Author Topic: Google Wave  (Read 5606 times)

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KMC

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Google Wave
« on: May 30, 2009, 05:30 pm »
So, just in case you weren't all sick of my talking up Google's products I thought I'd throw another one out there for SMNet to chew on.  For the record - I have no affiliation to Google and I gain nothing personally from talking about their products.  They just seem to be amazed by how people communicate information, which is one of my favorite topics when discussing Stage Management.

This new tool seems to be pretty cool, though it is early in the process.  I think this would be excellent for collaborating with a production team.  From the website:

Quote
What is a wave?

A wave is equal parts conversation and document. People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.

A wave is shared. Any participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. Then playback lets anyone rewind the wave to see who said what and when.

A wave is live. With live transmission as you type, participants on a wave can have faster conversations, see edits and interact with extensions in real-time.

Have a look, what are your thoughts?  Do you see any use for this in a production?  How about tours?  Rep shows?  Opera?
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

megf

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Re: Google Wave
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2009, 07:03 pm »
Seems fascinating! What a neat idea - I can see a lot of possibilities for this in corporate entertainment and academia, but am not sure about where it would fit best in "legit" theatre.

On the corporate side, having a documentary record that is so rich with information would be wonderful, and I imagine would streamline a lot of the planning phase on many projects. In the academic world, this could almost be an alternative performance "space," in some philosophies of what constitutes theatre. In commercial or regional theatre.... seems really fun, a great way to communicate quickly and with ample media support... I'm just not convinced that virtual communication will ever be as effective as a group of three, eight, or twenty people meeting in person and sharing thoughts and materials directly. While the potential is there, in Google Wave, for great clarity, I think many of the pros out there are still more inclined to trust things they can touch - which makes a pencil sketch on a paper napkin a more effective tool than all the beautiful virtual meeting software you can find.

Nonetheless - how fabulous it would be to have a record like this! K, do you see a place in your current work situation where Google Wave could be used? Or, in hindsight, would you use Google Wave in a job you've held previously?

Great topic :-)

PSMKay

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Re: Google Wave
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2009, 02:02 am »
I don't know as everything needs to be in real-time.  IMHO, over-reliance on real-time tools may allow for a nice ricochet effect in the generation of ideas, but there is something to be said for a linear conversation string.  Perhaps I am a relic, but I do believe very strongly in first drafts.  If everything I typed were immediately visible at all times, I think I would spend most of my life in serious hot water!

Admittedly, for massive team projects it might be good to use Wave for some parts of the process.  However, using it for all correspondence would be detrimental.  Can you imagine running a rehearsal where every member of the design team was present for every single moment and could comment on it in real time?  In a very few ultra-collaborative situations it *might* be useful, but like all communications methods it is just another tool.  Basecamp and even skype (which now offers screen sharing) offer some similar features.

Also, I think Google may be going about it the wrong way if they want Wave to "replace" email.  Saying that something is a complete reboot of a familiar technology is a sure way to guarantee that the bulk of the population will look at it in absolute terror.  My boss is still trying to figure out email attachments.  Something like Wave might be attractive to early adopters, but those of us out on the long tail of small business will be looking at massive amounts of training for which there is absolutely no budget at all.

ChaCha

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Re: Google Wave
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2009, 02:24 am »
I'm not sure about its application in my workplace, although with a staff of 2 in Perth and a head office 3000miles away in Sydney it could prove useful. But I am blown away by the integration Google Wave appears to offer and can easily imagine it being adopted as a preferred means of communication between social networks.
ChaCha

KMC

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Re: Google Wave
« Reply #4 on: Oct 13, 2009, 11:33 am »
Well - Google Wave is currently in "limited preview".  I've requested an invitation from Google.  Assuming I receive an invitation, and assuming it's like gmail and I can invite others - I think it'd be great to put together an SMNet Beta Test group to play around with this and see how we might use it in our workplaces.

If anyone would be interested in participating in this, please respond in this thread.  Let's keep this current thread focused on the actual software itself.

One thought I've just had for this, how cool would it be for the designers, director, and SM who are all in different locations to be in a "wave" throughout the design process, sharing ideas, renderings, draftings, etc... with each other.  
« Last Edit: Oct 13, 2009, 11:36 am by kmc307 »
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

centaura

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Re: Google Wave
« Reply #5 on: Oct 13, 2009, 03:37 pm »
I read this thread out of pure curiosity, and frankly, still can't quite picture what it is that you all are talking about.  Which leads me to the question that this all sounds nice, but can anyone here guarantee that everyone on their production staff is at the same level of technological advancement?

Quote
y boss is still trying to figure out email attachments.

I send out meeting minutes by snail mail to someone, because he doesn't have email.  I personally only have high speed internet access at work, and have dial-up at home.  On tour, while I did everything that I could do via emails - some venues didn't have email, sometimes I didn't have access to internet service (albeit that's less and less frequent nowadays).  When the current IATSE BA got elected, I had to have coaching sessions with her to show her how to turn on the computer, start up Excel, save a file, etc. so she could do invoices.

Now, that was my "con" list, I'll have to do some research to figure out what you're talking about before I can come up with a "pro" list.

I will ask the question - for those who do understand what this is, do you think that while it might not be practical now, would it be the basis of something that might be used 50 years from now?  When a majority of the population has grown up with computers?

-Centaura

deletedoldnotanymore

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Re: Google Wave
« Reply #6 on: Dec 12, 2009, 03:41 pm »
I recently found an interesting use for Wave.  I was calling a show to a light board operator/lighting designer in a very small booth very close to the audience.  It was a manual board, so I gave him his warnings with what submasters to use over the wave.  I then gave him standbys and go's with hand gestures.  This was really easy, and I was able to see on to his screen to make sure the warning went through.

He was also able to put work notes and new cues into the show during tech with his assistant designer over the same wave, and I would see what the changes were.  Very handy.

bull

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Re: Google Wave
« Reply #7 on: Dec 31, 2009, 07:18 pm »
I recently found an interesting use for Wave.  I was calling a show to a light board operator/lighting designer in a very small booth very close to the audience.  It was a manual board, so I gave him his warnings with what submasters to use over the wave.  I then gave him standbys and go's with hand gestures.  This was really easy, and I was able to see on to his screen to make sure the warning went through.

He was also able to put work notes and new cues into the show during tech with his assistant designer over the same wave, and I would see what the changes were.  Very handy.

Wow, I never thought of using it like that, but seeing as we just had WiFi installed in our theatre, I might use Wave for warnings and general communication next show, that sounds like a fantastic idea. Should help decrease some of the unnecessary chatter on the Telex as well. You could even separate different groups into different waves, ie have a wave for Rigging, SM's, and LX and sound. I'm gonna have to give this a try.