New Feature Beta Test starting Jan 14

[PSMKay]

As some of you know, I've been working on a new feature for SMNetwork. It's quite large and has been coded from scratch. (As a reference point, it's about twice four times as much code as went into creating BTDT.) (It grew.)

The moderators have been alpha testing it for the past week and will continue to do so for another week.

Starting January 14 (SMNet's 12th anniversary), this feature will have a limited, closed Beta test. I am looking for 10-15 members of SMNetwork who would like to participate.  The Beta will only run for a few weeks before it's opened to everyone, but I do want to be sure all of my code will hold up under increased load and use in real conditions.

What it does:
It's a rating system for unpaid and low-paid stage management internships in the US.

If you fall into any of these categories, please consider joining the Beta:
1. People who've worked on a lot of internships, or who have supervised a lot of interns.
2. People who are experienced with development beta tests for websites and are wiling to give lots of feedback on their experiences.
3. People who would like to be considered for a Patroller (staff) position monitoring the reviews.
4. People who are interested in the process of developing a new web application or who want to see what happens behind the scenes at SMNet.
5. People who will have some spare time during the 2nd half of January.
6. Nerdy types who dig statistics, grading, weighted averages and/or taking surveys.

Participation in the beta is restricted to registered members and you must have made at least one public post, as it utilizes the PM system.

How to sign up:
Go to your profile. Hover over "Modify Profile" and select "Group memberships" (Or if you have the left hand menu popped out, pick "Group Memberships" from the left hand menu.)
On the page that appears look towards the bottom. You will see "Beta Testers" with a link on the right saying "Request Membership."
Click that link.
On the next page, add a little note saying why you want to join, and then press "Submit Request."

EDIT: Beta's Over. The feature has launched. Locking this thread and moving on. Thanks to all who participated! Stay tuned for future beta tests over the next few months.

[PSMKay]

OK we have had one request so far. If any of the criteria above pertain to you, please join in?

I am moving this from Announcements to the Green Room so that you can ask questions if you've got them.

[PSMKay]

Thanks to Aerial for notifying me that the signup link was messed up. I've clarified the instructions above.

[LisaS]

Kay, what kind of time commitment are you looking for?  I definitely have some extra free time in late January and I qualify for a few other criteria but I don't want to sign on to anything that I can't fully commit to.

[PSMKay]

As much as you feel comfortable with, really.  I think most of the mods who have been alpha-testing with me have done about half an hour to 45 min a day, or less, not counting time spent talking in the feedback area. The beta will be far less demanding as I won't be adding as many brand new features and recoding the scoring algorithm every two days. (I hope.)

The very excellent moderator team (and moderator-in-training) have been testing the heck out of it since the beginning of the year, but we're all staff members and familiar with the back end of things. I want to make sure that it works for folks who aren't as inured to the quirks of the system, and who haven't been watching me build it, break it and fix it over the past five alpha release versions.
 
Of course, if you get into it and find the whole thing fascinating and want to hack the heck out of it, I won't mind

What I'm primarily looking for is to make sure the scoring is fair, the instructions are clear, the features work the way they're supposed to, and that it's a useful thing.  I also want to make sure that the dynamic between regular users and patrollers isn't too icky.  I may have a couple of people "role play" during the beta from perspectives like a student with an axe to grind, or an employer looking to boost their score by posting bogus reviews.

We're rapidly approaching the season when students will be looking for summer internships and I want to have it up and running by the time they need it. I hope therefore that this beta will only be a couple of weeks long.

PS: We're up to 7 people! Keep it up, folks, and thanks to all who have volunteered!

[PSMKay]

The Beta is underway! Thanks to our 10 volunteers who, along with the mods, will be beta testing for the next couple of weeks. I can still take on a couple more if you get in before the end of Sunday, but after that just hang tight and it'll be ready for everybody in early February.