This is the day many have been waiting for. While Ping.fm’s beta exclusivity was hardly exclusive (providing you know people), that’s all been wiped clean now. The announcement came this morning on the Ping.fm blog — anyone who wants to can now sign up at Ping.fm, invitation code free.

What does this mean for the service? Obviously, I would expect there to be a rush of new registrations (much like with Jaiku last week). We’ll also be able to see if their servers can handle the load with all the new traffic they’ll be getting. The announcement also hints at personalized public profiles for the service, which would make it a “one-stop shop for all of your social networking management needs.” It also means that it’s gaining popularity. The site currently supports at least 26 social networks, some instant messengers, and some blogs.

I think more people would be happy with Ping.fm if you were able to read social updates through the service instead of just being able to write. The service has always been a one-way service, so I don’t expect to see this anytime soon. If that’s what you’re looking for, try out SocialThing or FriendFeed.