Poll: Why Aren't You Part of the RoadTest Group?

I honestly ignored the presence of a RoadTest group.

However, I work full time and I do not have much time available.

Maybe I could try and apply myself for an undemanding RoadTest, so I'd be sure I could complete a decent test and review.

RoadTest is about consistent expectation delivery using an equation that has three random variables. Variable one the idea. Variable two the skill set. Variable three the outcome. You have an idea and a skill set that you believe will deliver an outcome. RoadTest hopes to deliver consistent results to vendors using that equation.

I think of RoadTest as the marketing and managing of free stuff that needs to generate a return. The idea is supported in the quote attributed to Roger W. Hancock.  “Nothing is ever free, though to you it be. Somewhere, somehow, someone paid.”  Let me see if I get this right. Vendor offers free stuff for evaluation. RoadTest connects free stuff with evaluators. Evaluator provides evaluation on free stuff, for free.

RoadTest are unique in that they are designed to tap the passion people have for technology. That same passion has created and still drives whole companies with what appears to be little effort. I especially love the author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi when it comes to describing this. He refers to it as flow.

I believe this quote from his book Flow:The Psychology of Optimal Experience describes why there is such a downside in a proposal not being accepted. “Contrary to what we usually believe, moments like these, the best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times—although such experiences can also be enjoyable, if we have worked hard to attain them. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen. For a child, it could be placing with trembling fingers the last block on a tower she has built, higher than any she has built so far; for a swimmer, it could be trying to beat his own record; for a violinist, mastering an intricate musical passage. For each person there are thousands of opportunities, challenges to expand ourselves.”

When our proposals don’t succeed we look to the approval process to find the answer. Reader, I ask you to go back to the equation I provided at the top. Now consider the responsibility Randy assumes. He has tried to help us write our proposal by providing information in How To Write a Winning RoadTest Application. There are many of us writing proposals and a few succeeding. I trust by being in The Flow of technology, our failures are satiated.

Stephen,

Thanks for your comments. Since I read the applicants and make recommendations to the supplier, I found your comments useful and informative. I don't feel a roadtest applicant needs to write a book to get submit a roadtest application that the supplier will select. I'd say that 30% of all applications are the 1 or 2 sentence variety that basically say" "I'd like to get the board." I have upped the requirements. But I also don't feel you need to be a great writer or need to spend a lot of time on a roadtest application. Yes, people who write long applications have been selected, but not all of them. If you can write 3 paragraphs, that's all I want: tell me why you are interested, tell me what you know about the product, tell me what you are going to do and tell me that you can indeed finish a review in 60 days.

The supplier is looking for someone who can do what they will say they will do and who offers something interesting. But you need to get the review done in 60 days or offer a contingency plan.

Sincerely,

Randall Scasny

RoadTest Program Manager

Hi Dixon,

I appreciate your kind words and I understand what may be involved. I personally have written over 100 in depth and lengthy Amazon reviews (wife and I used to write them as a team, I think our account has close to 500) and are in the to 0.8% of the Amazon review community... Now that said, I was reviewing consumer products as opposed to hobbyist / professional products such as these. Looking at the products that I have seen so far (and to be fair I am new to the community) I feel like the majority are shooting for the stars. With that said as many have done before me I do not plan on stopping my starry eyed ambitions though!
Thank you again!
SPraus

Hi Jan,

I'm glad you and others also apply to review things that others often don't, but actually are interesting when effort is taken to dive into it - but of course I hope you get to review all the devices you want to do.

Reminds me of exploring something that on paper seems pretty uninteresting, a 1GB micro SD card - I had no idea when I started doing the review that it would end up discussing flash memory techniques to avoid data corruption on power failure, and how to read the manufacturer content burned into the cards, and making a data logger.

TI sensor RoadTests were often really interesting to read too, many people managed to find diverse ways of exploring the sensors to show how well they performed.

The selection process is very rigorous. It is very much like applying for a desired position of employment or trying out for the Olympics.

You can not become discouraged.

I've applied for road tests for at least 3 years now. I've never been selected for a premium device.
There are simply way more candidates for those.

Hi spraus,

Dont feel discouraged at the initial stages ... You can focus on less premium ones and prove yourself to the community and rscasny then the next time your applicaticon selection chances will increase (Provided the next time also you write a good one). Just remember the door might be difficult to open but when you open you can enjoy all the contents available inside .... Try checking out this presentation Webinar Recording: How To Write a Winning RoadTest Application.  to improve your chances of getting selected to Road test.

Also when you write a RoadTest application you get knowledge about the product. So that would not be pointless in doing.

But make sure you will be able to review the product as you say you have a tight schedule ... Best of luck...

I am part of the group and have submitted a couple plans for road tests although it seems that such premium products cause very low availability. Not that I would be complaining if I got one but I feel that, with a full time job (that is usually 60+ hrs a week), taking an hour or so to write a proposal that has a very low chance of success feels slightly pointless. I will continue doing it but I feel once I have invested too much time I may become discouraged.

How?

As a noob to the site, I'm still trying to climb the mountain of resources that are available on the site.

I registered (thought I did) for Roadtest. I then proceeded to looked over some of the Roadtest initiatives. One of the Roadtests I was interested in submitting an application. I was hoping to find a template containing the application format. No luck. I did find a suggestion of a presentation in how to complete an application. I assume that is the reason for this message.

When I worked as a college instructor, I provided students a project rubric. A rubric defines in writing what is expected of the student to get a particular grade on an assignment.  That is what needs to be included for a application template.

As a published writer, I have to write proposals if I wish to make it to print. I no doubt could bang together an application for Roadtest from my experience but that is not as effective as I would like it to be. If I offer to do a Roadtest it is because I want to do it. I also want Element14 and the vendor to get a return on their investment. Knowing the requirements for an application takes away the guess work.

I have culled three pages on the site that have information on Roadtest. I am going to sit down and cut and paste the information into an application template framework. The like writing for publication, you submit a proposal and wait and see.