Issues pertaining perpetual beta have been widely discussed in the Web. Perpetual beta can be defined as software or system which remains at the beta stage for an indefinite period of time (Wikipedia, 2009) . Nowadays, many software development companies released their product as Beta but in perfect condition (Henry, 2007). This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. Beta stage should reflect as a stage where products are being tested hence in might contains bugs and errors. Consequently, users believe that it is part of business strategy to show that the company promotes continuous refinement of their products and to avoid critics.
An example of applications that adopted Beta released is StockTwits. 
StockTwits is a social stock micro blogging service which embrace community-powered idea and information service for investments. “Users can eavesdrop on traders and investors, or contribute to the conversation and build their reputation as savvy market wizards” (StockTwits, 2010). StockTwits uses Twitter functionalities where market participants can share ideas in real time and open conversation. In addition, users can follow certain websites which interest them and in turn share their ideas.
StockTwits has received positive feedback from the users. According to Lindzon, StockTwits has more than 10,000 subscribers who spend an average of 15 minutes on the site and contribute 3,000 unique tweets per day (Zeledon, 2009). Users are more comfortable with StocktTwits compares to its other competitors such as Covestor and Stockpickr because it is easy to use. Unlike others, StockTwits doesn’t require registration or email verification and users don’t need to create portfolio of stocks to find potential matches for exchanging ideas (Zeledon,2009).
The issues associates with StockTwits are mainly about security where users have to open their Twitter account to StockTwits since it uses the same account. There is also complaint about StockTwits’s applicability as a main platform for investment. However it is clearly stated in StockTwits disclaimer where it must not be treated as financial advisor; hence users should consult a professional financial advisor before trading or investing (StockTwits, 2010).
In future, StockTwits seems to be relevant given that finance opinions are valuable for new investors. With Twitter, their users can provide context in the real time discussion. However, StockTwits has broken away from Twitter with the introduction of their beta desktop application. We hope that it will not add to another ‘perpetual beta’ application in the Web.
Intro to StockTwits
Sources:
Henry, A. (2007, August 23). Is The BETA Invite System Flawed? Retrieved April 2010, from Mapping the Web: http://www.mappingtheweb.com/2007/08/23/beta-invite-system/
StockTwits. (2010). Disclaimer. Retrieved April 2010, from StockTwits: http://stocktwits.com/disclaimer
StockTwits. (2010, April 16). StockTwits. Retrieved April 2010, from CrunchBase: http://www.crunchbase.com/company/stocktwits
Wikipedia. (2009, October 26). Perpetual Beta. Retrieved April 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_beta
Zeledon, M. (2009, February 11). StockTwits May Change How You Trade. Retrieved 2010, from Bloomberg Businessweek: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2009/tc20090210_875439.htm
