Google Wave Will Be More Like a Tsunami

Google's many development teams have given us some great stuff through the years. Google Search, Blogger, Gmail, and their recent acquisition of YouTube are just some of the highlights of how this tech powerhouse in Mountain View, CA drives us to increase the potential of what we can do with the internet.
Hold on to your hats, because later this year Google is going to release to the masses a communications platform so dynamic and powerful that some people are already throwing around the term "e-mail killer."
I'm talking about Google Wave. It's a first-of-its-kind internet communication protocol that will allow you to communicate with friends, co-workers, family or anyone in a more advanced way than e-mail or even instant messaging can support. In fact, this new platform is sort of what you'd get if you mixed e-mail, instant messaging and microblogging (like Twitter) and served them up in a bulletin board/chat room.
You can use it to share photos or videos with friends, and everyone is able to respond in near-instantaneous real-time with replies,comments, tagging, etc...all at the same time. Co-workers can collaborate on projects the same way; everyone has a hand in creating and revising the project moment-by-moment, with the ability to see every step of the developing project, who made which changes, and have multiple conversations about it.
In short, this is going to be revolutionary in much the same way that cell phones, e-mail or instant messaging were when they first became popular with the general public. Not many of us saw much of a use for those beforehand, and now we don't want to do without them because they changed the way we communicate.
The best part of this is that it isn't proprietary. Google is not sitting on this protocol. From the beginning of their development of Google Wave back in late 2007/early 2008, they've designed it to be Open Source. This will allow other companies (like Microsoft, Yahoo, Apple, Mozilla, etc) to create a Wave service or client and develop plug-ins and applications for it.
It's still in development currently, meaning that average users won't see it for several months. Meanwhile, if you want to know more, hit the highlighted link a few paragraphs back...or watch Google Wave Developer Preview over at YouTube. It's 1 hour, 20 minutes in length, so if you don't have time now, just bookmark it for later. Also, don't let the title scare you away...it was recorded at Google's Developer conference for tech geeks, but there's plenty of simple explanation for the rest of us.

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eBay Buying and Selling: Some Finer Points On Doing Both Well

Until just a few weeks ago, I had no eBay experience whatsoever. Since I've been assisting my brother with his somewhat brisk selling activity recently, and being such a quick study with all things Internet, I thought I'd share some of what I've learned.

Beyond the basic idea of buying and selling on eBay lies a universe of good and bad practices that dictate your rating as a buyer or seller. Some of these things come from eBay rules, and some of them are based on the ratings you receive from other "eBayers" that you conduct business with. I'm going to focus on the interactions with other eBayers.

On the buying end

I've read quite a few complaints in the eBay forums that could have been avoided by the old "caveat emptor" (buyer beware). Searching and locating an item on eBay is easy, buying from a good seller takes some research. First and foremost, check their rating and look at both good and bad comments. You might even go so far as to investigate the commenters' own ratings to validate the claims. If you're not satisfied with the seller's rating, and there are other sellers with the desired item, go with that. If the item is only being offered by one seller with a low or unsatisfactory rating, and you don't want to wait for a better seller to come along, at least prepare yourself for a possibly prickly transaction.

Investigating the item is just as important. Make sure you read the description and examine pictures carefully. Didn't have all your curiosity satisfied? Ask the seller, and make sure to put all your questions in one message instead of several. No one wants to read a dozen different messages from a single buyer about a single item.

eBay is serious about buyers and sellers sticking to the Pay Pal transactions. They offer Buyer Protection with Pay Pal, which is to your benefit as either a buyer or a seller. Don't try to persuade the seller to conduct the transaction "Off eBay" by offering cash or money orders. That's what Craigslist is for.

Another thing: Be quick with your payment. You've won the auction by being attentive to the time frame, so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to dawdle for a few days before paying.

Be a good seller

Honest and above-board selling practices should be a no-brainer, since you can't sell on eBay until you've gotten your feet wet with a few purchases (and experiencing the process), but there are plenty of folks with poor memory or careless treatment of others.

Pre-plan your listing so the information is accurate and effective. The listing title should have the item name and (if space allows) a word or two to call attention to condition, rarity, or some other selling point. Make a draft or two of your description; keep it relevant and only as long as it needs to be...it's not a creative writing exercise, it's an advertisement. Your pictures of the item are also very important. Take the best photos you can, make sure they are well-lit, in focus, and show good detail. Examine the photos carefully before you put them in the listing. Make sure to examine them in smaller size too, since pictures are reduced in the upload/insertion process.

Be attentive to bidders and buyers. If someone asks a question, try to respond quickly...their continued interest, as well as your rating, may depend on it. Try not to accept those "off eBay" transaction offers, since eBay frowns on the practice.

Timely shipping is important. Unless your winning bidder or buyer tells you there's no hurry, you should assume there is. You're aware of when your listings end, or when someone has used the Buy It Now option...Don't drag your feet; get it on its way as soon as you can. Sometimes the winner/buyer is local and might want to pick up the item. If you don't mind it, this option should be in the description, with a reminder that even for local pick-ups, the payment should be via Pay Pal.

For all eBayers

The rating you give to fellow eBayers should be fair and accurate. Both buyers and sellers should wait until the transaction is complete and the item is received before leaving the feedback.

Take advantage of the little extras that eBay offers, like adding a few extra photos to a listing, or using their "Listing Designer" to make it stand out. There's also a community on eBay where you can share your experiences and learn from others.

These are just a few helpful suggestions; there are many other things to consider when buying and selling on eBay. To learn more head over to eBay University Learning Center

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AlternativeTo: Find Great Software Suggestions Without Loooooong Web Searches

Not everybody has the patience, time, or inclination to go on a wild Google chase in search of software and application alternatives. If that's you, you might want to take a look at AlternativeTo, a great website that offers some great alternative software/apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Online that you might not know about.

Once you're there, the site offers a couple of ways to do things. Tabs at the top of the page let you choose your operating system to narrow the possibilities. In the search box, you enter the application you want to find an alternative for, hit enter (there's no "search" button), and you'll get a list of possibilities. If you're feeling adventurous or looking for inspiration, you can check the "Most Views," "Most Likes," or "Recent" tabs for an idea of what's out there. There's even an "OMG Fail" tab full of items that don't have alternatives listed yet, ripe and waiting for someone to come along and make a suggestion. Of course, to do so, you'll have to create an account or sign in via Open ID or Facebook Connect.
Fair warning: AlternativeTo is in BETA and it hasn't had time to be exceptionally comprehensive in its suggestions (which is another reason for visitors to contribute their suggestions if they have any).

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