Caught a Wave

I just got invited to test out the new Google Wave today. I have absolutely no idea what to do with it.

For those that don't know what it is, it seems to be a mix between an instant messenger, Email, and a Wiki.

It's an IM service in that you can talk real time. It's Email similar to how Gmail works in that it keeps things as a thread and all posts in a topic are connected. And it's a Wiki in such that anyone can edit anything in the thread, including something someone else has written.

It's supposed to be used as a tool for collaboration and I can see how it could be pretty nifty. If I were still a student doing research, I think this would be a great way to bring together a research project. But alas, I'm not and I can't really see a good way for this to be put into use for me. This sums up how I feel about the Wave right now.

Does anyone else hereabouts have it or have any thoughts?