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In recent years a new bullet point has been added to the product marketing check list; the beta invite. The beta invite usually takes the form of a single page occupying the domain-name of the soon-to-be-released product. The page can give as much or as little information about the product as the author pleases; the focus is the email capture box.

But what is the psychology behind this trend of pre-release invites and has it reached its over-saturation point?

Google the Trendsetter

Google may have been the first to popularize the beta invite bonanza with their launch of GMail. And with most things that are eventually exploited, the initial emphasis for launching a beta invite was to error check the service.

The buzz and scarcity surrounding the beta invite was an unexpected marketing win for Google and helped put them in a position to take over the free email market; which they did.

But it was the marketers out there who saw the gimmick-side of this victory and started to figure out ways of creating their own buzz using the principles of scarcity and excitement that Google had created.

What is it about the Beta Invite?

The beta invite has become a powerful force that has ingrained itself in the Internet psyche. Recently, there are examples of people offering their email addresses up without even knowing what the product is that is launching. Just the excitement of the exclusive beta invite is enough reward in itself.

A Startup named Hipster got 10K Signups in Two Days, without Revealing What It Does.

But what is it exactly that grabs people’s attention and excitement so strongly? Let’s take a look at the factors at play here.

Exclusivity

The promise of being first amongst your peers is an enticing offer to most people. On the Internet, much like in the real world, there is a certain status to be gained by being the first one to have that shiny new product.

A Viral “launching soon” Form

Scarcity

Most beta invites offer a limited number of participant spots, however arbitrary or imaginary that number may be. This scarcity is one of the main principles of advertising or marketing. The precious metals industry would be obsolete if there was an abundant supply of gold or diamonds. Any time a store wants to create a bit more demand for a product they add the simple phrase “only 2 per customer”.

Scarcity is a concept that every human shares for survival purposes. In places where resources required to live are indeed scarce, getting your hands on them is a very real need. And with physical products, there may be a limited number of items for purchase; with popular tech products the producer often has to guess the demand and can underestimate to be safe.

But when it comes to online services, the idea of scarcity can often times seem ridiculous, but conditioning with real examples of scarcity makes it still effective.

Helpfulness

Although not the strongest emotion at work here, people do have an innate quality to want to help others. They want to find problems, point them out to a superior, and be rewarded for their discovery.

Beta invites give people just the opportunity to exercise that need. They get to participate in the creation process of a worldwide product (however large or small the reach will eventually be).

Community

People also like to be part of a community. Especially online where joining a community can be as easy as clicking a button, people like to have the companionship and validation of other human beings. Why else would things like forums, Facebook, and Reddit be so popular?

Beta invites give people another way to meet people online and become part of a new community that hopefully is geared towards a common interest that this product is trying to address.

Still a Good Idea

It may seem that beta invites are potentially saturating the market a bit too much these days. But with such a simple and powerful gimmick working on so many levels, we shouldn’t expect to keep our email addresses to ourselves any time soon.

The Author: Frank Clayton has a passion for studying Internet trends.  He also works for Web Hosting where he does his best to keep the Internet running as well.

Yahoo Inc Chairman Roy Bostock fired CEO Carol Bartz over the phone on Tuesday. Chief Financial Officer Tim Morse will step in as interim CEO, and the company will search for a permanent leader to spearhead a battle in online advertising and content with rivals Google and Facebook.

Shares in Yahoo jumped 6 per cent in after-hours trading to $13.7 after closing at $12.90 on the Nasdaq.

“I am very sad to tell you that I’ve just been fired over the phone by Yahoo’s Chairman of the Board. It has been my pleasure to work with all of you and I wish you only the best going forward,” the outspoken CEO said in a two-sentence email to employees obtained by Reuters.

Bartz took the Yahoo! from co-founder Jerry Yang in early 2009, overhauled the management team and cut costs in a shift away from the company’s online search roots to becoming a venue for personalized content.

The decision to oust Bartz was reached by an unanimous vote of Yahoo’s eight independent directors late last week, according to a person close to the company. Co-founder Jerry Yang, who is also on the board, did not participate in the vote.

FilmBreak, a social media startup based in Los Angeles geared towards developing and promoting individuals in the film & entertainment industry, will be launching in a matter of days!

FilmBreak, whose mission is to help people achieve their creative and professional goals while lowering the barriers of entry in the industry, will be free to join. Users can interact, collaborate and engage online to create films, promote their talents, and propel their careers forward.

FilmBreak’s key differentiator, FilmBreak Projects, leverages social media tools to streamline the creative process and provides the ultimate platform for users to showcase their work – and be discovered.

In addition to FilmBreak’s website, www.filmbreak.com, the company hosts monthly events from screenings to mixers with attendees including filmmakers, agents, and executives at all levels with the hope of building beneficial relationships for all.

FilmBreak is now open to a select group of clients in a closed beta, after which it will launch publicly.