As we get nearing to receiving our product mock-ups, we want to make sure and have some testers lined up to send them to once they’re in. Below you’ll find some information about being a beta tester and a form to sign up.
For those of you unfamiliar with Furrow Books, they are simple notebooks which provide the opportunity to use any ruling at any time within your notebook.
They come in two sizes – pocket and large. They are saddlestitched with a couple of tooth-chippin’ steel staples and the pocket size contains 48 blank white pages while the large contains 96. Included with each notebook is a two-sided card, matching the size of the notebook, which has a lined ruling on one side and a graph ruling on the other. The paper is opaque enough to allow for the lines on the card to be visible when you place it behind your current page, while being of a high enough quality to work well with pretty much any writing instrument (fountain pens included.)
There are four main ideas behind these books:
- A notebook should never be restrictive in use because of its ruling.
- Since the ruling is only useful during the time that you’re actually putting content onto the page, the ruling shouldn’t be there afterwards – it’s unnecessary clutter.
- You shouldn’t have to think twice about which writing instrument to use because of the quality of the notebook’s materials.
- There shouldn’t be extensive designs or predetermined content on or within the notebook.
The primary goal of the Furrow Books line of notebooks is to minimize the unnecessary noise and clutter between the user, their notebooks, and the content they create.
If these sounds like something you’d be interested in trying out, then read on.
Applications are now closed.
We’re looking for a variety of people to test out some Furrow Books and provide feedback to us on what you like and what you think would be a good change. We’re hoping to get opinions from users of all levels and preferences. If you’re an artist and likes to draw, we’d love to hear from you. If you’re a writer, I’d love to see your notes. If you’re planner, designer, lister, record keeper, or anyone else who uses notebooks, we encourage you to sign up below and help us out.
Being a tester is simple:
1. We send you products.
2. You use the products.
3. You let us know what you think.
There’s no cost to you, except for a little bit of your time.
FAQ’s
How do I become a tester?
It’s simple. You just fill out the form below and we’ll choose beta testers from the pool of submissions. Naturally, we won’t be able to select everyone who applies for the program, but even if you’re not selected for this test, we’ll keep your info on file for future testing opportunities.
How do you select the testers?
We use an ultra complicated and scientific method involving moon phase, planetary shifts, current weather patterns, and the lineage of the chicken who’s eggs we had for breakfast that morning.
Just kidding – we actually look at all of the submissions, group them into categories, then select randomly from each category.
We determine the categories based on the similarity of some submissions. If we just randomly chose from a large pool of all of the submissions we’d run the risk of getting a large group with similar characteristics, while the person who is unique and would provide valuable and different opinions could be missed. Our goal is to get as wide of a range of opinions as possible.
How will I know if I have been selected?
If you’re selected as a tester, we’ll send you an email letting you know and to confirm your shipping address. We’ll announce via our twitter and facebook pages when we’ve sent out emails to the selected testers – so if you do not receive an email after we’ve made the announcement, then you haven’t been selected for this round of tests.
If you’re not selected, we’ll still keep your info on file for future testing opportunities.
What should I expect if I am selected?
First, you’ll receive an email where we’ll let you know that you’ve been selected, and to confirm your shipping address. Once you confirm your address, we’ll get your testing kit into the mail and headed your way.
Within that kit, you’ll find some products and a welcome letter which contains some information about the products as well as a web address of where to submit your opinions. We hope that you’ll spend a few days testing the notebooks, then go to that link and let us know your thoughts.
Is this open to countries outside of the United States?
Yes! We want to make sure and get opinions from a wide variety of sources – so feel free to apply below no matter where you’re at. This opportunity is open to anyone that can receive packages shipped via USPS.
How do I submit my opinions?
Within the testing kit that you receive in the mail, you’ll find a letter containing a web address where you’ll submit your feedback. Simply type that address into your browser, answer the questions on the page, submit your responses and you’re all set. Easy peasy.
Do I get to keep the products?
Yes! Anything that you receive from us as part of this testing program is yours to keep.
Can I tell other people about the products?
Yes! Feel free to show people the products, let them use the notebooks, and get their opinions, too. The more the merrier!
If I have a blog, can I create a post about Furrow Books?
Yes! Feel free to blog about whatever you want.
If you like them, awesome. If there’s some things you don’t like, you can blog about that too – but since this is a beta test, we’d prefer that you let us know about the negatives that you find in the products before so that we can see about improving them. (That is the purpose of this test, after all.)
Of course, you’re always free to create blog posts either way about anything. There’s enough censorship in the world already.
What products are included in this beta test?
For this test, we’ll be including some prototypes of our first edition of notebooks.
These mock-ups are 99% completed, they just do not have any printing on the covers, and the cards are printed on a different material. We will be stamping them similar to how the printing will be.
Unless we get an overwhelming response to make changes to the books, the products that you receive will be exactly like the final products (except for the cover printing of course.)
What's the deadline to apply?
Applications will be accepted until the evening of Thursday, Feb. 27th, 2014. Testers will be selected and notified over the weekend with packages being sent out early the following week.
I have another question that's not answered here.
Feel free to contact us anytime via the contact form
on our contact page and we’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have.
Below you’ll find the application form for this testing opportunity. Fill out as much as you can – the more information that we have, the better your chances of being selected.
Applications are now closed
Once testers are selected, an announcement will be made as such via here, the Furrow Books’ Facebook page, and the Furrow Books’ Twitter account letting everyone know. Those selected as a tester will receive and email with more details.
Thanks everyone for your submissions!
