> This is really interesting. I'm planning my own limited invite-only beta rollout. However, this isn't the first time I heard it's a time-waster. Does anyone e

> This is really interesting. I'm planning my own limited invite-only beta rollout. However, this isn't the first time I heard it's a time-waster. Does anyone else have opinions on this? Yes. Don't do it. One of the biggest problems you're going to have at the get-go is finding people who actually give a shit about your product/service. Adopting an invite-only system attaches a huge negative filter to this problem: you are making it more difficult for prospective users to discover and use the product. There's one very important caveat to this: If you are relatively well-known and already have a large number of people following your blog, twitter or other web presence a invite-only system can make sense. Google can do invite-only because they can command millions of eyeballs through a simple press release. You are probably not Google. When you are a somebody an invite-only system feels like an exclusive club that can create buzz & desire. When you are a nobody an invite-only system feels arbitrary and frustrating. You are probably a nobody.