Back in late February we opened up a second round of invitations to folks interested in testing our platform.  The response was even better than it had been in December of 2007, when we invited a select few alpha code testers to put our code through its paces.  Having a competent coder, a talented designer and motivated management is key for the success of a start-up, but often little is said about how crucial a dedicated base of alpha and beta code testers is. 

And speaking of beta codes, maybe we're just old fashioned and remember the days when beta versions were distributed on 5 1/2 inch diskettes through the mail…but isn't a beta supposed to be an advanced prototype?  I've never thought of the word "beta" in any context other than product development, but based on the number of beta platforms littered across the web I'm guessing I should accept the fact that "beta" now means "you cannot complain about how poorly designed my site is — it is still in beta and therefore unfinished."  It is as if start-ups think there is some sort of quasi-legal waiver attached to the word "beta" that removes any liability for creating junk code. 

Call us stubborn and say we're tilting at windmills…but our beta is a real one, and we're using it for testing and development, not so that we can launch a half-baked site in time to cash in on the new web bubble. 

With that being said, the beta code released on February 26th and diligently flogged by our testers is heading off to that special place in the sky.  While we don't have a specific date yet, in the very near future we will release Brand Jury v1.2b.  The updated version includes an entirely new design, a streamlined code and modified functionality for both users and advertisers.  We expect to keep the v1.2b in private beta for a much shorter period of time, and once we're confident that the major bugs have been worked out, we'll open the platform's registration to the public.  

Check back soon for updates, and feel free to send question, complaints or otherwise to us a brandjury@gmail.com.    

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