Here's an interesting post by Wil Shipley on beta-testing.
It's worth pointing out that beta testing is a great way to start a career in software. It looks good on a resume, and it gets you noticed by engineers in your field -- if you submit a bunch of bugs to a company, it shows you have a keen eye and understand software, and they are going to remember your name later. Seriously, we've always known our top beta-testers by name, and they get much respect; someone might say, 'Oh, O'Donnel reported a cosmetic bug in the main panel,' and the engineers would be all, 'O'Donnel? Dang, I better hop on that!'An interesting twist on the topic of dealing with beta-testers....
And, in turn, lots of the guys I've hired over the years first came to our attention as beta testers.