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Does anyone else think Google+'s invitation-only thing is just a marketing/ hype-building technique?
Seems pretty easy to get in to me... Anyone have any insight into the validity of the invite-only campaign?
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4 Answers
I think it serves both of the points made above (by James and John).
Ramping up an architecture so that it can support something like Google+ is a non-trivial exercise. It seems, at the very least, that Google has learned from their experience with GoogleWave, where this sort of control was not apparently exercised, and the performance quickly became poor.
As a side effect of doing this, it adds an element of exclusivity into the invitation process and generates a buzz (pun intended) about the service that makes more people want to act on invites sooner, rather than later.
Both outcomes serve Google's purpose, ultimately, so no reason not to take advantage of them.
Scaling a brand new service to millions of users is no joke. Despite Google being one of the most well-prepared companies for this sort of task, both in terms of experience and resources, I'd imagine that the rationale for the invitation system has more to do with ensuring quality of service as the product scales than it does to do with hype-building and marketing.
It's typically just marketing hype. It's an excellent way to generate leads and interest by creating a false sense of exclusivity and value, which is further perpetuated by those included in the initial campaign. But this is a tried and true strategy for launching a new product/service. You can also see it being used by Pandora rival Spotify which has recently expanded into the US market.
I love it. There are two things I think have served Google Plus well so far:
1. Invitation Only -- not only does this give the impression of exclusivity but it drives viral behavior. eg "Anyone have a Google Plus invite". I think that was a great move
2. Social Media rock starts are in the app and using it -- Chris Brogan, Guy Kawasaki, David Armano, Steve Rubel...they are all "in it" and cranking.
So, here is my math: Exclusive Club + Cool Kids = Good start
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