The Do?s and Don?ts of Paid Survey Programs
By getjimmy
@getjimmy (2242)
India
November 19, 2006 3:02pm CST
Friends I got this information in my mail so thought of sharing with u.I hope u will love it.
A comprehensive review of today?s internet Paid Survey Programs.
Have you seen a ton of pop-ups and other offers while you're surfing the internet claiming to pay a lot of money just for filling out a short online survey? Have you wanted to try it but are afraid to because of hearing about so many internet scams? Me too! Paid surveys are a big business and do offer a lot of income potential IF you work with a legitimate survey company.
If you're like me, I'd love to make some good money while working at home in my pajamas or whenever I could fit it in between soccer games and house chores. Wouldn?t it be nice to have the extra money to pay off those credit cards or to save for college while having more time to spend with family? How about that vacation we've all been needing but just don?t have the money for?
Whether it?s real estate investing, get rich quick programs, selling products online or investing in the stock market, we?ve all seen those grandiose claims about people making tons of money, and their over-excited willingness to teach us how to do it. There are reputable and legitimate opportunities on the internet, the trick is to find them. Many are scams yet we continue to fall prey to them in our search for ?quick riches?. Have you fallen prey to one (or more) of these ?get rich quick? schemes? Me too. I?ve started so many businesses and tried so many of these programs that I can?t even recall how many. Finally, after many disappointments and losing thousands of dollars, I was FED UP! I decided that before I spent another penny that I was going to get to the bottom of these ?get rich quick programs?. Why did I just say ?programs?? Because what I found out is that some are legitimate and not all are scams.
My research started by literally writing down ALL of the different opportunities I could find. After hours and hours of investigating and making phone calls and even signing up for many, one of the best and most legitimate opportunities turned out to be Paid Online Surveys...with a few cautions.
What makes this a great opportunity to make that nice living from the comforts of your own home?
Surveys offer a very nice compensation for very little of your time and at your own convenience. After you've taken a few, you'll get the hang of the general idea and be able to speed through them minimizing your time taking the survey while increasing your revenue.
Why would companies pay you to take a survey?
Surveys and customer feedback are the future of any legitimate company. Surveys are used by manufacturers to learn how their customers use and feel about their products. This information is so valuable to companies that they are willing to pay you to tell them what products you use, how you use them and how you felt about the product after you used it. Surveys tell companies what direction they should go with marketing and product lines.
How do Surveys for Cash Work?
They?re actually pretty simple:
Basically, you:
1. Sign up with a survey company (you can go to individual companies web sites and sign up but that's very time consuming. Survey companies are like the one-stop-shopping of online surveys, you can tackle so many more surveys in much less time. This is where the good money is).
2. Provide some personal information, such as gender, age, location, etc;
3. When the company has a survey, they simply send you an invitation via an email that contains a link that will take you to the survey site.
How much can you make?
The payment varies from company to company but you can typically expect to make anywhere from $5 to $75, for each survey you complete. While each survey only takes 10-15 minutes, the potential can be big. Be honest when participating. Companies are paying you good money for honest feedback. Remember, the future of their business relies on knowing what their customers think of them.
How will you be paid?
Some will ask you for an account, like PayPal, etc. and will pay on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. If you don't have an account, they will send you a check to an address you specify. While some companies will pay you cash, others will enter you into a drawing to win money. (The drawings are typically for larger amounts of money with the odds being quite good). Merchandise or other incentives are also very common giving you an opportunity to get the toys or necessities you want without having to pay for them. DVDs and other electronic equipment are typical incentives offered for completing online surveys. The nice thing about online surveys is that you can pick and choose which ones you want to complete. Each survey will tell you what they are paying before you agree to participate. (SEE THE FOLLOWING SECTION FOR SOME CAUTION TIPS).
Are all survey for money sites legitimate?
Certainly NOT! How do you know which ones to participate in? Here are some warnings.
Some sites are really advertising sites that will try to get you to sign up for a lot of other things while you?re taking the survey. If you are invited to do this, BEWARE!
If the site offers you a chance to win a large, expensive prize (i.e. cruise, car, etc.) for signing up, think twice before joining. This is not necessarily a complete no-no but do some investigating and talk to other users to hear their experience with the site before you sign-up.
Legitimate companies will not sell or share your personal information you provide to them (or at least without your permission). Your information is useful to them simply for marketing purposes by knowing a little bit about the customers that are using their products and it's typically safe to share that with them. Read the companies privacy policy, etc. before you sign up with them.
Be sure you understand what you are being paid and when you will be paid for each survey. Legitimate companies want you to get excited about getting paid to participate and will be very clear as to your compensation and when you will get it. If it is not stated, email or call before you begin.
All legitimate companies will offer you a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. Most people sign on with several companies because that opens the door to taking more surveys and making a lot more money. This is o.k. and actually recommended, just make sure that you have that satisfaction guarantee before you sign up. This way, it's a no-lose situation and you optimize your potential.
**Remember, Paid surveys are about small amounts of your time for very good money NOT small amounts of your time for instant riches. You will have to put in a little time but you will be rewarded very handsomely.
Now understand that even some reputable survey companies do charge a minimal fee for access to their program, which is to be expected for any legitimate company that actually has people available for support to help you get started. Don?t be afraid of this opportunity, just do your homework and talk to sources you trust before you start.
2 responses
@pegoman (2)
• Slovak Republic
21 Nov 07
I think it can be great opportunity to make some money. I am registered with tens of companies for a month or so but I didn't received any survey invitation. I think it's becauce I'm not from USA so I am probably not suitable for their criteria. But if you are from USA it can be great possibility to make some money.