By Tara Lane, Staff Writer

The Internet was once again rocked with excitement on Wednesday as Google introduced its newest product, Wave, to a selected group of 100,000 users on an invite-only basis. Initially introduced in May to a small group of developers, this second roll out has sparked an interest for social media aficionados everywhere. What everyone is wondering, however, is if it will live up to the hype that has surrounded Wave for months.

Google has already made an impact on the way people collaborate. Google Docs allows real time collaboration on projects and documents of all kinds, and has appealed to those using it on both a personal and professional level. The Wave is the next evolution in collaboration, streamlining E-mail, document editing, social networking and instant messaging together, all in real-time, and in a single browser window.

When the platform was first announced at the end of May, developers scrambled for ways to get in on the project. Google employs crowdsourcing for many of their projects, allowing people from all over the world to come together and work out the kinks, while bringing new ideas to the table, and the process of Wave was no different. By using the talents of non-Google employees, the product or platform is only limited by the creativity of others, and was able to become more robust as these developers became more involved.

This strategy also gives these innovators and early adopters a sense of ownership over the product in giving them a first-hand look into the next big thing. As recognized social influencers, these select few are also utilized during the marketing stages; as they reveal more about Wave, the buzz gets stronger and more interest is generated. When Wave was first introduced in May, it was only open to these very early adopters and developers. It created a buzz that lasted all the way until this week’s release, as word spread to the early majority. This latest rollout only intensified the buzz, and will most likely hold everyone’s interest until the next big release to the majority of users.

While Wave will provide everything users have been waiting for, plus much more, there are still some hurdles that Google may face as it continues to improve the platform even more. For one, Wave is limited to Google users only, and only to people who have the Wave. Right now, it would be hard for an average user to get much use out of it, because its usefulness depends on the number of other “Wavers” who have access to it as well. Just like Facebook in the early days, or the popular Skype platform, you need to know someone else to use it to its full potential.

Even though the kinks are still being ironed out, it’s easy to see how Wave will be the next big thing. It is only a matter of time before third-party developers will build similar platforms that will be able to integrate with Wave, or even provide add-ons and gadgets to maximize performance and the user experience. We might even see direct competitors like Microsoft develop their own form of Wave, which will not only expand the user base, but enhance usability and collaboration as well. Another question – how will Google monetize Wave? Will they have premium, ad-free availability as well as a free, ad-supported platform? Although the future of Wave is yet to be determined, there is no doubt it will be overwhelmingly positive.

Image from Google.com