Splash Back - How Google Wave's Beta selection is FLAWED.

This post will appear in every single Technology Blog comment section that deals with Google Wave.

On May 27th, 2009 I remember waking up early that morning because I heard that Google was going to announce something special. As we all know that product turned out to be Google Wave, a product that Google claims to be what email would be if it were invented today. On that day they announced that the sandbox was going to be open for developers only, and that a limited release would come later in the year to a select few people who signed up using their sign up form.

I immediately signed up because I knew that Google Wave would be very useful for my two lines of work. As the days and months passed I read every single article from blogs like this one, I viewed countless Youtube videos that demoed exactly how Google Wave works. My excitement grew.

It was then announced that September 30th, 2009 "100,000" new users would be allowed into the Google Wave beta. I figured since I signed up early and I put in a detailed reason how I would use Google Wave I would certainly be among the first to get an invite. I was wrong.

I have been a loyal Googler. When the search engine launch I shared with my then High School friends why Google was better then that altavista/dogpile site they were using. When Gmail came out I announced to my College friends that they should make the switch as I called Gmail revolutionary. When Google acquired Blogger I bought a damn Blogger logo sweater and wore it around campus.

Google - why wasn't I invited to Google Wave?

I know of countless individuals on twitter who didn't even use your pathetic sign-up form that I filled out on May 27th who have since gone on to receive invitations just for begging on twitter! One of my twitter friends was "nominated" 12 hours before he received an account. Meanwhile, my wait has been over 6 months.

Your process for rolling out products is COMPLETELY UNFAIR.

You claim that there are scalability issues when it comes to your new service and this is why you are only limiting "100,000" invitations initially. I call BS on this. Your plan is to create hype around the product with a limited release like you did with Gmail and Google Voice. Who are we kidding? You are Google, you have enough resources to copy every single website around the world every few minutes, but you can't scale new users on this new product?

The only people who can activate new Google Wave users are located in Australia. How about flying two employees to the great western hemisphere and keep them knocking off people in the original queue - you know, the list of people who signed up the morning of May 27th, 2009.

I understand the importance of Google Wave. I work part-time with a news gathering organization and I see how Google Wave can be very useful for the journalism world. I also work full-time as a web developer and Google Wave will be a benefit in the collaboration of building websites.

I would be a person who would be using Google Wave every minute of every day - but I probably won't get invited for another 6 months because of some idiotic sign up process.

Screw you Google.