Yes, I would definitely do alpha and beta assuming I do alpha.
I actually have program/project I started developing after book 2, but finally stopped due to it ate too much of my free time for the entire beta reading process.
The base program is an author tool, a WinForms app that has all the tools for authors (e.g. Office replica) plus character and location database, timelining. It’s all version controlled and eventually will be scene based with the ability to arrange scenes in chapters and then produce different “versions” with different orderings whatever.
It’s all database driven and thus multiple people can access the documents and edit/comment/revise if it’s put on the web. Original vision was a web based one for all beta readers and a winforms/OSX version for the author and editors or heavier users.
People could either host it on a local server or on a cloud server; or better, I’d host it for them in my cloud and charge a small subscription fee. Like Evernote and similar products.
I actually have a crude version of the Office clone working (I use DevExpress components) and it would be easy enough to secure for the web. But I still need to do revision stuff, character database, all the other stuff.
Something like that would be great for alpha readers because we could all share and store notes/comments and see revisions.
Anyway, yeah, I’m amenable to it. and yes, it would be a smaller group of more committed people.
It’s also consistent with my original goal which is to encourage fan fiction via this site (or a newer version of it). And eventually do some MZB/Mercedes Lackey style collaboration/story collections etc.