Cultural Heritage

Recently there has been a lot of commotion over Google’s new offering: Google Wave.

Where can you see it in action?

The full developer preview (80 minutes long) given at Google I/O Symposium is available to watch. If you haven’t got time spare to view the full demo video (though it is a great show!) then the highlights are also available. The beta version is currently undergoing extensive testing and the final version is expected to be released later in 2009.

What is it?

Google Wave already has an extensive Wikipedia entry. It is described as:

A web based service and computing platform designed to merge e-mail, instant messaging, wiki, and social networking. It has a strong collaborative and real-time focus supported by robust spelling/grammar checking, automated translation between 40 languages, and numerous other extensions.

Users create a ‘wave’, which is very much like a conversation on a particular topic (or an email or message board thread). To this wave they can add users, documents and ideas. The users can then collaboratively edit the resources and create spin off waves. All activity is ‘recorded’ and you can choose to playback a wave to see how it was created. The aim is a more free-flowing, informal and linked form of communication.

A useful guide to the key features is given on Pocket-lint.

Some of the important factors that will shape its delivery are:

• That its aim is first and foremost to rethink the way we all communicate with each other online
• It is an open source product and platform – which means that there are going to be plenty of plugins and add ons for it. Google have also agreed to allow organisations to create their own internal versions of Wave.
• The text typed appears in real time – which makes it unlike other messaging software we are familiar with.

So what is its relevance to the Cultural Heritage Sector?

If Google Wave delivers what it has promised than it will have an effect on all online activity and quite possibly all communication activity. The specific implications it has for the cultural heritage sector are still a little hazy but things to consider are:

• If Waves are a new form of communication then they will need managing and preserving. This has implications for those involved in records management and archival activities.
• Google wave involves further merger of spoken conversations and written conversations however as activities take place in one particular place (rather than all over the Web as happens now) there may be opportunities for better organisation of communication.
• Google wave could potentially have an effect on how libraries provide their enquiry and advisory service.
• Google Wave may well have a big effect on other smaller communication activities such as Twitter and on services like Microsoft Sharepoint.
• Google Wave is likely to include a Google Book Search facility. Although some have reported that this may be a negative for libraries it is quite likely that it won’t take long before library developers offer their own plugins. The open API will easily allow this.

There will also be significant implications for those involved in learning and teaching, e-learning, research, remote working and remote learning.

For many Google Wave is just the next step when it comes to the Internet. For those of us who have been working with the Web for some time change has become so inevitable that a period of calm almost seems strange. Those working in Cultural Heritage will find it helps to stay aware of what direction communication and the Web is moving (have a look at this useful explanation of the evolution of the Web). As they say well informed means well armed!