The New Members Blog Series is a collection of blogs for new members to help them better understand the element14 roadtest program.
I'd like to welcome you to the element14 community.
Thank you for joining our community.
element14 has a lot of great information and a lot of very knowledgeable members (some of them are geniuses) that can help you improve your knowledge, skills and abilities in electronics and engineering.
To use the community to its fullest, we encourage you to participate in our activities.
You will not only meet new people and form personal and professional relationships, you can earn free parts and win great prizes in our leading activities and programs.
One of those activities is the RoadTest Program.
What is a RoadTest?
Great Question! Let me answer it.
A roadtest is an element14 term for a members-only product review program. Our electronics suppliers sponsor the program with free parts. As roadtest program manager, I select the members who will receive the free parts, which we often call a "kit."
All you need to do is apply to the roadtest, and complete the application during the enrollment period. If I select you as an official roadtester, I will send you the kit.
What do you need to do in return?
Another Great Question!!
As an official roadtester, you need to use the product. Play around with it. Experiment with it. If appropriate, build something with it. And write a review for the element14 community.
You get to keep the part or kit after you have completed the review.
Doing a roadtest is one of the best ways to:
- Get to know people on the community
- Learn new technical skills
- Build up self-confidence
- Earn Letters of Recommendation when you are looking for your first job
- Receive some of the best products for free
We roadtest a wide variety of products from easy stuff for the hobbyist to more challenging stuff for the professional engineer. You should read through the information on this page to learn more.
The best place to start is to roadtest something familiar to you and then try something harder as you gain experience.
If you have any questions about the roadtest program, you can leave a comment on this blog.
Sincerely,
Randall Scasny
RoadTest Program Manager