socialmedian: Should socialmedian launch public beta next week?

User-submitted headlines for this story

Clips

Should socialmedian launch public beta next week?

Submitted by Jasongoldberg

Jul 23, 2008

Summary

Looks like we're about 7 days from being ready for public beta on socialmedian. 4200 alpha users have given us a ton of great feedback and have helped us ship more than 400 updates the past 4 months. Nervous and busy getting ready for the move from private to public. Or, should we wait for TC50?

Comments (21)

Jasongoldberg,

Jul 24, 2008

the last question at the end is over whether to just launch next week when the product is *ready* or hold the launch for a month to launch at the TechCrunch50 conference....if they want us that is which is still tbd. we're discussing.

The rules for TechCrunch50 are that you must be a invite only leading up to their event. So, that would forbid us from opening up to the public next week as we'd like.

Jasongoldberg,

Jul 24, 2008

Just FYI. My gut says to go ahead and launch next week as planned.

Open Ajax,

Jul 24, 2008

Louis is Right: Make sure you do not need TC50, BUT my advice is to wait till then to launch it! TechCrunch IS powerful!

Jasongoldberg,

Jul 24, 2008

Historically these early-stage events (like Demo) have mostly been for benefit of startups that wouldn't otherwise have easy access to capital -- it gets them on the map with VC's. We don't really have that problem as we've turned away many VC offers thus far and have built socialmedian on a shoestring budget funded by myself, the washington post, and some leading angels. So, we'll probably just go beta next week and focus on the product and the userbase as we have been vs. the marketing events.

Deanland,

Jul 24, 2008

S|M good enough to endure the very short delay and get the acclaim and eclat that will come from TC50.

Open Ajax,

Jul 24, 2008

TechCrunch IS the Leaderboard on TechMeme

Jasongoldberg,

Jul 24, 2008

Hey ric, to be clear, not referring to whether to "launch" our beta on techcrunch, referring to whether to wait to launch it at their event in september for pre-launch co's.

Jonathan Goodman,

Jul 24, 2008

I don't have a strong opinion either way. The month of August through Labor Day (at least for the US) have to be the least valuable weeks of the year.

Thomaspower,

Jul 24, 2008

Yes they should get on with on once the Invite system is sorted.

Thomaspower,

Jul 24, 2008

J. It's critical you fix the invite tools before you launch they are currently inadequate and will slow your growth speed.

Thomaspower,

Jul 24, 2008

Agree go now don't depend on Harrington.

Thomaspower,

Jul 24, 2008

Arrington

Hyperkinesis,

Jul 24, 2008

From a purely promotional perspective, the next few weeks are pretty much dead time, with many bloggers and leaders on vacation. You don't necessarily need to wait because of bugs or inadequacy in the applications, but maybe in order to attract the most buzz. It all depends on how anxious you are to test the waters, of course. Either way, I am sure it will be a success.

Jasongoldberg,

Jul 24, 2008

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I think we're ready to go and what the site needs most now is more users who can give us more feedback. They'll be mistakes for sure but we'll learn a lot and this is about getting the product right over time more than it is about splashy marketing events.

Calebelston,

Jul 24, 2008

I say launch when you feel things are ready. Why compete for attention with so many other companies on the same day, when you could own a slow news day.

Socialmediangal,

Jul 24, 2008

Go!

Sschablow,

Jul 24, 2008

It's GO TIME. I agree with Calebelston. You'll be competing for attention during the event. You may stand out more during a slow period. And do you know any journalist worth their salt that ever takes a REAL vacation? They won't want to miss covering it.

Jasongoldberg,

Jul 24, 2008

We've decided to go public beta next week. Will let everyone know when we nail down the exact date. Gotta get the product fully ready first.

Thomaspower,

Jul 29, 2008

Delighted to see new release today with profile names next to Home. It just gets better and better Jason.

Infodiva,

Jul 29, 2008

I am pleased with the user design of SM .I critique 24/7 the Usability of everything to be honest. SocialMedian offers information organization tools for the novice to the professional. The ability to add RSS feeds and sources is advantageous. The Rating system of sources and keywords makes your site unique. Letting a user create their own News Network coupled with the innovative "comments" sections are excellent. I have seen launches from the Press Release vantage point never from tech on up. It is your baby, I like it. Great Job!