How not to do a private beta

Private betas are pretty common these days, developers open up their web applications to a selected (and hopefully active) group of people, to try out the app on large numbers and receive the most precious element for a software developer: feedbacks (that are even free!).

I love private betas and I think we’ll open our web application in private beta too, sometime later this summer.

Today I learned how not to do a private beta thanks to Woopra.

The guys at Woopra did an amazing job in creating this spectacular application that gives you real time traffic informations about your website, in a sleek, sexy interface.

When I saw it presented at WordCamp Dallas I wanted it immediately. I went to their website, registered, downloaded the software and, just when I was registering my websites, I discovered I had to have an invitation code for each site.

I’m ok with private betas, as I said before, but you don’t let people install a software without telling them they won’t be able to use it unless they have an invitation code. It’s rude, it’s disrespectful.

I think that a web app in private beta should ask only for an email address (and some profile data if that’s the case), that’s all you need to get in touch with people who showed interest in the app when the time comes for them to have a code.