Closed beta or release the product now?
mechanical_fish: If I just release the thing now with little content and no community then it could just look like a failed website...To paraphrase Twain [1], which would you rather do? Launch an open version of your website and let people think that its userbase is too small? Or deliberately limit the size of the userbase and remove all doubt?If the site is really not ready, you should recruit a handful of testers -- only five or six are necessary to tell you what you need to know. Otherwise you should just launch the darn thing. Actively recruiting people to help fill it up is still a good idea, but don't put some up some stupid barrier that prevents these people from inviting their friends, their friends' friends, and anyone else in the world. Don't worry, if (while?) the site sucks most people won't ever see it anyway.[1]: http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/1098