According to the EtherPad Blog, AppJet–the program’s creators–have recently been acquired by Google. Etherpad is a program created to allow users to invite others to collaborate on a document.

So why would Google be interested in acquiring Appjet when they already have Google Docs? For one, AppJet’s EtherPad allows users to make changes to shared documents in real-time. It also boasts features that provide a better understanding of who authored which part of the text. Social media is becoming more collaborative every day.

Real-time collaboration would be the next logical step for sharing documents. Writers could co-author a piece instantaneously with a group of their colleagues. Imagine a fluid document, where each author is assigned a background color to denote their contributions; all of this taking place instantaneously for every party involved. The usefulness of this technology is immeasurable for businesses and artists.

So what does the actual acquisition mean for the consumer? As of yet: nothing, other than an inevitable end to the original EtherPad service. EtherPad’s blog states that users will no longer be able to access public pads come spring of 2010. It was also mentioned that the talent who created EtherPad will be moving on to work with Google on their Wave project, a program with many functions that are strikingly similar to those of EtherPad.

Google must have seen some merit in EtherPad and Appjet, but what they plan to do with their new acquisition remains to be seen. Hopefully users will experience a collaborative document system that works as well or better than the previous. Instead of waiting for collaborative information to post to a Google Doc, users could potentially be making adjustments with their co-collaborators in real-time. Both Google Docs and EtherPad/Google Wave seem to have a niche carved out in the market, so it would not be surprising to see them exist in tandem.

Congratulations to the AppJet team on creating a great product and being recognized by an industry giant as being a valuable asset.