Apr 27
Link for e-Lab Panel UCR Sloan
Uncategorized No Comments »I forgot to add the link for the e-Lab panel in my post from earlier today. Click here if you want to join. Sorry about that!
Apr 27
e-Lab Panel: UCR Sloan Center Review
Survey Site Reviews 6 Comments »The UCR Sloan Center for Internet Research is currently recruiting new members for their e-Lab Panel. It is the world’s leading university research center dedicated to improving the effectiveness of online retailing and is located at the University of California, Riverside. From the website:
What is the eLab Panel?
The UCR eLab Global Panel is an online community of people from all around the world who participate a few times a year in academic research studies conducted by UCR eLab faculty and their students. Members of our panel are asked questions about how people behave in the digital world. Through their participation, panelists may directly impact the Internet retailing industry.
The UCR eLab Global Panel is an online community of people from all around the world who participate a few times a year in academic research studies conducted by UCR eLab faculty and their students. Members of our panel are asked questions about how people behave in the digital world. Through their participation, panelists may directly impact the Internet retailing industry.
Why Should I Join?
By joining our panel and participating in our surveys, you can influence business practice all while enjoying the experience. You also earn a chance to win prizes!
What are the prizes?
There are two prizes: Monthly prizes to new members, and research study participants for members who participate in a survey.
Monthly Prizes
Every month UCR eLab holds a random drawing for a cash prize of $100. All new registered panelists will be eligible for this monthly prize drawing in the month they join the panel. Drawings are held the last day of every month. Monthly drawing winners are notified by email, and will receive their checks within about 6-8 weeks of the drawing date. Prizes must be claimed within 2 weeks of notification.
Every month UCR eLab holds a random drawing for a cash prize of $100. All new registered panelists will be eligible for this monthly prize drawing in the month they join the panel. Drawings are held the last day of every month. Monthly drawing winners are notified by email, and will receive their checks within about 6-8 weeks of the drawing date. Prizes must be claimed within 2 weeks of notification.
I signed up this morning and the process was short and easy. They send a confirmation email to click and you are ready to start. I’m a member of several university research panels and I enjoy participating. The projects and surveys are infrequent and it’s only for a chance to win, but I feel like I’m contributing to their research studies so it’s worth it for me. Take a look and see what you think.
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Research Study Prizes
Each research study has its own prize drawing, with one or more prizes (cash, gift certificates, or product). The type and size of the incentives in a given research study’s prize drawing will be announced when we email panelists and invite them to participate in a research study. Prizes for each research study drawing must be claimed within 2 weeks of notification. Any research study prizes which remain unclaimed 2 weeks after notification will be awarded to another panelist who has completed that study.
Apr 23
Top 10 Online Paid Surveys: Blog Reader Results
Top Cash Paying Survey Sites 17 Comments »I posted my Top 5 Online surveys a few days ago and asked for feedback on your top picks. The results are in! We had great response in the form of comments on the blog and emails with every one’s favorite online survey sites. I appreciate your participation and feel sure that your results will go a long way in helping others decide which survey sites to choose when starting to take paid surveys. Our reader results will be in the form of a Top 10 so that the sites with the most votes overall can be included.
2) Survey Spot
4) Lightspeed
6) Pinecone
7) SurveyHead
8/ Toluna
10) Synovate
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Apr 20
SurveyPro: Legitimate or not?
Survey Site Reviews 5 Comments »Had a request from Charles to check out SurveyPro to see what I could find out. I didn’t remember surveyPro, but checked one of my email accounts and apparently, according to an email from them, I signed up in 2009 through the surveyDoctor website. Is it possible that I did that? Doubtful, but I join lots of random survey sites, so maybe I clicked “yes” by mistake. But the good news is that I have lots of emails from them so that I can share with you what kind of “surveys” they send to your inbox.
Lo and behold, if I had only checked my emails from SurveyPro, I would be a very wealthy woman. In the last month alone, my emails from SurveyPro announced the following:
I am thrilled to tell you about this new offer. You will get a free
54 inch, Panasonic Viera Plasma HDTV when you complete the
participation requirements. You’ll love the slim design and 1080p
display. Just click on the link below to get started and watch your
favorite shows on your new HDTV. This is a good one.
I am thrilled to bring you this new offer. Right now, you will get
a free $1,000 Exxon Mobil gas card from Fill Up Your Tank. This is
a fantastic offer for our members. Just click on the link below to
find out more.
Ok, I won’t bore you with the rest of them, but most of the rest of the emails are just like that. It’s free as long as you complete the “requirements” and various levels. In other words, you get nothing but annoyance.
You don’t login to an account with SurveyPro, but can check the site for “opportunities” like the ones above or wait for those great emails. You can join survey sites like panda Research too. Or if you are really feeling frisky, you can join their “advanced program” and pay a $9.95 fee for their list of 425 survey sites. No thank you. Enough said.
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Apr 19
Top 5 Online Survey Sites
Top Cash Paying Survey Sites 24 Comments »One thing I know for sure. Online paid survey sites are cyclical and my list of favorites changes almost monthly. Most of the irritations lately have come with temporary glitches and payment policies, not to mention all of the headaches that go along with merging survey sites. So if you ask me on any given day what’s the best survey site, I’ll give you a different answer, depending on which survey site is having the least problems at the moment.
On the other hand, there are other survey sites that I didn’t like at all in the beginning, but have warmed to over time. Some survey sites actually listen to member complaints and suggestions and work to improve the way they handle issues and payments.
Another thing I know for sure. No online survey site is perfect.
With this in mind, I made a list for Mark back in February of my top survey sites. Here’s my list of Top 5 from that time period:
1) Survey Spot
3) MySurvey.com
4) Lightspeed
I thought it would be interesting if I could compile a list of our blog reader’s top 5 online survey sites. I’m sure that we’ll get many differing opinions on which survey sites work best for you. Leave a comment or send me an email, and I’ll post the results in an upcoming blog post. Let us know what YOU think!
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Apr 15
MyView: Reward System Needs Improvement
Uncategorized 18 Comments »Kevin sent an email about his issues with MyView. I certainly understand his frustration. Removing the Paypal option was an unwelcome change in my opinion and I find it hard to believe that anyone actually requested replacing Paypal with a Prepaid Visa. Here is Kevin’s email:
I would like to express my frustration with MyView surveys. I have finally been able to reach the point level to cash out (66,500). I was $1 short awaiting verification when they canceled Paypal. Verification came after the first of the year (how convenient). I cashed out last Friday April 9,2010. and received the following confirmation.
| Cost: 66500 Points |
| Reward Name: Prepaid $50 VISA Giftcard |
| Reward Description: The MyView Virtual Prepaid Visa速 Card – Order What You Want–When You Want. |
| Fullfillment Time: 3 days |
When I did not receive the gift card I sent the following e-mail. My rewards were supposed to be fulfilled in 3 days. It is over 3 days and I have not received my award. Is there a problem..Here is the response:
Dear MyView Member,
We are writing to inform you that your Payment has been approved and you
will receive your Prepaid Visa Card within 5-7 days.
will receive your Prepaid Visa Card within 5-7 days.
We apologize for the delay. I wonder if it has anything to do with a previous e-mail I have sent in response to my unhappiness with the PayPal being discontinued and the customer service rep preaching the value of the virtual VISA card.
Unfortunately that does not meet my needs. The system changed when I was waiting for rewards to be confirmed when Pay Pal was removed. I have 3 pre- paid credit cards now from other survey sites. A virtual card does
not allow me to use my rewards in brick and mortar locations. My Pay Pal account for which I have a debit card allows me to do this. I do not know what the reason for the removal of Pay Pal was. Just so there is no misunderstanding I am extremely pissed off. I have used the prepaid cards before and sometimes you are charged more for your purchase until it clears then your funds are freed up. It has happened when I have used it in restaurants and gas purchases also at liquor stores.. The convenience is highly over rated.
Thanks for allowing me to vent.
On the MyView website there is a promise to add gift cards (hopefully Amazon) in the near future. From the website:
You can redeem these points for PrePaid Visa Cards. We’ll soon be adding other exciting reward options such as the ability to donate to a charity or purchase gift cards, subscriptions to services, etc.
I hope that happens sooner rather than later. But overall, even with no Paypal option, I still think that MyView is one of the better survey sites. No longer at the top of my list, I still qualify for the surveys and know that I will be rewarded eventually. Slow but legitimate is better than the all of the scam sites out there. Just my opinion. What do you think?
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Apr 12
Ipsos-i-say: Improved Website and Points System
Survey Site Reviews 6 Comments »Ipsos-i-say has a new look these days. Having recently launched their new website, the new and improved version is certainly easier to navigate. One of my complaints of the older website was that is was confusing and overwhelming. And in the last few months leading up to the launch, you couldn’t even see your points online, having to rely on an email to see your earnings. All of this has changed now, and I must say that I really like the new improvements.
The other new feature for Ipsos-i-say is a user-friendly and enhanced points system. They claim more bang for your bucks. Here are the new features of Ipsos. From the website:
i-Say panel members earn Reward Points for every survey they take. Earn just 500 points and you can “cash them in” for money (in the form of an authorized check), donations, American Express Gift Cards and more.
Points add up fast – most surveys are worth 10 to 100 points and members get an average of 4 surveys each month.
Loyalty Program
Our most loyal panelists deserve the most from us. So we’ve introduced more ways for you to earn points.
The more surveys you complete, the more points you earn. If you respond to 10 surveys you will earn 50 bonus Loyalty points but answer 50 surveys you will earn 200 bonus Loyalty points.
That’s on top of the points you already earn for completing each survey.
Anniversary Points
New members must remain an active member for 6 months, and will be awarded 50 bonus points. Then every year, on your anniversary, if you maintain your active status, we’ll add an extra 150 points to your account. All you have to do is take surveys regularly – at least one per month.
Here’s hoping that all the new improvements for Ipsos will result in a better experience for all of us for this online paid survey site. Tell us what you think of the new website and features.
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Apr 07
Toluna: Tips for Increasing Rewards
Advice 20 Comments »Toluna, formerly Your2Cents, and now merged with Greenfield has had its issues of late, not to mention the confusing nature of all of the mergers, changes and the like. I have found that since becoming part of Greenfield, the points for surveys has decreased from about $2 per survey to less than $1. Because 3000 points equals $1, the 900 point surveys are more than annoying since all you get is $.30 for your time. I still take the online surveys, but only when I have the extra time.
Laura and Lee had some great suggestions for getting more out of your experience with Toluna that I thought I would pass along. They have helped me to increase my earnings and hopefully you will find them useful as well. From Laura’s post on the forum:
I’ve actually had pretty good luck with toluna since the merger. I was pretty wary at first since I HATED Greenfield surveys, but I have had a better experience since the companies combined. Here’s a few tricks that made collecting points at toluna easier / more time-efficient:http://us.toluna.com/mysurveys and take surveys directly through the site. If you get offered a survey that doesn’t pay well – just hit refresh! I skip over the 900 point ones (I sometimes do them if they’re 10 minutes or less, if I’m bored), and do the ones that offer a better payment (just finished one for 12,000 points, so they are there.)
Let us know what your experience with Toluna has been. Do you have any tips that you’ve discovered?
1) Sponsored polls & topics on the toluna site. I have to give credit to LapisLee for this tip he posted earlier this year. toluna hosts quick little polls that pay anywhere from 15 to 250 points. Not a lot at first glance, but I think it’s a much better payment in terms of time spent then those 900 point (aka $0.30) surveys that take 10-30 minutes. I just log in for about two minutes a couple of times each day and do all of them. I find that I can actually make around 200 – 900 points a day just doing those!
2) You can earn points for writing your own opinions. All that’s required is 80 words or more, for which you get 100 points. You can earn up to 5,000 a month just doing those. If you like to write, rant, blog, whatever, it’s easy work.
3) Go to http://us.toluna.com/mysurveys and take surveys directly through the site. If you get offered a survey that doesn’t pay well – just hit refresh! I skip over the 900 point ones (I sometimes do them if they’re 10 minutes or less, if I’m bored), and do the ones that offer a better payment (just finished one for 12,000 points, so they are there.)
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