Agchat is a pretty lively discussion group on Twitter made up of ag groups, ag supporters, Extension folks, producers, ag journalists, cattlemen (and women), and a host of others who meet each Tuesday evening to discuss the ag topic of the week. I have joined in a few times, and while the conversation is lively, I have always felt that the Twittersphere made this task more difficult than it needed to be. First of all, Twitter doesn't always cooperate and from time to time actually crashes. Secondly, the comments made are short, 134 character blitzes taken in the order they arrive - sometimes addressing a tweet made by someone else back in the stream about 15 or 20 tweets ago. Finally, the archive of the session is only available a day or so later after someone puts it together.
I wonder if the organizers of Agchat have considered Google Wave as a venue to conduct the same sessions? The longer blips allowed in Wave would provide a better way to express most of the ideas offered. Also, the ability to respond directly to a specific comment, at any time in the discussion (or even a day later) keeps a better discussion going. Finally, the Wave stands alone as its own archive without any extra organization or management. Each Tuesday's discussion can be its own Wave session, and related waves can be easily linked.
Anyway, while Wave has a steeper learning curve, it is far more functional than Twitter for the Agchat venue. I just wonder if they are aware of it.
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