Gmail Invites

July 15, 2004 8:12 PM

Gmail invites. Awhile ago I got an invite, and like a good member of the herd I jumped on it. I've used it since (hard), but the Google gods have yet to grant me the priviledge to invite others. My mother wants one and I'm losing credibility by the day. What's the secret?
posted by cedar to computers & internet (20 comments total)

Chk your email [al@f**********.net] & pass it on.
posted by dash_slot- at 8:18 PM on July 15, 2004

I also would like to know, I've had the gmail for a bit but haven't been able to share. Cedar or dash_slot could you please make me privy?
posted by Lizc at 8:36 PM on July 15, 2004

There's a text link up top, right under the search field, that says Invite a friend to join Gmail! when you log in. I got one invite after a day or two, and another after another week or so. Not sure how you get them. You may have one and have just never noticed it.
posted by iconomy at 8:41 PM on July 15, 2004

dash_slot: Thank you, it's been passed on and put to good use.

I do want to clarify that this wasn't a troll for invitations. I'm more interested in how it works and what Googles criteria is for awarding them.
posted by cedar at 8:47 PM on July 15, 2004

fuck. i've had my gmail account for a few weeks, use it multiple times a day, and i still haven't gotten any invites. what the hell?
posted by taumeson at 8:52 PM on July 15, 2004

I believe that the farther up the food chain you are, the more likely you are to get invitations when they're being handed around. So if they want to only inject X number of people into the mix, they will do it through first-gen and other privileged invitees (say, people who found really big bugs) first, then second gen, and so on until they hit the number of invitations they want to issue right then. They seem to be working on some issues to do with server load right now, so they probably aren't looking to add a whole lot more people into the population just at the moment.
posted by redfoxtail at 9:08 PM on July 15, 2004

I got three just after signing up, then got six more as soon as I had got rid of those, but have no idea what the criteria is. If it is related to the food chain, they must be starting at the bottom, I guess.
posted by dg at 9:16 PM on July 15, 2004

I was an early user and have gotten a total of about 40 or 50. At one point, I was getting 6 new ones a day. Now its stopped and I only have a few left to give out.

The first two people I gave an invite to (thus also early users) - One got like 10 invites. The other has never been given any. So, I have no idea.
posted by vacapinta at 9:20 PM on July 15, 2004

I was a relatively late-comer, but I've got quite a few invites. Most of them came right after I reported a bug, so I'm thinking that had something to do with it.
posted by jmd82 at 11:27 PM on July 15, 2004

I've gotten at least 1, but no one I know is remotely interested. I don't see anything yet that makes it better than, for example, Yahoo.
posted by Goofyy at 12:01 AM on July 16, 2004

Previously (though inconclusively) discussed here.
posted by Sinner at 12:47 AM on July 16, 2004

I have an invite to give away if there's a MeFite who needs one.
posted by emmling at 12:51 AM on July 16, 2004

I got six invites immediately after signing up, and wasn't an early user. Are you sure you're not just missing the Invite a Friend! link, its immediately under the search buttons at the top of the screen.
posted by biffa at 1:36 AM on July 16, 2004

Go henceforth to the wiki and ye shall be rewarded with all the invitations you ever dreamt possible.
posted by cbrody at 2:15 AM on July 16, 2004

I still have two invites left. Check my profile and email me.

My partner has six. She might be up for letting a MeFite have one as absolutely no one else we know seems to be interested in them.

Neither of us were early users, but we did report bugs. Invites came shortly after (could be a co-incidence though).
posted by davehat at 6:55 AM on July 16, 2004

Hmm. cbrody, the gmail page was blank. I rolled back a revision (898-899). Sorry if it was blank intentionally.
posted by davehat at 7:02 AM on July 16, 2004

I, too, am a relatively recent user. I submitted a bug report and then got five invites a while later. I never did figure out whether the two were connected, but it seems likely.

Also, I sent out an invite that was rejected. You don't get those back. Make sure the person you're inviting actually wants an account or your invite goes to waste! :/
posted by jdroth at 7:05 AM on July 16, 2004

I have one to give away to whomever wants it. See my profile for address.
posted by rtimmel at 7:38 AM on July 16, 2004

jdroth, check your sent messages folder. You can copy and paste the URL in the invite for someone else.
posted by hobbes at 10:41 AM on July 16, 2004

Around the time I got my gmail, there was a big flurry of invites on many accounts. Seems to have dried up. Likely they wanted to expand to the next level.
posted by theora55 at 10:48 AM on July 16, 2004