Don’t Blow Your Beta

Don’t Blow Your Beta is a nice article from TechCrunch.

Here is an excerpt from Ajaxian;

• do not release incomplete or broken features.
• don’t hold back features just to have new items in a month.
• IE still has the mainstream market, but early adopters use Firefox and Safari - ignore them at your peril.
• avoid the eternal “lauching soon” page - do it close to release and give info on what you are releasing.
• engage bloggers, and don’t get into flamewars with them (even if you are right).
• don’t ask for any more personal info then you need.

Release or Public Beta?

Jason of 37Signals said;

There’s a better way not to blow your beta: don’t launch one at all. Public betas are rediculous. If your product is public, it’s not a beta, it’s a release. Take responsibility for your product. “Beta” only passes the buck to your customers’ outsourcing your pain to them.

Personally, it is really hard to keep to rules, follow standards in these scenarios. Well, actually, Are there any rules, standards at all? It is way difficult than even programming/coding where you know what to do, what rules to follow and which standard to use.