Why Google+ Might Be Doomed From the Start

This blog was written buy a guy I know from twitter, EAv, and the android community. I share his concerns and really hope he is wrong. I can understand the first wave of invites being relatively small to make sure everything works at speed, but it is essential that those who WANT to use the service are able to, and SOON.

Why Google+ Might Be Doomed From the Start: "

Before I say anything, I want to go on record saying that Google+ looks amazing, and I seriously hope that it takes off and doesn’t go the way of Google Wave. However, Google’s VIP only approach for the initial release of Google+ might doom it just like it doomed Wave.

While I understand the need for beta periods, keeping them private is not something you can do with a social network. The loss of hype is what killed Wave, and Wave lost hype because it was in a invite-only stage for so very long (probably because Google announced it at Google I/O and then stopped caring, but that’s beside the point). When you announce a product, people will want to try it out immediately. If they don’t get a chance to get their hands on it, odds are they will walk away, never to return.

Once again, I really hope Google+ does well, and I can’t wait for a chance to try it out. I simply believe that private betas just don’t work for social networks.