Closed Beta?
What do you think, should I provide a cloud-based version of Coolify (https://getmakerlog.com/products/coolify) now? So literally, like Heroku & Netlify, just in a closed (invitation only) beta version. I do not want to spend all my money on servers. :)
(Never done a closed beta before!)
I've had a good recent experience running a closed beta. It really helped to identify the drop off points, the things that people enjoy the most and overall test the entire system with "real users".
I just suggest to make clear from the start how long will be the beta period. 10/10 would do it again 😁
ps- make sure to have some basic analytics running, so you can correctly measure performance
I'd echo a lot of what @okitsjoe says about the benefit of doing a closed beta.
Plus you can also decide how many you allow in at a time in a closed beta. So you could just send the invites out to 4 or 5 at first and work with them 1 on 1 for a few days to get them up and running. Find any issues and then adjust and update or update documentation before letting the next batch in.
That way you can control the amount and cost of servers from your side.
Also be a bit picky about who the first users are don't just do it first come first served, look at your invite list and see who is interesting and if they would be a good fit for you. You might have people in there that are real fans, get them in first and see how it goes.
@jamesmkenny Inviting beta users in batches is a smart idea 👏 I can see how you might benefit of having fresh new user experiences after every iteration.
@jamesmkenny interesting, and something I could also apply to our current users, thanks for the tips!
@jamesmkenny Woah! Thanks for the detailed explanation. It sounds like an excellent way to do a closed beta. I'm really thinking of making it possible in the next few days/weeks.
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