I got an invitation for the Playstation Rewards Beta !

"Dear Vip_Sphinx, As a G.A.P. member and PlayStation®Plus subscriber, you've shown unrivaled passion for PlayStation®. That's why we're inviting you to be one of the very few to help us test out PlayStation®Rewards while it's an invitation-only beta. This brand-new program rewards our most die-hard fans like you just for doing what they love. And we need you to help us test it out and make it even better."

PlayStation Network Scheduled Maintenance Today

     Yes, I'm pretty sure this maintenance is for the new addition to the Playstation Rewards that it supposed to go live today for selected Playstation Plus & G.A.P. members. I belong to both memberships so I'm really hoping I get selected.

"PlayStation Network will undergo maintenance, October 28. Maintenance is expected to start at just after 7:00 am Pacific and will last for several hours, until approximately 3:30 pm Pacific. During this time, users won’t be able to access the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home or Account Management, and may encounter difficulty while signing in to PSN.
Please stay tuned to the PlayStation Twitter feed for a notice when PSN is fully back online.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause." - Playstation Blog

PlayStation Rewards – A New Way to Earn Exclusive Status and Recognition

Today, we’re excited to share news of the launch of PlayStation Rewards, a new program that recognizes and rewards our users for simply doing what they love – playing games and interacting with the entertainment content that PlayStation has to offer. We really wanted to create something that says, “thank you” for being a loyal PlayStation fan.
If you’re a GAP member or PlayStation Plus subscriber in the U.S., who is opted-in to marketing as of October 24th, be sure to look for your invitation and sign-up for PlayStation Rewards.

In its initial launch tomorrow (Oct. 28th), PlayStation Rewards will be an invitation-only beta to all eligible PlayStation Plus and Gamer Advisory Panel (GAP) members. We’re kicking things off as a beta so that we can get feedback from our most loyal fans in order to make it the best possible rewards program it can be. It’s also worth noting that during the beta phase, the program will be focused on PlayStation 3 owners, but we hope to include PSP users as well not too far down the road. Oh, and one more thing: PlayStation Rewards will be free – there is no fee to join!

Now, to give you a bit more details on the new loyalty program… PlayStation Rewards is designed to give you the opportunity to gain exclusive status, recognition, and rewards as a thank you for your continued interest in PlayStation. And, the best part is that you don’t have to do anything different. Keep playing new games, buying content purchased from PlayStation Network in the PlayStation Store and PlayStation Home, download movies and TV shows, or just communicate with us by taking one of our surveys, for example, and you’ll now be recognized for it.

The more you play and participate, the more progress you’ll make through our three reward tiers — “Select,” “Pro,” and “Legendary.” As your status increases, so do the rewards. And if you want to check out your current status level, simply go to your private profile page and look at the reward progress meter.

So what do you get? Right now, rewards include things like…

• Exclusive PSN avatars that display member status in the program
• Exclusive dynamic themes and PlayStation Home content
• Opportunities throughout the program year to participate in members-only sweepstakes and giveaways for experiences and merchandise you won’t find elsewhere (The first of which is an all expenses paid trip to the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, as PlayStation’s guest).