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Definition: Google Wave


Web-based collaborative software from Google that offered group instant messaging along with document editing and history. Introduced in beta in 2009, Google shuttered the service in 2010 due to limited acceptance. Components migrated to other Google endeavors.

Each "wave" was a live conference thread viewed by all participants who could edit the content and also add other individuals. In addition, a wave could be played back from the beginning to review the conversation.

Waves, Wavelets and Embedded Waves
A wave was the entire message thread, and a "wavelet" was a subset of the wave that could be created and managed separately. An "embedded wave" was a wave that was placed on a website to provide a chat room or contact method.

Blips and Documents
A "blip" was one message in a wave, and a "document" was the content within a blip.

Gadgets and Robots
"Gadgets" and "robots" added functionality. A gadget was a mini-application, and a robot automatically triggered events. See Google+ and Google.