What Type of Betabounder Are You?
There are countless reasons you — as a Betabounder — volunteer your free time to test pre-release products. While many people think that most testers are in it purely for the free stuff they receive through testing, we believe that that’s not the case (as you may remember from our previous blog post).
Over the years we’ve found that testers generally fall into a few different groups when it comes to why they participate. Take a look at the profiles below and see which ones you fall into. You may be surprised at the different things that draw people to Betabound!
Exclusivity Junkie
Many Betabounders enjoy testing because it’s a chance to be one of a select few to experience a product before its release. If you’re an Exclusivity Junkie, then you are the earliest of early adopters and are motivated by the testing experience itself because it gives you the chance to see new products before anyone else. You’re drawn to these exclusive testing opportunities because you enjoy being part of the elite group that’s trusted with pre-release gadgets.
Problem Solver
If you’re a Problem Solver, then you want to find a simple solution to a daily problem that you may face in your life (personal and/or professional). This may be the only reason you need to get involved in one of our projects. You want to help shape a product that is very important to you and are motivated to do so because improving or using a specific product will directly impact your life.
Product Enthusiast
Many people find great satisfaction in knowing that they directly helped shape a product, particularly if it’s something they already regularly use. If you’re a Product Enthusiast then you are, in many cases, an existing brand evangelist and looking to try out the new version of a product you already love.
Knowledge Hound
Are you motivated by the chance to build your skill set or learn something new? Knowledge Hounds are similar to the Exclusivity Junkies, because they feel rewarded just experiencing the test and getting to learn to use a new product or feature. This is especially true for professional products like software that could help you improve your resume.
Social Butterfly
If you’re a Social Butterfly, then you enjoy working with like-minded people. Product testing with Betabound is a chance for you to be part of a community with others that share similar interests. Fostering a sense of community and building relationships is valuable to you, so you enjoy discussing new features and problems. While many of our tests require you to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement before receiving the product, you will have the opportunity to discuss the product and test details within the project with your fellow testers.
There’s no right or wrong reason to become a tester, as long as you’re committed to testing and helping improve the products you test. So, are you an Exclusivity Junkie? Or a Knowledge Hound? Or something else entirely? Let us know!
You should have used these categories in the registration form.
Apparently, I’m the rare kind. The last test I was chosen for was August of last year, but I’ve been repeatedly selected for other beta tests that aren’t betabound related. In fact, I am currently in a beta that doesn’t even use the beta portal at all, and we are strictly using email to an engineer as our “portal”. I apply for 4-5 test a month on betabound, and still don’t get chosen, so I don’t know what determines the selection process, but apparently being a trusted, good beta tester doesn’t play much into it.
Part of the reason we created the Betabound homepage was to allow testers to find out about and join beta tests from other companies (that aren’t run by us in the Betabound portal), so I’m glad to hear you’re taking advantage and exploring those other betas!
I’m sorry you haven’t gotten into the Betabound tests you wanted. I know that’s really frustrating and we wish we could include more people in our tests, but often our clients are looking for very specific testers or a very specific breakdown of testers in their final pool. I’m really glad you haven’t given up and are still applying for our opportunities! We’re constantly looking for ways to get more of our testers involved and have some neat stuff coming up in the next few months that might help, so hang in there!