I think you are right that google is taking the wrong approach with invites, but with a bit of patience, your network of collaborators will get in.
As far as finding people to chat with, check with:public or some of the more famous waves. The Unofficial "The Guild" wave is neat, and I know there were a couple RPG waves out there as well.
That said, this community is probably one of the better places to find those with wave simple because we're interested. So you just did what you needed to do. :)
Yes, life is though when you got no friends to talk to, but I would recommend you to search for "with:public" to get some people to talk to.
It's not Google's fault you got no friends.
I thought the point of distributing invitations is to get the whole thing tested. What is the best way to make sure gw is tested properly?
2. Be sure to save the search with the archive option checked (this makes sure your inbox doesnt get flooded with public waves)
3. Wave with everyone!