A book about Google Wave. Chapter 2: Getting Started in Google Wave

Google Wave is not open to public inspection. Access Only those lucky people who have received an invitation to get acquainted with their e-mail system. There are several ways to get a "golden ticket".

If someone you know is already registered to Google Wave

September 30, 2009 Google has allocated around 100,000 invitations to the Wave via email especially interested users. Each user can send 8 invitations to Google Wave to your friends. Therefore, the easiest and fastest way to access the Wave - find a friend who has the most cherished invitation. However, an invite, you can wait long enough. From one day to several weeks (in the distribution of elephants has a certain place, the rate of advance is limited to the possibility of the server).

If among your friends do not have anyone who would use Google Wave

If among your acquaintances there was no Google Wave users, you can send a direct request to Google on their special page "request". And your efforts will be rewarded with a welcome invite. It will have to just wait for a long time. And yet, we recommend that you do not pull and send your request right now - interest in Google Wave is growing exponentially, so the sooner you send the request, the better.

If you have already received a long-awaited invitation to the Wave and checked in, there are some important points which you get better acquainted, before taking the plunge.

Your Google Wave ID - no e-mail

And even if he looks very similar to an email address, it's still not that! You can not send or receive emails from this account. With this address, people can only join you (or ask you) in Wave.

The structure of the client's Google Wave

Now that you've registered, it's time to log into Wave and get your first glimpse of this system. The standard view of the system: a three-column, four-panel. From left to right, the first column includes the Navigation panel on top (like Gmail with links "Inbox", "Sent" and other ways to sort of waves) and contacts the bottom panel (as in the chat list your Gmail). The second column - is a search panel, which includes a list of active "waves" in your default inbox. The third column is designed to enable you to create a new "wave" or open existing ones.

When the panel is filled with content, scroll to prolistki text appears on the right, but not with
the left side.

Google Wave's Anatomy

Wave client layout is not very different from the standard three-column email client. Yet individual "wave" has some differences from the standard e-mail - it is more structured and it contains several new elements.

"Wave" is composed of several separate conversations, referred to as "small waves". Members can create multi-branch calls within the "wave", thus some "waves" may contain a number of "small waves". Each "small wave", in its turn, consists of several separate messages, which are called "bursts." When you choose a separate "splash», Wave colors it green. "Bursts" similar to individual messages in Gmail, but unlike simple messages, they can edit any participant in "waves".

In the picture "Wave" has two "small waves". In the first "small wave" of three members and three
"Burst", the second - only two members and two "burst". When you click on a link or a button "New Wave", you create a "wave", which contains a "small wave" with a "surge" in which you can add a variety of information.

Create your first "wave"

Initially, the "Wave" - ​​a tool for creating multi-user documents. The more you have people in your contacts, the more likely "Let the waves", which picked up by other users. Similarly, you may be invited to participate in the discussion of a topic
someone from your contacts. Or you can try to take part in any general "waves".

If one of your contacts is already in Wave

Google Wave uses your contacts in Gmail, and if one of them is a member of "Waves", it automatically goes into your "wave" contact list. If some of your friends from Gmail No Wave users, you can still test the "wave." To do this, simply go to the so-called "public wave".

If some of your contacts are already using Wave, you can join him in several ways:

1. Click on the button "Create New Wave", which is in the upper left corner of the search bar, or click on the link "New Wave", which is located in the third column, "the Wave Client." Wave opens a new empty "wave" in the third column. Write your first message and click on "Finish". After that, once kindly Wave prompts you to add new participants from the dropdown list of contacts. Then click on the selected contact and thus "attaches" it to its "wave".

2. Choose from the list of the contacts of one person, click on his avatar, then click
   button "New Wave" in his profile. Write your message and click "Finish".

As soon as your "new wave" there is another participant, you can see his avatar in the light blue area near your avatar at the top of "waves". "Wave" appears in a box of this participant at the same time, when you join it even if you did not write a message to this member. As soon as you start typing, other participants can take part in a "wave", update it at the same time with you. So, congratulations, you are already "on the wave"!

And even if your "wave" has long been a hot discussion going on any subject, you can still connect it to new users at any time. For example, you have decided to discuss the issue with Eugene, but after some time to think about what Masha, too, have something to say about it. To get started, make sure that "wave" in which you want to invite a new interlocutor, open, and then:

1. Clicks on the "+" button in the upper left corner of the opening of the "wave" and simply search the contacts you want to add. After you find your desired contact in the search box, simply press "Enter" or click on it with the mouse.
2. Just grab and drag your desired person from the panel with a list of contacts, which is open on your "wave", and add to the discussion topic.

Remember, the ability to add a new contact at any point in the existing "wave" of discussions - a huge advantage of Google Wave. If it was e-mail, you would take a lot of time and effort to add a new contact. The "wave" all specially sharpened by the possibility of any contact included in the discussions at any time, not to mention the possibility of "rewind" the wave at the very beginning, to quickly enter into the course case.

If your list of contacts in Google Wave is empty

Access to the Google Wave is limited and is now available by invitation only, so at first your contact list may be empty or people who have invited you are offline. Therefore, your first "wave" may resemble a simple e-mail message. But still you will
opportunity to practice using the "waves", trying their strength in the so-called public (shared) "waves."

To do this, you just need to print a special request »with: public» in the search bar "Waves" (located at the top of the Search panel) and press "Enter". Search will give you all the public waves, as well as update them in real time, which can participate anyone to practice. If you find a "wave", which you are interested, just click "Join". It will open in the third column. If you want to find a "wave" of a particular topic in the search box, enter a request for topics you're interested, for example, «with: public Firefly» for entomologists and fans of fireflies. (For more information on the exact search queries in Google Wave will be available in Chapter 4.)

If you have already started your participation you are interested in "wave", you can not ignore the most amazing feature of "waves": the ability to observe, other participants print their messages in real time, so you can see how moving the cursor while typing another participant wave. A note can also discover some similarities between how the "Wave" and your current messenger.

Your first experience in Google Wave

The first reaction of many people who are first discovering Google Wave, it is "stunned !!!". For the first time they discover the opportunity to observe, as the "wave" grow and bottled breadth follow in real-time for the movement of the cursor, to see how their eyes first appear the letters, which are then combined in offers! IN
Basically, the first experience in Google Wave - this is not a joint document, and chat.

The opportunity to observe the simultaneous printing of multiple users

At first, the ability to create a document and simultaneously receive changes from another user will be for you something awesome. interesting pattern will emerge before his eyes: your text in the "wave" will be complemented by a rule or a real-time, line by line. You will be able to see how the name of one of the users in your "wave", marked by a certain color, will move through the text as it is set (picture 2-6). And in the "wave" with the number of users 2+ you can watch the movements of the cursor all involved. And the location of the cursor on your screen will be the same with the same picture, which is visible to other users involved in a "wave".

Opportunity to observe how multiple people create a common document at the same time, able to observe the movement of the cursor in real time - a new experience for many people. At that time, when you type text, you realize that your contacts can see each character one by one. The most important thing is that the ability to see the creation of a document in real time allows you to see to it that other people write and to avoid unnecessary repetition in "splash".

For example, you are working with colleagues over a big presentation at work and you do not need to deal with limiting the workspace server, blocked or limited access to the document. The "wave" you can at the same time with all colleagues to edit the document, because it is the only one of its kind, he does not have copies, and he did not plozhit multiple branches as when the offline copy classic way. To see the changes made to the document by employees, you just need to simply follow their cursors.

Multi-user editing of documents in real-time as possible familiar to programmers who have previously worked in special programs for collaborative editing of text. But for most people, such a possibility can be completely new, unusual, and sometimes even a little frightening. For those who are not pleased with the idea of ​​being constantly on everyone's mind, Google Wave offers a note paper as the Draft with the "Draft" option (next to the button "Finish"), which can be used for individual "Bursts." While your document is marked as "Draft", access to it is closed to outsiders. True to this time, this option is, unfortunately, not available.

Notification of new messages

As with e-mail clients, "Wave" will notify you of new "Splash" and changes in "waves." All changes that have occurred in waves from the moment you come out of them, can be seen in their headers: with the theme of new outbreaks and the time of their occurrence. Unread messages will be highlighted in green. When you open the waves you will be able to understand what is not yet bursts Read or have been changed by a vertical green bar on the left side of the burst. Accordingly, when you click on a new burst of green bar immediately disappears to the new changes, and new counter update messages.

Wave like instant messaging service

At first "wave" may seem somewhat stunning, especially if you are trying to compare it to the already known chat rooms, e-mail, or programs for the collective creation of documents. "Wave" combines all three of these types of tools. At first, you will take it and use it as a client for instant messaging. If you decide to send a message to a contact, which is currently offline, the "Wave" will look like more than e-mail. In any case, the sooner you'll see exactly what Google Wave is different from email and chat, the better.

Three different ways Google Wave updates

You can update the "wave" in three different ways, which depend on the context. Sometimes you want to answer directly under the "surge", sometimes - for a specific replica of a long "spike" and sometimes just edit directly a specific "splash" with the text you are working together with other people.

The answer is a "splash"

If you find a "surge", which would like to comment, hover your mouse over the lower part of the spike, and see that there are a small rectangle with a blue border. Click on it to respond to your chosen "surge." When the response is ready, just click on the "Finish" button. If you answer "splash" in the middle "waves", the answer will be placed between the bursts.

The answer is in the text directly into the "splash"

One of the most powerful features the Wave, which separates it from the e-mail is that you can reply anywhere in the conversation.

In order to answer in the middle of the text, you need to double-click in the right place. After this, a window will appear next to the highlighted text and options "A" and "Edit". Click on the "Reply" Wave and place the response was exactly the place you have chosen.

Google Wave may require that you highlight the entire text by double-clicking, but then the cursor is at the end of the selected text, and not specifically your selected words. Therefore, we recommend you to do just double-click it in the place where you want to leave your response.

Editing information in "Splash"

The main difference between Google Wave from a standard e-mail - is that each participant can edit any part of the "wave". You can do this in several ways:

1. Click on the small triangle icon next to the time stamp in the upper right corner of the "surge" and click on the "Fix a message." Immediately after that, you get the ability to edit the text.
2. Select the desired portion of text and click the button "Edit". The only difference of this method from the first, is that the Wave will put the cursor at the end of the text that you selected.

Unlike other methods of work in Google Wave, edit existing text does not create a new "surge." Your text did not specifically allocated, your username does not appear to him and there is no special indentation for an answer. Still, you can tell how many people have edited this "surge", if you look at the upper part of the "surge." Wave shows nicks and avatars to everyone who took part in the editing of the text.

The best browsers for Google Wave

In order to work with Google Wave you do not need to download additional software. You can work with them from any browser. But it is better to use browsers that support HTML5. A list of compatible browsers with Google Wave:

• google Chrome
• firefox 3.5+
• Safari

In order to fully work in Google Wave through the Firefox and Safari, you need to install the Google Gears plug-ins. After that there are such features as tug of pictures and download files from your desktop into the "wave." (Google Chrome comes these plug-ins)

Chrome Frame for Internet Explorer

If you do not have the opportunity to work in browsers, sharpened by Google Wave, it can be done in Internet Explorer. Specifically for IE Google to create a plugin, called Chrome Frame, which allow you to work in a "wave". Chrome Frame launches technology transfer and the development of JavaScript in IE, which allows you to work with Wave, and other web applications with HTML5.

Google Wave on your mobile devices

Google Wave offers a compact and versatile applications for mobile devices, which operates in modern mobile browsers, including the browsers are set by default in the iPhone, iPod touch and Android.

For example, when you first go to Google Wave from your iPhone via Safari, immediately pops up a warning that says that this browser does not support these applications. In any case, you click on "continue", and then loaded a "wave" in full screen. The boundaries of the Safari browser at the same time will not be visible. If you add a bookmark to your Wave the homescreen, every time through it you will go to the Google Wave, we will also download a full-screen version as a standard application.

Also opens Google Wave and the standard Android browser, after you click on "continue". But then there is a risk that not all loaded wave.

Special browsers for Google Wave

Waveboard for Mac - one of these browsers specifically for Google Wave, which offers integration to your special desktop icons displaying the number of unread waves in the Dock and the notification sound at updates. Currently available only beta version of Waveboard, which requires a plugin installed Google Gears (because Google Gears is only compatible with Mac OSX 10.5, users with version 10.6 will have to use unofficial version of Google Gears). Waveboard also can be used on the iPhone, after integrating it into the browser to open external links inside the app.

You can also use Waver - a special browser that runs under the Adobe AIR (Windows and Mac).

So you've created your first "wave", you know how to work in Google Wave. Now it's time to learn how to expand your contacts, create your profile at the Wave for more advanced work in the environment of "waves".