Google Wave invites are a hot commodity on the internet these days. It seems that everyone wants in on this shiny, new technology that Google has put out. Although Google Wave is currently in beta testing, people are extremely eager to get their hands on the elusive Google Wave invite.
Google is doing its part in creating demand for Google Wave invites by only releasing as many invites as it feels that the Google Wave system can handle. Here is what you need to know to get in on the next batch of Google Wave invites.
What is Google Wave?
Google Wave is an innovative new communications tool designed by Google. At its completion phase, Google wave promises to merge e-mail, instant messaging, social networking and wikis all into one. This means that you’ll be able to work on online projects together with friends or colleagues that you invite into a “wave”. Google Wave users will also be able to access and use other social networking accounts such as MSN Messenger and Twitter from inside of Google Wave.
Request an Invitation from Google Wave
Google Wave users who received one of the first 100,000 invites that Google Wave sent out were among the first people who request a Google Wave invite when Google announced its latest project. Each initial user was then given 20 invites to share with their colleagues and friends. Since then Google Wave has released several batches of a limited number of Google Wave invites. You can request an invitation from Google Wave by going to https://services.google.com/fb/forms/wavesignup/ and filling out the form. You must provide your email address and answer a couple of questions like who you plan to wave with. There is also a box provided for you to write a message to the Google Wave team.
Unfortunately, once you request your Google wave invite from Google Wave, there is no guarantee of when you will receive your invite. It could be weeks or even months before you see the Google Wave invite hit your inbox. If you would like to speed up the wait for a Google wave invite, here are some other things you can try.
Track Down a Google Wave Invite Using Twitter
Twitter users are buzzing with the latest news about Google Wave. So if you want to know the minute the Google Wave releases more invites, Twitter is the best place to be. In fact, Twitter was indirectly responsible for getting me my Google Wave invite.
A good and kindhearted Twitter friend of mine, @knowyouronion happened to get in on the Google Wave invite request early on and received his invite in one of the first few batches. He mentioned receiving his Google Wave invite one day in conversation and asked if I wanted a Google wave nomination. Although I barely knew what Google Wave was, I’d seen enough talk about it on Twitter to get the gist of it and happily accepted. One week later, I received an email from Google Wave stating that Efren had invited me to preview Google Wave and I was in.
You’ll know when the next batch of Google Wave invites is released because Google Wave will quickly become a trending topic on Twitter. When you see this happen, follow the conversation on Twitter and see if any of your Twitter friends or followers are among the ones to receive an invite. If they are, ask them if you can have a Google Wave nomination. Usually if they have nominations to give out, they’ll post how many are available and ask if anyone is interested.
If none of your Twitter friends are discussing Google Wave, try following the Google Wave hashtag. Get involved in the Google Wave conversation and you may be able to score a Google Wave invite from a kind Twitter user with extra Google Wave nominations.
Buying a Google Wave invite from eBay
Because Google Wave invites are such a hot item right now, some people have resorted to auctioning off their invites and nominations on eBay for an insane amount of money. If you decide to try to buy a Google Wave invite, be aware of the difference between a Google Wave invite and a nomination. A Google Wave invite should have a link that leads to setting up an actual Google Wave account. A Google Wave nomination is simply that – a nomination by a Google Wave user and could take an unspecified amount of time before it results in an actual Google Wave invite.
Personally, I would not buy a Google Wave invite from eBay. Google Wave is releasing more and more invites and chances are that if you are wanting to get into Google Wave, you’ll get one soon enough provided that you’re trying to keep up with the latest news. There is really no need to pay money for something that is free.
For now, make sure you have requested your invite for Google Wave. Get on Twitter and start making contacts and talking about Google Wave if you’re not already. The only thing left to do now is wait. With any luck, you’ll be waving from Google Wave soon enough.
