Google Wave: How To Create, Send, Reply & Add Video

Written by Kate Gilby on November 1, 2009 · Filed under How To, Internet, Review, Tech 

You’ve signed up with Google Wave, logged in and suddenly you’re faced with an interface that isn’t particularly intuitive. The features are quite simple to use, but do require a bit of a learning curve. So, if you’re scratching your head trying to figure out how to send your first wave (message), here’s how, and to make it even more useful, I’ll also tell you how to embed a YouTube video into it.

How To Create A New Wave

At the top of the centre panel you’ll see a button marked ‘New Wave’. (There’s is also a link in the panel on the right but that will only be visible if you don’t have any waves open.) Click the button and an input box will open up on the right.

As you can see in the screenshot below, you have the option to format the text you type, changing fonts, colours, etc. You can also direct your message to specific people using the cross shaped icon next to your avatar. Clicking the cross brings up a list of your contacts, you select the ones you want to send the wave to and then close the list. If your message is personal and you don’t want it to be available for everyone to read, click the small arrow next to the time stamp in the top-right corner of the input box, and you’ll see a drop-down menu which includes the option of sending a private message.

How To Reply To A Wave

To reply to a wave, select it from the central panel, it will open on the right. Hover your cursor over the bottom of the wave and you’ll see an arrow, click that and a new message box will appear directly beneath, simply type your response and click ‘Done’.

As you type, your message appears in the centre panel in real time, which is why there is no send button. However, clicking done let’s your contacts know you have finished typing and closes the input box. So that’s how you send a basic text message and respond to any waves sent to you, but let’s make your first wave a little more entertaining by adding a video.

How To Add Video To A Wave

Adding a YouTube video couldn’t easier. Simply open the page containing the video you want to include, copy the URL – that’s the address in the bar at the top of your browser, not the embedding code supplied on the page – and paste this into your new wave. You might need to use Ctrl and V to do that, the paste function in the right-click menu doesn’t seem to work in all browsers. Click next to the URL and a lightbulb icon will appear, click this and it will give you the option to embed the video. Add some tags to your video using the menu at the bottom-left corner of the input box and click done.

Any Questions?

You’ve just sent your first Google Wave! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments, I’ll do my best to find an answer for you!