Google App Engine’s Limited Beta Disadvantages Those Who Count Most
Sometime in the small hours, Google launched Google App Engine (and more info), a Web application hosting stack/service hosted by Google. Released in the Californian evening, by British morning-time all the beta places were taken.
Cleverly, Google has made the SDK available to all, so we can still get a glimpse at it, but the first 10,000 or so people to sign up got a strong first mover advantage. It’s like the early players in an MMORPG like World of Warcraft. They know the lay of the land, have the exposure, and have key advantages over newcomers.
First mover advantage leads not just to tiered communities, but disadvantages for those offering limited betas. On Ruby Inside, I’m offered scoops or exclusive news ahead of time. If I then see the story elsewhere before publishing date, I’ll drop it. Michael Arrington of TechCrunch does the same, as do many in various media (especially newspapers!) I bet if Google had broken embargo with Arrington, he’d be playing down the story today.
Similarly, if I can’t get access to a technology while a whole group of other people are raving about it, I’m not going to be all that interested. Yahoo Pipes, Blogger, Skype, Twitter and Flickr are good examples of services that were open in their early days and went on to rock. Orkut, Joost, I’m In Like With You and Jaiku are good examples of services that were locked. Precisely. I can’t evangelize something I can’t use.
There is a need for some segregation. Google doesn’t have infinite resources, and allowing 10,000 people in on day one is a ballsy move. The problem is those who rely on intimate, up to date industry knowledge are missing out. Writers, developers, advisors, and analysts need early access to stay on the ball in their field. Apple and Microsoft do a good job of this with their membership programs, but we need the same tiering in the Web industry. I’d pay $x per year for early / beta access to the key releases from Web companies, because I’ve always been one to evangelize, promote and use new and cutting edge technologies. I’m not just “curious,” but an active participant in the game.
Even if pay-for-play seems distasteful, why not give long-term users of other Google services a quicker route in? They did this with Adwords (and, I think, Adsense) and it allowed long-time users, those who are most likely to understand the service and evangelize it, in fast.
As it is, I’ve lost most of my interest in it already. Sound like sour grapes? Maybe, but I’ll always admit I’m human, and Google have a lot more goodwill to lose than I do.
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