Google Wave is still currently an invite-only application. I was fortunate to receive an invitation from Brandon Carson over at Agami Creative. All conversations are organized into "Waves." If you can't sit through the 120-minute explanation of Google Wave's capabilities, try the short, 10-minute version. Its what got my wheels turning to envision this as a replacement for BaseCamp. Don't get me wrong, BaseCamp is an incredible tool for collaborating on projects, but it still costs money and its not perfect.

Currently, BaseCamp's Basic Plan runs $24/month. That gets me 15 projects, 5GB of storage and unlimited users. Its perfect for freelancer like me who has a handful of clients and projects. However, as a sole proprietor, I'm always looking for ways to cut my costs. I have to subscribe to other tools that cost money. I use the "Shuttle Bus" plan at FreshBooks for billing. That runs me $19/month. I tied Google Checkout tied to FreshBooks and it allows me to send clients an invoice that's payable by credit card. Keep in mind Google takes 2.9% of the payment for any amount under $5000. PayPal is another great alternative. I also have it tied to my FreshBooks billing. However, PayPal forces clients to have an account. If they don't have one, they must register and link their bank account. That can take days. All this translates to delayed payments. Generally, this isn't problematic. But if I've contracted portions of my project to other developers, they need to get paid too.

I use DropBox for file sharing. If you've been under a rock for most of 2009, DropBox is probably the greatest tool under a freelancer's belt. It allows anyone involved in a project to put files in their DropBox folder located somewhere on their computer. That folder gets shared among all the involved parties. No more uploading/downloading. Everyone sees the same thing. I always keep a local, unshared mirror of my DropBox locally, just in case someone on the other end accidentally deletes files. The free version of DropBox starts members at 2GB. Thats fine, until huge PSDs and Hi-Res Photography devour that 2GB. Inviting others by email to use DropBox ups your total by 250Mb increments, but boost is limited to 3GB total.

The BaseCamp / Google Wave Argument

So how does all this relate to the BaseCamp / Google Wave replacement model? BaseCamp manages client correspondence. Messages and writeboards are threaded, so its easy to see who responds to what. Messages can be made private between members of the project. There's so many reasons for private messaging. Basecamp also allows the user to notify other involved parties of an update to a file or a response to a message. BaseCamp also has timeline features: a must for the client and project managers to stay on top of things. BaseCamp also has time tracking. Finally, BaseCamp allows files to be stored and revisions to files can be threaded. Then there's still the 5 GB file limit.

So great, I've highlighted BaseCamp's incredible features. Let's examine Google Wave's features. Google Wave allows members invited to conversation threads called, "Waves." Conversations can happen in real time, or participants can respond at their leisure, much like BaseCamp's threads. Conversations are organized alot like an instant messenger. But Google Wave goes way beyond chatting. Plus, if you've ever made the mistake of giving a high-maintenance client your instant messenger ID...well, I'm sorry. Abusive IMs = lesson learned. You can also initiate a private message between yourself and Wave members of your choice. Perfect for internal/staff discussions. Another beautiful feature of Google Wave is its ability to embed documents from the desktop. Literally click and drag. The sweet 10-minute video (above) illustrates dragging photos, Word Docs, etc. right into a Wave. The playback feature in Wave is incredible too. Literally watch dialogue as it unfolds.

The true power of Google Wave's is behind its plugins and the developers who will really push its limits! A core Wave account includes a plugin to request a "Yes-No-Maybe" vote. Literally drag and drop it under the dialogue where a vote is requested. There's also a drag-and-drop plugin for Google Maps. Other plugins are in their infancy, including Tweetie, which allows you to send Tweets and monitor hash tags of your choice, right within your Wave. The other is "Bloggie" which allows Waves to be embeded in a web page.

So, all this is well and good, but it would take a really diligent, organized person to manage Waves related to project management. I guess that's no different than a new BaseCamp project which forces the user to get set-up w/ initial docs and correspondence. Waves could have a tendency to get really long. And who wants (or has time) to scroll really long conversations looking for feedback about stages of a web project? If you're really organized, you could come up with a naming convention for your project folders and manage your Waves that way.

Here's a quick tally of how the two tools stack up.

Features:	BaseCamp:	Google Wave:
Correspondence:	Threads based on subject. Ability to respond and private message. Not in real-time. Automatically notifies involved parties of a response to the thread. Good for messages requiring action from others.	Threads based on subjects organized by Wave. Instant message style. Ability to private message. Real-time. No auto-responding. Visitors have to check back and follow the thread.
File Sharing:	Upload and Download. File limitations. Ability to post revisions to documents. Accompany this with third-party tools like DropBox.	Embedded Documents within a Wave. Embedded documents can work well for quick approvals. Accompany this with third-party tools like DropBox.
Time Management & Billing:	Built in time logs that sync flawlessly with billing solutions like Harvest and FreshBooks.	No time management. Time management requires tracking from within a separate, subscription-based billing solution like Harvest or Freshbooks. Both billing solutions offer desktop widgets to literally, "punch the clock."
Time Management & Billing:	Done within a thread. Clients must respond w/ a verbal Yes, No or Maybe.	Plugins allow Wave particpants to vote. A tally is shown. Leaves less guessing or reading between the lines.
Add-Ons/Plugins	A few.	Plugins for maps, voting and a host of others to come.
Cost:	Starts at $24/month.	Free, but currently requires an invitation. Participants must have their own Google account.

Based on Google's API track record, there's sure to be a host of tools to appear that will assist in project management. As a freelancer who is always keeping an eye on my budget, I'm looking forward to public release of Google Wave.