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Yesterday, Google announced that it was ending development of Google Wave, bring an abrupt, but not wholly unexpected, end to what was one of the most anticipated products in the tech community for some time.

Despite a great deal of initial interest and hype, according to Google, user adoption has not been what they expected and Wave has never really gained traction. The innovative platform was supposed to replace email/IM and other methods of communication and collaboration but, despite a large number of accounts, has not been widely used.

Google Wave will, without a doubt, go down as one of the biggest “flame outs” in the industry. However, are there lessons we as bloggers and smaller content creators can learn from it? Without a doubt.

Without further ado, here are five lessons for the rest of us from Google Wave’s untimely death.

1. No Man is an Island

One of the major problems Google Wave had is that, while it was supposed to replace email and IM, it didn’t interact with any of those platforms, even Google’s own Gmail and Talk services.

Many hypothesize that it was this “second inbox” syndrome that limited the uptake of Wave. You had to use Wave along side of or instead of more common technologies. Most people didn’t want to do that and simply let Wave slide.

Lesson: No one is an island unto themselves, especially on the Web. Network with blogs in your field, link and quote them and leave comments on them. “Interfacing” with other sites encourages people to read yours as they read others. In short, by working with new and existing sites in your field, you’ll gain more traction with readers than if you try to go it alone.

2. Let the People In

Others have said that the way Wave was unveiled, in small “waves” of invites, greatly hurt its ability to find a niche. Since it is a collaboration tool, it only works well if everyone know you know is using it. Since invites were scarce and few knew others on the service, the use of Wave was limited and, by the time it went public, the enthusiasm had died down.

In short, when Google Wave had its buzz (this is becoming an article filled with bad Google puns) it wasn’t very useful and, by the time it was open enough to really use, no one was really interested in trying it.

Lesson: Don’t turn people away, open the door to conversation and participation. This is especially true in comments. The fewer barriers you place to a particular action, the more people who will take it. Open your doors wide and welcome all of those who want to visit.

3. State Your Purpose

One of the major problems Google Wave had was that, while the technology is impressive, few understood what it was supposed to do or what it was ideal for. Most of the description of Wave was buzzwords and specific, limited scenarios. People simply didn’t “get” Google Wave and didn’t bother learning more about it other than tinkering with it.

This, in turn, made Wave a really cool piece of technology without a real problem to solve and that meant users were impressed by it but really didn’t have a place for it.

Lesson: Explain what your site is about and do so very clearly. Put it in the domain if you can or, at the very least, make it the first thing your readers see. Tell them what need you will fill and then fill it very well.

4. Speed Matters

One of the more common complaints about Google Wave was that it moved slow, especially in certain browsers, and didn’t feel snappy or responsive. This made Wave a chore to use and made people reluctant to turn to it for new projects.

Truth be told, much of this slowness was likely unavoidable due to the script-heavy nature of Wave and part of it was also likely mere perception, but it was a perception that stuck and one that won’t be going away before the service is shuttered.

Lesson: Focus on speed. Do a good speed test on your site, put it on a diet and make it as fast as possible. A fast site gives people a good impression and that is an impression that lasts a long time.

5. Marketing, Marketing, Marketing

Finally, one of the larger issues Wave faced was that, after its initial launch and feeding frenzy, not a lot was done to really promote or push the service. Most barely even noticed when Wave was opened up to the public in May and few knew what Wave was beyond those who got caught up in the initial hype.

Wave was essentially stranded in the middle of the ocean after its launch, forgotten by Google, which had moved on to Buzz and other projects. It’s no wonder there wasn’t a greater uptick in adoption.

Lesson: Never stop promoting or marketing, you have to do it even if it is just to maintain momentum, let alone increase it. Always stay on top of your marketing game and be trying new things, never rest on your laurels.

Bottom Line

While only history will tell if Wave will be deemed a true “failure”, it is very clear it did not live up to its earlier expectations. Email and IM are still very much safe and Wave itself is shutting down sometime at the end of the year.

In the end, every site has to work hard to avoid the same fate and, in doing so, can learn more than a few lessons from Google Wave’s now-famous flame out.

After all, what Google Wave has shown is that it is not enough to have a good, innovative offering, there is a lot else that goes into making such a product successful and that appears to be where Google Wave was lacking.

Hopefully, Wave’s technology will find new, more productive, homes in other Google products and the rest of us can learn something from the situation.