learning on testing software. If you didn’t notice, I’m a Software Tester and would love to get my hands on Google Waves and help Google find out any issues that might be hidden in the application. I have beta tested Yahoo Mail, FireFox and even Google in past and found out bugs in each of them. More detailed reports can be found in my blog “Software Testing Zone”. With this invite I intend to do the same with Wave and help Google in making it robust.

  14. I was going to say that I want an invite to test it in the corporate environment, being that my office could use some help with our transition to a 100% electronic office. Yet I think this will be much better served for me to argue with different women electronically being that you can attach pictures to real time commentary. Well maybe I should just use GWave in a corporate environment.

  15. well, it’s easy!
    because it’s so cool,
    because it is new, shiny and google,
    because i love the idea,
    because it’s useful,
    because it’s gadget,
    because i can’t sleep properly without google wave.

  17. With family and friends all over the world, and my first child on the way, Google Wave seems like an exceptionally cool way to keep everybody in the loop with photos, videos and news of what’s up.
    Aside from that, on the work side of my life, it’s a great way to collaborate on projects with a multitude of elements and a co-workers scattered around the country.
    Looks sweet to me!
    Enjoy……….G

  18. Need WAVE! invitation
    Need WAVE! invitation
    Need WAVE! invitation
    Need WAVE! invitation
    Need WAVE! I need invitation
    Need WAVE! I need one invitation
    Need WAVE! I need one invitation
    Need WAVE!I need one invite
    Google Wave Google
    beacause my ASCII art looks really bad! hehehe
    I am a developer in Quito Ecuador and I will spread my waves from the middle of the world.
    Cheers!

  19. Okay! Everyone’s in the hat so far. I won’t reply to every comment to keep the noise level down a bit. Thank you everyone for entering. We look forward to more comments to help fill up our hat!

  20. I was hired to teach “Technology & Computers” to a high school that had very little funding. Our computer room consists of 10 computers (for 20+ kids at a time) from the year 1996.
    I come in everyday with my laptop and over a projector show the students the newest and greatest of technology advances. Over the past three years I have finally stirred some interest in the students and community and have started a fundraiser to at least get one up-to-date computer.
    I think with the addition of Google Wave, I can convince the other students and parents that this is the future of communication and that their children need to know and understand this.
    I’ve filled out the forms and am still waiting for Google. Please, throw me in the hat as well.

  21. Hello and thank you for your post! 🙂
    I’d very much like an invite to Google Wave for educational purposes. I’m a business student, and I want to see what it would be like to use Google Wave for business operations (customer service, creative projects, etc).

  22. I’m so excited to find your post! I recently watched the entire Google wave video and just salivated through the whole thing. Since then I’ve been doing searches for a way to get an invitation. I think I’m scaring away all my social networking friends.
    So, why me??
    My husband and I teach at a local college (him Rhetoric and Linguistics & Composition, me primarily Information Literacy), however we’ve arranged our schedule so that we can home school our children and stay very active in online social networking circles. As an often cabin-fevered mom who was a former K-12 district technology rep, I’m now finishing another master’s in Educational Technology. Google wave would be such an amazing tool for everything from managing the online groups I moderate, to teaching with my college students, to working with my fellow colleagues, to instructing my own children. We also live over 1,000 away from any family and I can’t imagine a better way to set up an easier way of communicating with all of them.
    PLEASE give this hectic mommy an early Christmas present! I already know I’m uncool, so give me something to really brag about! LOL
    Thanks for the consideration, y’all! ~2Shaye

  23. I’m a college student studying computer engineering, and am too poor to buy an invite on eBay for $100. This would help out a lot, and I will definitely share my invites with anyone once i get my account.
    Thanks
    ~Steve

  24. It’s part of my 3 pronged attack for global domination:
    1. Get hand on Google Wave
    2. ?
    3. Global domination
    Do you want your children to grow up in a world where Kim Jong Il has supreme control over you after he achieves global domination? Or do you want someone who, once he achieves global domination will rule with a lazy hand, and eye? One eye on the computer screen, one hand happily surfing the google wave?
    Also, if this isn’t enough. I can beg or dance in a tutu with cats.

  25. Hello!
    I have desperately been trying to find an invitation into google wave, but had no luck so far. First of all, I’d like to thank you for no ads or surveys on this website. I already tried to post on here, but accidentally deleted my reply. One of my main reasons to use google wave is my interest in journalism. Google Wave will make it much easier to collaborate on creating articles and to share them with the world. The language translation will also come into play for me as I am interested in sending my articles to other countries(instantly). Besides journalism, I also need google wave because I am tired of keeping track of multople accounts for IM, Email, and Social Networking. Google Wave will make my life so much easier!
    Thank you

  26. I sure would like one, David, but let the others go first. Keep me in mind for the second round if you get more.

  27. I don’t think there is a way of deserving a wave account, so I will just leave my request here for when you have enough invitations to give. 🙂
    My gmail is epere4. Thanks!

  28. I would like Wave because it seems like an essential tool for, well, my life. Plus, I’ll stop doing the hokey pokey trying to get back to clients and colleagues.

  29. Hi greeting from Venezuela I want to know Google Wave because i´m university teacher and i think this tool may help me with my pupils.
    Thanks

  30. UPDATE:
    We held our hat party and drew the 8 winning Gmail accounts for invitation to the Google Wave beta.
    All eight accounts we picked have been “invited” on our side — but please note, as mentioned in one of the screenshots above, where Google Says, “Invitations will not be sent immediately. We have a lot of stamps to lick.” Now your luck is in Google’s hands.
    If we get more invitations, we will continue our hat trick here and hand them out as democratically and as fairly as possible.
    Go ahead and add your interest for getting into the Google Wave beta using the same entry conditions mentioned in the article if you haven’t already done so, and we’ll do our best to serve you.
    Please do not post duplicate messages. We moderate all comments and sometimes it takes us a little while to clear your message. Multiple submissions will result in all entries being deleted. If you already posted your interest, do not post a follow up or another comment.
    Please do not ask if you got in or not because all we really do is nominate — “dboles” is the Gmail account we used to submit your name — Google does the actual inviting.
    Thank you!

  31. Hey there! i would like to try this new google wave, because of the importance it will have on every social networks! and i would like to try to find ways to make it even more useful and learn with it every day! I live in Peru and i havent heard of anyone here with google wave yet, i hope im the first one 🙂
    Thanks a lot!

  32. Having a platform that has the “all-in-one package” of all Google services will definitely be on the plus side for a student like me.

  33. About 20 years ago, the first Chinese Guy connected Internet, He wrote the email across the Greatwal, over the seas. Now it’s time for me to surf the wave.

  34. Hi David,
    I am a little late here and looks like I ran out of my luck…… 🙁
    This is for the second round of invitation then.
    I think Google Wave will bring a paradigm shift in social networking and will be more efficient and effective in managing online conversation.
    The reason I look forward to an invitation is I want to be a part of this global community which growing everyday and with an unbelievable speed – I want to know what’s happening around so that I can empower myself accordingly.

  35. Hi David, it seems I am a bit late but I think this is so cool 🙂 I’m a Spanish and music teacher living in Amsterdam and would love to explore the possibilities of Wave to maintain contact with my students, exchange exercises, correct them online in the same document, so we don’t have to use paper. I think the possibility of making assignments and get them corrected in the same space must be cool. About music, the opportunity of sending a composition via email and being able to have several people working online in it sounds like glory music to me. I would also try the communication with my family, being abroad it looks like something great. I know there is a lot of people in need of an invitation for multiple and very justified reasons, so if I receive one although late I will be very happy 🙂
    Here the patient waiting-woman.
    Thanks a lot! 🙂

  36. I need an invitation because
    GOOGLE had stolen the idea of the waves from me.:@
    It was my idea to build such very rich application 3 years ago.
    but google stole that idea and implemented it.
    so I need to find every bug in that application and spread it over.
    Thank you,

  37. Hi,
    I would love to have Google wave, because i live in Germany, but my family still lives in Guatemala, and in Australia, and it is really hard to keep in touch with everyone.
    Besides, i think that it would help me in sharing and comunicating not only with my family, but with my co-students here in germny and so making group work easier.
    Sorry for my bad english
    have a nice day!

  38. I want to help spread this new technology. Gmail was amazing even when it came out and it made email a better place. Google Wave will do the same thing with regards to communication and I want to help it along. Also, all my friends will think I’m cool.
    Thanks!

  39. Ola everyone,
    Wave sounds so exciting, and such a pitty theres so lil invitations.
    Im dutch, conversating with loads of folks over the planet, in various media, MSN, yahoo…
    wouldnt it be great to move everything just to google wave?
    Id be so delighted to try share and make my friends happy. Including my girlfriend 10.000 miles away in New York 🙁
    All my best,
    keep my fingers crossed!
    Best,
    Matt van Leeuwen

  40. UPDATE:
    I have 12 more Google Wave invitations!
    I am digging into the hat again now!
    If you are new here, please continue to post you interest in an invitation using the methods stated above and I’ll keep the invites rolling…

  41. I want a Google wave because i want to try, the Wave Yo dou think this remplace Email, i will start try them , Send a Invitation Please

  42. I NEED Google Wave in my life!
    I’m the Director of Innovation for an incredibly small non-profit who are revolutionizing study abroad for our generation.
    Wave would be an amazing bit of tech allowing me to connect and collaborate more easily with our students, providing even better leadership and service opportunities to make a difference at home and abroad.
    Got my fingers, toes, eyes, arms and legs crossed!
    Jen

  43. It doesn’t look like your Gmail account came through. Can you give us your username so we can add you to the list?

  44. I would love an invite!
    I’m a lecturer at a university and I’m looking into Google Wave as an alternative to the terrible Blackboard system. From what I know of Wave, it looks to be a potentially revolutionary product that will allow me more freedom in online teaching–introducing more and better interaction in the classroom. I’d love to test it out and see what it’s capable of!

  45. Hi David, I’d love an invite as well.
    As a university student, my friends and I always have a difficult time keeping up with our professors while taking notes. With Google Wave, my friends and I will be able to take notes in class together. While I might copy down what the professor is saying, my friends could keep track of important themes and terms running throughout the lecture. Google Wave will allow us to have one master notebook where we could verify all the information, add additional notes, highlight important information for our final exam, completely revolutionizing the way we study. I’d love to try this out! Thanks.

  46. Hey!
    I’ve got several major school projects coming up, as well as some online projects which are currently run through google docs. This involves *a lot* of switching between tabs and windows, and I honestly believe we could double or even triple our work speed with wave.
    Thanks a lot.
    (my gmail address is my username @gmail.com)

  47. I am currently a medical student in NY. Class collaboration is really important. I feel that if I can incorporate google wave in school, I would really improve the efficiency on how I study.
    Thanks,
    eriktsou atemail gmail.com

  48. I´d like to get into Google Wave because it´s the coolest thing on the internet.
    I´d start using Google Wave because i know this thing will eventually be used by everyone on the internet.
    Thanks
    jelmann

  49. If you still have any invites, I would like to draft my master’s/life project using this technology. My ideas relate to the history of language and the evolution of science, and in short believe that the former always contains the seeds of discovery for the latter in advance of the discoveries themselves. My presentation would find its best expression as a self-referencing, auto-concatenating, pre-spidered, blogosheric object (a “blobject”) – whose appearance would itself describe the phenomenon of what it is about as part of its engendering. [McLuhan put it best – “the medium is the message”.] I wrote the above paragraph in my diary before reading about Googlewave, and it seems quite a relevant concept. Thanks for your time.
    Stephen Heider

  50. Hi David,
    I’m a visually disabled software engineering student from Sri Lanka
    If u will be kind and supportive enough to offer me a chance among the fortunate 12 invitees, on the one hand I’ll be able to help Google by reporting my observation on Google Wave’s accessibility to Screen-readers and on the other since developing is my field, I’ll be able to try implementing something for the world wide visually impaired community to access this latest technological advancement of marvelous realtime multimedia integrated system of communication.
    Besides, I assume this is a chance for u to show up ur equal treatment for everyone and to assert that ur lucky hat represents people from all over the world including south Asia Simply all I want is a GOOGLE WAVE INVITATION Hope I don’t drive u nutz by being so noisy in my writing:-)
    Many thanks in advance

  51. Hi David! I don’t know if you still have invitations but I am willing to wait 🙂 My name is Sophie, I am a composer and work as a Musical Analysis teacher in Florence. I am working in a project with other colleagues and I find wave amazing and full of possibilities to compose in line, making our communication faster and more intuitive, as if we were together working on real time! As I am Canadian this sounds like a gift to me to communicate with my friends and family there. I have no rush, but if I receive your invitation I will be so happy!
    Thanks a lot! 🙂

  52. Hi,
    I am a 17 year old UK web developer working on a few projects. I have some fantastic ideas for Google Wave widgets and I would really like to test them out.
    My Idea:
    Imagine being able to watch a YouTube video over the wave… not just watching it, but everyone in the conversation watching the video at the exact same point, at the exact same second. You would all start watching the video at the same time, if the ‘Host’ (Person who added the video) paused it, all the videos would pause, if they skipped forwards 10 seconds, all the videos would skip forwards 10 seconds. Simultaneous streaming over the wave =D
    Thoughts??? Oh and an invite please so I can actually start developing this =)
    P.S. It doesn’t look like my username came through so it is “samarudge” (@gmail.com)

  54. Hello fellow future wavers!
    I work at a non-profit that teaches teachers how to teach better. (That is a big simplification but didn’t want to start throwing out neurodevelopmental constructs and other words like that they like to use around here) I want to use Google Wave as a way to collaborate between our employees and teachers, for example we could show a video of a teacher child interaction in a wave to a group of teachers and then have discussions on what was watched in Real time. I think this could be very helpful to participants in our courses.

  55. Hi David,
    I hope you still have invites… I’d like to try Google Wave as a collaboration platform.
    We actually use activcollab to share files and ideas about our projects.
    I think Wave will improve the collaboration with its real-time features.
    Please send me an invitation.
    Thank You =)

  56. Hi David,
    If you should come by any more invites for Wave I’d love to be a recipient. I’m the Head of Media and ICT at a large school in England, and currently I’m studying for an MA in Online Education, so Wave is right up my street.
    We’re trialling Google Apps for Education at present, so Wave would fit into our plans for developing collaborative web-based learning.
    For some reason I could only log on with @googlemail.com in my address, so just in case this doesn’t appear my actual GMail address is: svanstraten1ATgmailDOTcom
    Many thanks for the offer and the informative blog.
    With kind regards,
    Sacha van Straten

  57. UPDATE:
    Google gave me 30 more Wave invitations this morning!
    Everyone who has asked for a Google Wave invitation so far should now have one or have one coming in their Inbox in a few days.
    If you are new here, and if you would like to be invited to Google Wave in the next round, please leave a comment here with the appropriate information requires and we’ll do our best to hook you up!

  60. Hi David,
    Thank you so much for sending me a Wave invite.
    We have a school inspection tomorrow, so I’ve been working late tonight and just got home to find your invitation. As it happens I’m on a Leading in ICT course tomorrow, so the timing is fantastic.
    I’ve only had a chance to play with Wave a bit but its learning possibilities seem substantial.
    I’ll look forward to ‘Waving’ with you in the future!
    Many thanks again,
    Sacha

  61. I think you will enjoy Google Wave, Sacha. I have no idea how long it will take Google to process your invitation — my experience tells me a Gmail account gets approved faster than other email addresses, so we’ll hold thumbs your invitation gets processed in a few days or so.

  62. Dear David,
    Am impressed by reading the reviews of this Google Wave tool. Please send me an invitation so that i wud be thankful to you very much.
    My email > venths (at) gmail (dot) com
    Regards,
    Venthan

  63. We are currently out of Wave invitations again, but your name now is at the top of our list and we will continue to collect requests and send out Google Wave invitations as we get them — so everyone should continue to post their interest as stated in the original article above.

  65. I’m glad you got in, Alexis! Google seems to be processing invitations in hours instead of days now and I think that means we’re getting closer to a more wide-open testing period.

  66. I’m keen to start using Wave to collaborate with other musicians I’ve met online, pinging scraps of audio around the globe and bouncing ideas off each other in realtime seems exciting to me.
    So, if you do get any more invites in the future, please send on my way.
    totalcult (at) gmail (dot) com
    Thanks,
    Mat.

  67. Hi David,
    My name is Amanjot Singh and I am concurrently a 17 year old Java Developer as well as physicsist researching in the fields of coding an instant communication software to robot (for FIRST robotics as well). I would love to have Google Wave only because with this, make it easier for my team members to follow and have instatneous conversation regarding one of the objectives or assignments. Make things easier than sending text messages, use webcams and skype to communicate at once!
    I have school everyday till 5 o clock,(magnet school) and this come in very handy for all of us. Most classmates and team members already have one, however, have no invites to send.
    Please send me an invite,
    Regards,
    AJ Singh
    ghms.asingh@gmail.com

  69. Hi David,
    Although you ran out of invitation, I’m hoping to be eligible (hat or whatever) for the next run.
    I would use Google Wave for purely personal testing purposes, sharing pictures, documents with friends, chatting. These days, means of communication are becoming more and more overwhelming. So it’s convenient to have one app trying to streamline my chit-chat 🙂 I like the opportunities that Google Wave is giving, even though it might give those lovers of personal privacy the creeps. Me, I’m more curious 😉
    Thanks for an invitation!
    Bye,
    Ros

  73. I work collaboratively with people in several different organizations and communicating ideas and documents amongst the group is difficult – and my IT people seem to be unable to come up with a solution. I’d like to try Google wave and would appreciate an invitation.

  74. Hi David
    Could you please send me one invitation? I am a huge goggle user. I use Google docs, Google code, Google sites and many other Google products. I would greatly appreciate it if you could send me an invite 🙂 I see almost an endless possibility of uses for Google wave. It looks very handy.
    My email address is shs077(at)gmail(dot)com
    Regards

  76. People! I would get spanked for a Wave invitation 😉 Anybody willing to share? If so, send it to spankthespam {at} gmail [dot] com
    Muchos gracias!

  77. hi, i would love an invite because i am the the biggest google fan and would have no problem if google ruled the world and i think i should get an invite because well the wave is more fun if more people are using it (hopefully everyone soon).

  78. Hi there! I’d like to use Wave to keep in touch with my family in the military, collaborating with all of them in real time over family photos and videos and making plans for our family reunion once they’re all home. oriboris@gmail.com

  79. hi.. i would be glad if someone invited me to wave… google has always been the best and even this time its gonna rock..

  80. I would love to have Google wave to be able to use and test out while doing my college group projects. Can anyone help me?

  82. I am involved in a small business that is setting up a wireless high speed network in the province of Manitoba(specifically the interlake). because we have such a large area to cover, we have 3 offices running, plus one man on the go. A Google Wave invite would allow us to communicate more effectively, and thus be able to be more efficient.
    thanks for your consideration

  83. Hello,
    I appreciate you sending out invites as your able. I thought I would try my luck here just in case your given another set in the future.
    I’m hoping to get a google wave invite for education needs. I have been a senior in college for what feels like an eternity (more like 4 years) and due to life reasons, can only attend school online.
    I see google wave being an excellent resource in both a creative and efficient sense.
    Good luck to everyone getting their wave on!
    Liv
    semisettled (at) gmail.com

  84. Im a googlemaniac and would just love an invite, I paid for a gmail invite back in the day and really don’t want to pay for a wave inviet if i don;t have to
    thanks sooo much

  85. Please send an invite when available
    antoniogolfari AT google.com
    thanks a lot

  91. UPDATE:
    We received 8 more Google Wave invites this morning and we sent them out.
    We will continue to invite people based on the order of the requests posted here.

  92. I would love an invitation to Google Wave. Please add me to your list. Thanks bobby.cowart (at) gmail.com

  93. i’m a college student and i’m going to be on exchange next term. i would love to use wave to keep collaborating in a research project i’m currently collecting data for. moreover i’v been working with a no-profit in the last few years and it would be a great tool to help while i’m abroad.
    thank you so much for sharing your invitations.
    mc

  95. Hey David,
    Thanks a lot for your invitation!
    Now all I gotta learn is how to effectively use Google Wave. Or at least enjoy it! 🙂

  100. Hi, I’d really appreciate an invite if at all possible-I’m doing work in the area of Recognition of Prior Learning with Adult Learners and immigrants and I think Wave would be really useful in helping them meet their education goals and dreams.
    It would permit more sharing of learning and knowledge and help them prepare to be assessed for credit recognition.
    Whatever you can do I would be most appreciative.
    F

  101. Hi,
    I work with nonprofit organizations and have several projects for which Wave would be a great way to build the graphics and Case for Support with the wonderful committee of volunteers with whom I work.
    Thanks

  102. i want google wave for everything i do on computer, and i’m also going to start doing stuff which i don’t usually do on the computer with google wave. i’m going to use it to talk and to send and to post things to my family and friends. i will also use it for school work.

  103. hello. please send me an invite if you have any left.
    thanks a lot, my e-mail is: vaaajk at gmail dot com

  104. Please send me google an invitу if you still can it. Thank You!
    My e-mail is fearless956(at)gmail(dot)com.

  105. If you have an invitation left I would be really greatful if you would send it to me

  106. I belong to a family of programmers and would like very very much to try wave out. Please share an invitation with me if you have some left. Thanks in advance.

  107. I would loooove a google wave invitation because i looooooove google. if tehre is an invittaion availbale, plaese sedn me one. As you can see, I really need that spell-check gadget to.But in order to use it i need WAVE 😀 so please…(the best beg-face ever)

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