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Library/App & software/Google Wave
Grade B22 sourcesHIS-01631

Google Wave

App & software · 2009 · Niche

36Editable slideCertificate

Google Wave drew a million access requests before its invite-only preview.

Clip · Google on YouTube
Clip · googlewave on YouTube
Google Wave
Wikipedia (non-free, fair use)
Wave interface showing the Global Youth Panel debate index, inbox and contacts, from an official Google Wave Blog guest post.
Google Wave Blog / Debatewise
A million stamps licked ... and counting
Google
Waving in Groups
googlewave on YouTube

Spread Score

How it works
ReachNo data yetContagionNo data yetBreadth50Velocity20Longevity3536

Numbers

Peak proxy date
Nov 2009
Sep 30 ’09 to Nov 2009
Platforms
3
Started on Open web
Origin
Seeded
Technology

Mechanics

  • Scarcity dropPrimary
  • Resale market
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

Wave opened an invite-only preview after a developer demo. Invite auctions and user-made videos drew coverage. US traffic later surged in November in a Hitwise chart. Google ended standalone development after reporting insufficient adoption.

Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Google searchesMay ’09JulOctNovDecMar ’10JunAugNovApr ’11AugDecPeak proxyOpen webPressX
Open webPressX

12 more events on this chart

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Timeline (15)

  1. May 2009

    Lars Rasmussen / Google precursor · May 28 ’09

    Google revealed Wave to developers and published its keynote video before the public preview.[1]

    Open the first post ↗

  2. September 2009

    Google precursor · Sep 29 ’09

    Google announced a limited public preview; WIRED reported over a million requests for access.[2][3]

  3. Google seed · Sep 30 ’09

    Google began inviting the first 100,000 users to its public Wave preview.[4][2]

  1. commercial · Sep 30 ’09

  2. press · Sep 30 ’09

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Why it worked

Do this

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

Pro opens the playbook, all 11 sourced numbers and 22 sources. Start with a free account.

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Origin
Seeded
Sector
Technology
Region
AU
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade B

Spread the same way

Product · Retail · 199853

Furby

Tiger Electronics (Hasbro); inventors Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung

Hasbro says Furby sold over 40 million units in its first three years.

$247M on a $10M media spend

1 / 8

  • Furby
  • Dr. Squatch: Sydney's Bathwater Bliss
  • McDonald's x Cactus Plant Flea Market Happy Meal
  • Lilly Pulitzer for Target
  • Starbucks x Stanley Holiday Red Quencher
  • Ello
  • Gmail invite-only launch
  • Avatar (2009)

New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.