Interview with a Betabound All-Star: Butch Anton

The definition of community is, “a social group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceives itself as distinct from the larger society in which it exists.” We believe our Betabound community to be just that. Actively collaborating and sharing your interests with other members is what makes our Betabound community so great. With that said, we’d like to introduce you to another outstanding member of our community.

Butch Anton is an engineer from San Jose, California. When asked how many years he’s been involved in the beta testing world, he simply answered, “More than I care to admit.” However, we can certainly vouch for his time spent testing products. Butch’s fun attitude and great communication skills definitely make him one of our top-rated Betabound testers, so we asked him to share his thoughts about beta testing with the rest of the Betabound community.

What got you into beta testing?
I guess there were two factors that attracted me to beta testing:
1. I get to test shiny new things!
2. I get a chance to help make a product that I care about better.

What’s been your favorite part about being a beta tester?
The community. There are such a great bunch of folks that test products, and everyone works together to help solve the problems that they find. Opinions may differ, but the communication of those opinions is always professional and constructive, and I really like that.

What makes being a beta tester for Betabound unique?
I think it’s a combination of the platform itself, the folks that run the platform, the companies that use the platform, and the testers engaged with it. That whole ecosystem is unique which makes the whole experience more enjoyable.

What motivates you to keep devoting your time to beta testing?
I get to test shiny, new things! But seriously, it’s still fun to me. If it wasn’t, I could definitely find other activities to occupy my time… like sleeping.

Any advice you would give to newer beta testers?
Dive in, have fun, and don’t be afraid to break things. After all, that’s what we (as beta testers) are supposed to do.

Butch’s lighthearted approach to beta testing is spot-on. It really is all about having fun, communicating, and simply using the product as you normally would. It’s important not to forget that the whole point of testing a product is to put it through the real-world wringer, and a huge reason for becoming a tester is to have a little fun with new products. This will ensure that when you actually spend your hard-earned money on those types of products, that they don’t let you down.

Are there any questions, points, or topics that you’d like to see our top-rated testers give their opinions on? Leave a comment below and let us know!

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