How to Really Make Money With Online Survey Companies

With over 500 "paid survey" companies on the Internet, it's clear that this is
a business that's here to stay. Some of the sites offer you an opportunity to
"get rich quick" while others offer you a chance to earn a few extra dollars in
your spare time participating in panels. Can you make a living off of these
sites? You sure can -- but not by taking surveys. There simply isn't enough
time in each day to earn a viable living off of the online survey gig.

So how can you make real money with these websites?

It's very simple. You create a "survey portal." While not easy to set up, once
established, it's a way you can earn money and not even have to fill out one
survey. The set-up fees are minimal, but some computer knowledge is required.

Most of the online survey companies offer a "referral" fee for directing those
who want to earn money by taking surveys to their site. And this is where the
money is.

The first thing you need to do is purchase a domain name. You will want to get
one that is catchy and easy to remember as well as spell. Once our domain name
is secured, you'll need to set up a website. It doesn't have to be elaborate at
all, but should be attractive to the viewer. And, of course, you'll need to have
a host. Most host companies charge about $25 a month. You want to make sure you
acquire a host that allows ads. Some hosting sites like Yahoo are very user
friendly, but don't allow advertising.

You'll have to do a bit of research into the various survey companies that
offer a referral fee. You can sign up for each site and you'll receive a
"referral link." This link will be posted on your website in the form of a
"hyperlink." You'll want to get as many referral links as you can to post on
your website. When researching the companies, make sure that referral payments
are made in cash, not points, and that you can receive them by check or through
Paypal. If you decide to accept those that offer points, you'll have to monitor
that site to make sure you cash in the points for cash periodically. Do not
bother with any site that offers points in exchange for sweepstakes entries or
prizes; you're wasting your time.

Some survey sites offer "affiliate" programs. This is where you can actually
post an advertising banner on your website. It won't cost you any money, and
every time someone actually clicks on the banner and signs up for the survey
company, you'll get paid.

You'll want to use a lot of visual effects in your website giving the
impression that anyone can make a living online doing surveys. I've seen a lot
of survey portals, many of them have photos of large homes, pools, exotic
vacation spots and fancy cars. Be careful that you don't use any images subject
to copyright.

You can also add some "testimonials" to your portal site. You have to be
careful not to deliberately mislead people; but an ambiguous statement such as
"I was working 56 hours a week at a dead end job and now earn over $10,000 a
month -- Brenda K." are not illegal. Because you're not directly saying that
doing surveys is the reason Brenda K. is now earning $10,000 a month. Brenda K.
could have won the lottery and is taking her winnings in a monthly payout.

In addition to having several hyperlinks directing people to the survey sites
for which you will receive a referral fee, you can also add other advertising
on your website. There are several companies that offer pennies on the dollar
every time someone clicks on their ad that's on your website. This is just
another way to generate income for your survey portal site.

The most important thing you need to learn how to do is market your site. In
addition to hundreds of paid online survey sites, there are also hundreds of
free blogging sites. Sign up for them, make as many "friends" as you can and
tout the success of your online business daily in your blog (providing a link
to your site, of course),

While this method of making money may be just this side of the law and takes a
bit of time, a small initial cash investment and periodic updates, this is the
only way to make money in the online surveys for cash game. PT Barnum knew it;
other people know it and now you do, too. There is a sucker born every minute.

Just make sure the "sucker" isn't you.

Online Surveys: The Good, The Bad And The Really Ugly

There are approximately 500 different Online Survey Companies advertised on the
Internet. I've participated in several online surveys for cash and researched
hundreds of them. I've found that, just like everything else in life, there are
the good, the bad, and the really, really ugly.

The good survey companies consist of those that actually pay you a little bit
of money for your time, don't sell your information to telemarketers, don't send 
you thousands of e-mails, most of which end up in your bulk mailbox, and tell you 
exactly what each survey you're taking is worth in terms of dollars. The good 
survey companies are an excellent way to bring in a few extra dollars from the 
privacy of your home. They're usually maintained by parent marketing research 
companies and confirm your acceptance via e-mail. Their website will provide 
extensive information regrinding the company and earning incentives.

The bad news about the "good" companies is that the surveys are few and far
between, are usually only available by e-mail invitation and take a while to
get a check or deposit into your Paypal account. If you've ever participated in
a survey at the mall or through a neighborhood research firm, you know that
you're lucky to make $100 a year doing this.

The good news about the "good" companies is that you don't have to worry about
them selling your information to unscrupulous companies, charging your phone
bill for something you didn't buy or trying to "trick" you into buying
anything. A good company doesn't operate that way.

The "bad" survey companies are the ones that offer cash, actually pay cash, but
fill your e-mail inbox up with so much spam that you end up spending a good 15
minutes a day deleting all of it. The "bad" survey companies are legitimate to
the point that they actually do pay cash once you've accumulated a certain
amount, but are also interested in getting you to visit the websites of their
marketing partners, where you will be pressured into signing up to learn more
about affordable health insurance. If you show any sign of interest, expect at
least three calls a week from various telephone representatives.

The bad news about the "bad" companies is that you have to keep on your toes.
You'll often find yourself directed to other websites, they will try to sell
you many products that you don't need or want. You have to stay one step ahead
of them, or participating in a survey will cost you more than you'll make.

The good news about the "good" sites is that they're easy. And that you can
make money by referring others to the site. And if you learn the ropes (never,
under any circumstances, say that you're interested in learning more about
health insurance), you can earn a few bucks. Cashcrate is one of these sites.
It's bad because you're constantly being barraged with ads during the course of
the survey, but it's good because you can pick the surveys you want to take and
they pay cash once you've accumulated $20. You just have to make sure you empty
your spam folder every day, delete your cookies each day and sift through a lot
of junk e-mail.

The really, really ugly sites are just downright scams. They won't offer you
any money, instead, they'll offer you a chance to win "thousands" in their
sweepstakes. Or they'll make ridiculous claims about making "thousands of
dollars a week" on their site. They will attempt to get as much information
from you as possible and then promptly sell it to third parties. They will try
to trick you into accepting "free" magazines and charge your telephone bill for
a subscription. They will ask for your cell phone number and charge you for
ringtones. They'll do anything and everything to try to weasel money out of you
and you'll receive nothing in return.

There's nothing good about these really, really ugly sites except that they're
easy to spot for anyone with an IQ over 60. Unfortunately, the elderly, the
young and the very greedy are their favorite prey. Beware of any online survey
site that charges a "fee" to join, or has a bunch of "testimonials" from people
claiming to have made $10,000 a month on their site. If it was that easy, no one
would work; we'd all stay home and do surveys.

So enjoy the good, be careful with the bad and stay away from the really,
really ugly. There endith the lesson.

Popular Scams Online Survey Companies Use

Anyone who's ever been online should, by now, be aware of the hundreds of "work
from home" internet based companies that are consistently advertised in various
websites. One of the more popular is "doing surveys for cash."

There are literally hundreds of online survey companies. Most of them are not
legitimate ways to make money, although a few of them can earn you a few bucks.
These companies target stay at home moms who want to make a few extra dollars
while taking care of the kids, the unemployed who want to make a few extra
dollars while watching dozens of daytime court TV programs, the elderly who are
not afraid to use the computer and teenagers who think they know everything, but
aren't yet wise to the ways of the world. And let's not forget the very greedy
people of low intelligence who think they can get rich by answering a few
simple questions to which a five year old can respond.

These people are prey to unscrupulous methods used by some online survey
companies. These scams include the following:

1. The fee for joining. There are some sites out there who charge a "fee" to
join. They promise you an opportunity to earn up to $100,000 a year, sitting
home at your computer taking surveys. The fee is usually less than $50. These
sites are always a scam. If it was possible to earn $100,000 a year doing
surveys online, the roads would be empty because no one would be going to work.
Everyone would be home, in front of their computers, earning easy money. These
sites prey on the greedy and/or lazy people of little intelligence. By the time
they figure out that their "get rich quick" scheme isn't working, they're out
$50. It's not a crime to be greedy, lazy or stupid. And, unfortunately, it
isn't a crime to prey upon them in many cases. These sites are careful to add
"disclaimers" stating that not everyone will earn this amount of money. They
promise nothing, but include testimonials on their site from people with no
last names who claim to be living the high life from the comfort of their
homes. They usually have photos of flashy cars and huge houses on their
websites. People need to stay away from these sites like they would avoid the
bubonic plague. Unfortunately, PT Barnum was right when he said that there was
a sucker born every minute. Which is why these sites continue to exist.

2. The cell phone scam. In this popular scam, you'll be asked for your cell
phone number to "confirm" your membership. Seconds later, you will receive a
call on your cell phone. The call will end up costing you anywhere from $1.95
to $4.95; depending on the company. These companies don't usually end up
charging you too much because they figure you'll never miss a couple of bucks.
But it adds up for them and that's how they make their money. They will then
periodically send you text messages telling you you've won a prize and to claim
it, you simply need to reply to the text. This will end up costing you more
money. Do not give out your cell phone number to any website.

3. The Switcheroo. In this scam, you will be participating in a survey and then
be directed to another website. They will ask you to show an "interest" in
obtaining more information from one of their marketing partners. You will
continue to answer "no" and keep getting more offers; the survey will never end
until you answer "yes." Now this scam might not cost you any money, but it will
cost you time. Because when you say that you are interested in learning more
about health insurance, expect to receive an average of 10 calls a week from
telemarketers trying to sell you health insurance. And the insurance they are
trying to sell you is a lot more than you can expect to pay than if you contact
an insurance agent in your area. I know this for a fact as I've actually done
price researching. And the telemarketing company will ask you for both your
social security number as well as your bank information (so they can send in a
deposit with your application).

It's dangerous to give out such information to anyone over the phone;
legitimate companies will send you any information you require by mail.

4. The phone bill scam. You'll sign up for a survey company and provide your
telephone number. Then you'll proceed in completing a survey and receive an
offer for a free issue for a magazine. You'll think to yourself -- what's the
harm? You'll give your name and address for the magazine and hardly notice when
a fee for a year's subscription shows up on your telephone bill,. If you read
the fine print, however, you will see that when you provided the company with
your name and address to receive your "free" magazine, you authorized them to
bill you via your telephone bill. They figure that you won't even notice the
extra $12.95 attached to your phone bill. And many people don't.

These are just four of the scams that I've actually encountered during my foray
into the world of online survey participation. I consider myself a half-way
intelligent person, but I got caught for $1.95 for the cell phone scam and
$12.95 for the magazine subscription. I've also been called about 20 times so
far by different "health insurance" company representatives who requested my
social security number and bank information over the telephone. These companies
have yet to send me anything by mail. Luckily, I know better than to give such
information over the telephone.

Online survey taking can be fun, but be careful. Do not give out your cell
phone number under any circumstances. Do not give out your social security
number or bank information. Do not ever express any interest in receiving
information from health insurance providers. And avoid the "online education"
inquiries as well. Do some research prior to joining any company, do not pay a
fee, and beware of anyone or any website that promises to make you rich.

Paid Surveys.com

Lonely people looking to get a lot of spam in their internet mailbox will
benefit greatly from paidsurveys.com. This site is merely a portal to
"hundreds" of other internet survey sites that promise you everything from the
moon to a $1.

If you decide to join this site, expect to receive up to 40 e-mails a day from
a variety of online survey companies. Some of them legitimate, others not. It
will be up to you to figure out. A better way to decide which online survey
companies you wish to participate in is to do a little legwork yourself.

Paidsurveys.com is open to anyone in the United States, United Kingdom,
Australia and Canada who is at least 18 years old. They promise a free
membership and access to 30 different companies that will pay you cash and
"prizes" for participating in online surveys right from your home.

Although the site promises security and privacy, I made the mistake of joining
and began receiving e-mails from virtually every known site in the world that
offered me money, prizes and trips simply for filling out a questionnaire. They
do not offer to send you to corporations that "spend billions of dollars a year"
finding out what the average Joe is thinking, they merely flood your inbox with
hundreds of e-mails from different survey companies.

One of the scariest things about this site is the offer to do "data work from
home." Anyone with an IQ over 60 can smell this scam. It is the internet
equivalent to "stuffing envelopes from home." It usually requires an upfront
fee to "connect" the participant with people who are just dying to pay big
bucks for someone to type all day into their computer. It's a scam. And an old
one, at that.

There are approximately over 500 internet sites that offer people "cash" for
participating in surveys from home. Many of them are legitimate. You can
usually tell these sites by their disclaimer that you will not "get rich" off
of them and they normally tell you up front about what you can expect to earn
and how you will receive your earnings.

Other sites simply exist to get your information so they can sell it to
telemarketers. If you are taking a survey and frequently directed to different
websites where you are asked about receiving a quote for health insurance, do
yourself a favor and click out immediately. In the month that I've been
participating in online surveys, I have received (and I'm not exaggerating
here) at least 10 calls from people who want to sell me health insurance. One
afternoon I received two calls, fifteen minutes apart, from the same company.
Unless you are really desperate to talk to people on the phone or get e-mail
from strangers promising you riches, stay away from these type of sites.

Paidsurveys.com is merely an information gathering website that will give your
e-mail address and telephone number to a variety of different companies, all of
whom will want to sell you something. If you are looking for a way to make money
online, do so at a legitimate site. Check out the website, read as much of the
information carefully before signing up and beware of any site that promises
that you will get rich overnight. You will not make a living doing surveys at
home. This is merely a way to supplement your income and buy a few extras.
There are plenty of legitimate sites out there. Paidsurveys.com is not one of
them.

Work From Home 4 Dollars

There are over 500 online companies offering money for people who want to work
from home doing surveys and earn a full-time income. Beware of such sites that
promise you riches for nothing; they're a scam.

While there are some legitimate sites that pay a few dollars to take a ten
minute survey, there are others that are not legitimate. Many of these sites
simply exist to gather your personal information and sell it to telemarketing
companies. A few of them are downright scams that require a "sign-up" fee in
exchange for the privilege of working from home.

One of the sites I've run across is workfromhome4dollars.com. This site not
only offers you "up to $75 an hour" for completing surveys in the privacy of
your own home, it also advertises just about every "work from home" scam there
is. Most of these schemes are aimed at women who are trying to make a few extra
dollars while staying home with the kids.

I've written many articles about paid surveys and was happy to find that there
are some legitimate companies out there on the internet. But I'm halfway
intelligent and can usually smell a scam from a mile away (two miles on a clear
day). And as soon as I clicked on workfromhome4dollars.com, the stench
overwhelmed me.

P.T. Barnum said there is a sucker born every minute. Unfortunately, he was
spot on in his assessment of human nature. Sadly, there are many predators out
there who are only too glad to take someone's hard-earned money with the
promise of a "get rich quick" scheme.

Workfromhome4dollars is only too glad to hook you up with surveys that promise
to pay $5-$75 an hour. For $34.95, the site will direct you to a survey site
where you can participate in surveys. What workfromhome4dollars.com doesn't
tell you is that these sites can be accessed by any individual with internet
experience without paying a dime.

In addition to offering "opportunity" for paid surveys,
workfromhome4dollars.com offers other "opportunities" such as "typing from
home," "medical transcription from home," "data entry from home" and other
schemes aimed mostly at uneducated women. All of these "golden opportunities"
cost the participant anywhere from $35 to $75 to enroll.

The site is merely a money making portal. Of all the sites on the internet I've
investigated while researching this topic, this is the worst. I implore anyone
who is interested in participating in paid surveys to beware of the following:

- Do not give out your credit card number, social security number or bank
information to any online site.

- Beware of any site that promises "thousands of dollars a month" for working
from home. I've done a lot of research into paid surveys; if it were that easy,
no one would work outside the home.

- Do not pay "upfront" for the privilege of doing a survey. Legitimate
companies will not ask for a fee.

- Paid surveys are a way to make supplemental income; not a living. You can
expect to make maybe $200 a month doing this.

- Before signing up for any online survey site, do a little bit of research.
The honest ones will tell you that you won't make a lot of money and will have
stringent privacy policies.

- Do not, under any circumstances, ever participate in any survey about health
insurance. I made this mistake once and now get about five calls a day from
people trying to sell me health insurance.

- If you are participating in a survey and are directed to another website, do
not feel you have to answer any questions on that site. Many times there will
be "fine print" that charges your telephone number for trying a product. In
addition to this, keep close tabs on your telephone bill.

- Each time you log on to your computer, clear your cookies.

Participating in paid surveys can be a fun way to earn a few extra dollars,
gift cards or discount certificates. Do not expect to "get rich" doing this.
And under no circumstances ever pay for the "privilege" of doing a survey.

Survey Spot

If you enjoy taking surveys online, Surveyspot.com is an ideal way to make a
few extra dollars in the privacy of your home. Best of all, Surveyspot will not
give out your personal information to its advertisers, so you don't have to
worry about getting dozens of phone calls from people trying to sell you
everything from health insurance to an online education.

To participate in Surveyspot.com, you must be at least 18 years old. Only one
person from each family can sign up for the site, but there are many surveys
that teenagers can participate in that pay. Family members just need to divvy
up the money when it arrives.

Not all surveys at Surveyspot.com offer payment. Some of them simply offer a
sweepstakes entry. But you are under no obligation to do any survey in which
you don't want to participate. Unlike some sites, survey offers are sent to you
via e-mail. You are under no obligation to respond to the e-mail if the survey
does not interest you and you will not be kicked off of the site.

If you find a survey that offers a cash reward, payment is immediate. Unlike
many other online survey companies, you do not have to accumulate a certain
dollar amount before receiving payment. The money is sent to you via check and
generally arrives within four weeks after survey completion.

You may also be asked to test new products that will be delivered to your door.
This is an excellent way for people to try different products that they would
otherwise not buy. In most cases, you will be financially compensated for
testing the product.

To sign up for Surveyspot.com, you simply need to click on the website and hit
"join." You will be asked a series of questions, including your telephone
number. Surveyspot adds a disclaimer that it will not share your telephone
number with anyone. Since I joined this website, I have not received any
telephone calls from any solicitors of the products I've surveyed.

The surveys are fairly simple and generally take only 10 minutes to complete.
The one drawback of this site is that you have to wait a few days to
participate in surveys and you can only participate by responding to your
e-mail. If you have a spam folder on your e-mail account, you may miss some
e-mails, so it is wise to add the website to your general address book.

Throughout the year, various sweepstakes are awarded to lucky prize winners.
These range from cash prizes to luxury vacations. If you are lucky enough to
win a sweepstakes, Surveyspot will notify you by e-mail.

Some of the marketing companies that Surveyspot.com represents include the
Marketing Research Association, the American Marketing Association, American
Association for Public Opinion Research, The Council of American Survey
Research Organizations and the Advertising Research Foundation. Unlike some
disreputable online survey firms, Surveyspot.com is a legitimate marketing
website. They will never ask you for any money and are careful to keep your
private information private.

If you are just starting to explore the world of online surveys, Surveyspot.com
is a comfortable place to start. After you join, an e-mail will be sent to your
account to confirm your membership. Simply click on the link provided and look
for e-mails from Surveyspot in your mailbox. You are under no obligation to
take any of the surveys or enter any sweepstakes and you can be assured of your
privacy.

E-Poll Teen Surveys

An online survey company that encourages both adults and teenagers to give
their opinion on a variety of issues affecting their daily life. What I like
about E-Poll is the teen forum. This is open to teenagers between the ages of
13-18 and enables them to participate in interactive surveys and earn reward
points that can be cashed in for gift cards.

This is an excellent way for a teenager to do something other than play games
on the internet. The interactive surveys are fun and geared towards young
people. Rewards for participating in the surveys are given in a "points"
system. Once the teenager completes a survey, they earn "E-points." Once they
have collected a number of E-points, they can redeem them for gift cards to
places that most teenagers love to frequent, including McDonald's, Starbucks,
Amazon, and, the grand mother of all teen places, Best Buy.

E-Poll is safe for your teenager and has stringent privacy policies. I'm a bit
partial to any online survey company that welcomes young people; they generally
don't want to be the subject of a federal investigation into corrupting minors,
so they are usually pretty legitimate. My daughter signed up for this site and
as so far earned a gift card for Best Buy and Starbucks. She said the surveys
were easy and not at all like the tests she takes in school. Too bad schools
insist on giving grades instead of gift certificates or she would be a straight
A student.

E-Poll also offers surveys for adults. But this is not a survey-for-cash site.
After signing up for the site, you will receive an e-mail confirmation. Once
you click on the link, you're in and you will begin receiving surveys by
e-mails. Each survey is worth a certain number of points. And the points are
redeemed for gift cards. In addition to the gift cards that appeal to teens,
adults can receive cards for Home Depot, Target and other stores.

Each survey takes about ten minutes or less to complete. I have not
participated in any E-Poll surveys as my daughter pretty much took over this
site. Like most internet survey companies, E-Poll has a limit of one survey
participant per household.

This is a legitimate site and a lot of fun for teenagers. The company is very
stringent on their privacy policy. My daughter has not received any telephone
calls or spam mail since signing up for the site. The site does not collect any
personal data, but simple demographic data, concerning the state in which she
lives, her level of education, her gender and race. They will not release any
information to any third party.

Some of the surveys that she has participated in have been about music, online
games, school supplies, and fast food products. The site is owned by Bridge
Entertainment, Inc. and although adults can participate, it is geared towards
teenagers and young adults. The tagline for the site is "Express Yourself."

Parents should monitor their child's use of the internet at all times. Although
E-Poll has proven to be a legitimate polling site, parents should warn their
children about giving out any personal information over the internet. But
teenagers using E-Poll are pretty safe. We haven't had any bad experiences with
this site, and although I personally haven't made any money, I have saved a few
bucks. Usually my daughter asks for handouts when going to McDonald's or
Starbucks. But with E-Poll, she has been able to get her own gift cards.

Maybe some day I'll get really lucky and she'll get a job.

The Survey Pro

Those interested in doing "paid surveys" online must realize that although some
sites are legitimate, others either want money in exchange for registration into
their data bank, or simply want to collect as much information about you to sell
to telemarketing companies.

Thesurveypro.com is of the latter. I clicked on the site and entered some basic
information, such as my name, address, age and e-mail address. I then pressed
the button to "join" the site, that promised to pay me for participating in
online surveys. Thesurveypro.com then sent me a confirmation e-mail.

I went to my inbox and clicked on the confirmation link and was directed again
to the site where they asked me to participate in a brief "20 questions in 2
minutes" survey. Some of the questions they asked me consisted of the following:

Would you ever consider working from home? I answered "no." In my experience,
answering "yes" to such a question is giving the "go-ahead" to receive dozens
of calls and e-mails from unscrupulous "work at home" scam companies.

Are you interested in an online degree? I answered "no." Ever since I foolishly
answered yes by mistake at another survey company, I get, on the average, four
calls a week from "online education" sources using hard sell tactics to try to
get me to "better" my education. At first I was nice, now I simply hang up.

Do you carry more than $10,000 in student debt? I answered "no" and this is the
truth. But a "yes" answer will signal calls from debt consolidation companies,
which are always bad news. Signing up with such a company ruins your credit as
it is actually viewed as filing a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy.

Do you own a home or a condominium? I lied and said "no." Because I know if I
said "yes," I would get a ton of mail asking me to refinance my home.

Do you feel it is important to know your credit score? I said "no." Because I
know if I said "yes" I would get mail and phone calls trying to "help" me raise
my credit score.

Do you carry more than $10,000 in credit card debt? I truthfully answered "no."
This is just another attempt to get you into debt consolidation.

In the last 30 days, have you rented a movie? Again I truthfully answered "no."
This is an ad for netflix. I'm not interested.

Do you consider yourself an expert in computer use? Another "no." But I'm
expecting to start receiving mail offering me instructions any day now.

Are you happy with your current body weight? I truthfully answered "yes." I am
one of the few Americans who is actually happy with my weight. Constant
aggravation caused by my two kids has kept me in marvelous shape.

Do you belong to a fitness club? Gee, I signed up for three health clubs during
my lifetime and ended up paying over $2,000 in fees. I think I used the club
about five or six times. I wisely answered "no."

Do you drink coffee? I answered "yes," but I am not interested in receiving
free gourmet coffee every month through the mail.

Are you interested in receiving free gourmet coffee? I answered "no."

After answering these questions, I was directed to yet another site where they
asked me to "help keep their site free" and check "yes" or "no" if I was
interested in getting more information from their sponsors. As you may have
guessed, most of their sponsors related to the 20 questions. They included
various online universities, Overstock.com, Taste of Home (which is a wonderful
magazine, but available at the bookstore), a few other magazine subscriptions
and several "diet" sites,

I said "no" to all of these offers. They then asked me to "consider" another
optional offer. I clicked on the site and saw a flashy car, huge house and the
chance to earn THOUSANDS of dollars. All I had to do was give them my name,
address and telephone number. Fat chance.

I clicked out of that site quickly and went to my inbox. There I found a link
to confirm my membership to thesurveypro.com. I clicked on the link and quickly
found how I can immediately earn $10 for only 30 minutes worth of work. All I
had to do was sign up for 20 other survey sites.

While thesurveypro.com is not technically a scam (they don't want any money),
it is not a legitimate "paid survey" site. It is merely a tool used to get
information for businesses. The information that you provide to this site is
sold to telemarketing companies that sell products such as diet pills, fitness
equipment, magazine subscriptions, credit cards, debt consolidation, and -- my
personal favorite -- online education.

Looking for a way to make a few extra bucks online? Skip Thesurveypro.com.
Unless, of course, you have a desire to have your mailbox flooded with offers
and like to talk to telemarketers.

Harris Polls

Harris Poll Surveys (located at harrispollonline.com) is a unique online survey
company that is one of the few companies open to minors at who are at least 13
years of age. This is a good opportunity for your internet-addicted teenager to
do something at home while listening to music on the internet. It also insures
privacy; no personal data will be stored in the "cookies." It's a safe site for
young and old alike, although only one membership is allowed per household.

The rules for joining Harris Poll Surveys are simple -- be honest. Provide your
true name, age and e-mail address. This information will be kept private. I
joined this company a month ago and have never received any telephone
solicitations. Since then, I have participated in two surveys. They were quick
and painless. And although I have not yet accumulated any points, my next
survey will enable me to receive HiPoints (this is the system the company uses
to reward survey participants).

Membership to Harris Polls is free. Unlike some online survey companies, Harris
Polls is strictly legitimate. You are required to review the rules for
membership, accept them and then fill out a brief information form to join.
Your telephone number is not required, nor your address. You simply need to
provide your birthdate, country of origin (Harris Polls is available to people
from all other countries, although you have to be at least 14 years old to join
if you are not a US citizen) and your e-mail address. A security question is
asked in case you forget your password.

Shortly after joining Harris Polls, you will receive an e-mail confirming your
registration. Click on the link and you're in the system. In approximately two
weeks, you will receive an e-mail for your first survey. You are under no
obligation to participate in any survey and your account will not be
deactivated unless you choose to do so.

Once you have completed your third survey, you are eligible for "Hipoints
Rewards." Participants receive 200 HiPoints after completion of their third
survey. They can be turned in right away towards a variety of merchandise or
gift cards, or accumulated to earn greater prizes. Unlike some online survey
companies, Harris Polls does not pay cash, but does offer gift cards to
hundreds of different stores.

The surveys themselves take only 10 minutes to complete and are pretty easy.
They never direct you to websites that try to sign you up for long distant
service. They maintain your privacy. Harris Polls is one of the oldest consumer
polling companies in the world and has a stellar reputation.

I recommend this site for anyone who has teenagers at home. It's an excellent
way for them to learn about different products and ideas, as well as earn
points that can be redeemed for "Best Buy" gift cards. As one of the few online
companies that accepts members under the age of 18, your teenager might have a
little bit of fun accumulating points and earning such prizes.

Best of all, the site is 100 percent safe, even for teenagers. Those who are
wary of giving out personal information over the internet have nothing to fear
in joining this site. You will never be asked for a credit card or additional
personal information.

I highly recommend Harris Polls. I just wish one of my kids would have taken an
interest in this site rather than me. But they will probably both benefit from
the Best Buy gift cards that I earn for participating in the short surveys.

Survey Savvy

A online paid survey company owned by Luth Research, LLC, an international
market research firm that's been around for 30 years. Surveysavvy is free to
join and participants earn cash for each survey completed.

The site boasts of having over 1.5 million registered members worldwide.
Joining is relatively easy, although the questionnaire requirements are
extensive. Expect to be asked a series of demographic questions, including your
race, whether or not you own a home, your occupation and how many people reside
in your household. If you have children, they will ask for their year of birth
and gender.

Once you've completed the three page questionnaire and submit it to the site,
you'll receive confirmation of acceptance via e-mail within 24 hours. The
purpose of the questionnaire determines your eligibility to participate in
certain surveys.

Surveys are sent to you via e-mail on a periodic basis. This is a legitimate
site, so don't expect a flood of e-mails from them. Some of the surveys are
extensive and relate to employment, and some are just fun, like viewing a You
Tube video and giving your opinion. The cash incentive for each survey
completed begins at $3 and generally tops off at $25, depending upon the time
spent answering the questions.

Occasionally, participants with children will be asked to have their children
complete a survey relating to their age group, however any payment is directed
to the person who registers with the site. Surveysavvy is very careful about
their verification process; in some instances, you may be contacted by
telephone to verify the contents of the survey.

One way to make money through this site is referring friends. The site pays you
$2 for each friend who signs up for the program through you and an additional $1
for each survey they complete. If you have a website or blog, you can earn money
easily by referring people to the site through a link provided to you once
you're accepted.

Although you do not have to participate in every survey offered, one caveat is
that the site will impose a service charge of $1 if your account remains
inactive for a year. Those who decide to participate in a variety of online
surveys for cash must be careful to maintain activity with your account or
cancel your membership to the site; however, the charge will never result in
any negative balance to your account. They simply take the money from the money
you've already earned with the site. There is no danger of receiving a bill from
them or having your telephone bill charged.

If you continue to participate in the surveys and refer other people to the
Surveysavvy, you can find yourself earning a few extra dollars per month. The
site is very clear about adhering to IRS rules; if you earn more than $600 in a
year, you need to complete a W-9 or 1099 form for the IRS and declare the
earnings.

SurveySavvy.com is also very strict in maintaining an anti-spam policy as well
as keeping your information private. Although you may be contacted by
Surveysavvy by telephone to confirm your participation in a survey, they will
never provide third parties with your personal information. The company has
been around for many years and has an excellent reputation within the online
survey community, according to several people I've spoken to who participate in
frequent online surveys.

I have only two problems with this site. One is that you can't choose which
surveys in which you participate. Surveysavvy decides whether or not you're
eligible and sends you the e-mail, so you have no control over how many surveys
you can take. The other problem is the time element. It can take a couple of
days before your completed survey is "validated."

The good news is that you won't receive spam, you won't receive telemarketing
calls and you will get paid for your time. And referrals can end up earning you
easy cash.

Ispos-I-Say

If you're a sucker for sweepstakes and think that every day can be your "lucky
day" to get rich for sitting around doing nothing, than Ispos-I-Say is the
online survey company for you.

The site advertises that 50 lucky people a day will win a "prize" worth up to
$100. Some of the prizes include back-packs, kitchen gadgets and other
"promotional" type items. After extensively reviewing the site and prizes, I've
yet to see anything worth $100. Once a month, someone will allegedly win a prize
worth up to 1,000.

All you have to do to be eligible for winning is to sign up for the site. You
provide Ispos-I-Say with information and them promptly turn around and give
that same information to telemarketing companies and e-mail spammers. Once
enrolled, you can complete as many "no-brainier" surveys as you like. During
the course of these surveys, you'll often be directed to other websites. You'll
think you're still taking the survey, but in reality, you will be providing
dozens of companies with your personal information.

I have one word for this site: Scam. Unless you are in the market for health
insurance, an online education or diabetic supplies, be afraid. Be very afraid.

Here's a little true story that actually happened to me shortly after joining
this site:

I signed up and began taking a survey. They asked a few simple questions, then
directed me to a site where I was asked to "pick" something I was interested in
learning more about. I said "no" to every item. This went on for several pages
before I was admonished by a notice that said they were looking for "active"
participants in their "marketing partners" products. Like I was mentally
incapacitated, they directed me to "look again" at a number of options. And
like a dummy, I did.

"Taste of Home" is magazine subscription I've held in the past. But as I
stopped cooking long ago, and gave up the guilt of not cooking last year, I
haven't felt the need to continue reading this magazine. But I always liked the
magazine and occasionally, I think about cooking. So I clicked that I was
"interested" in this magazine. I was soon directed to the site and asked to
give them some information, which I foolishly did. They said they would send me
a free copy of the magazine. I figured I had nothing to lose; if they billed me
for the magazine, I'd simply cancel the subscription.

Guess what? They billed me the next day. On my telephone bill. Lucky for me,
the bill was due and I took the time to view it online as it seemed higher than
normal. I didn't even think that they could do this; but apparently, they can.

So I now have a subscription to "Taste of Home" and a "chance" to win a prize
up to $1,000 in the Ispos-I-Say monthly sweepstakes.

If you are planning on participating in online surveys for cash, make sure that
they offer cash and not "sweepstakes" prizes. And make sure you are not directed
to other websites. Any survey company that requires you to "support their
marketing partners" is not legitimate. And realize that even if you are not
giving out your credit card information, you can be billed through your
telephone bill.

Qsamples

A more sophisticated online survey company is qsample.com. This site pays
anywhere from $1 to $15 for each survey completed and, best of all, deposit's
the money into your paypal account.

This unique company allows the participant to decide just how many surveys they
would like to complete in a month, meaning that your e-mail inbox will not be
spammed by hundreds of e-mails each day. Unlike other disreputable sites, they
do not promise you a way to make a living, but a way to make a few extra
dollars. Payments for completed surveys are deposited into your Paypal account
every other month by the site, not by their clients.

Qsample has a variety of clients, ranging from Microsoft to Nike. Surveys
generally take anywhere from five to fifteen minutes to complete, depending
upon the pay. Once you sign up for the service, you will receive emails when
your surveys are ready to be completed. Anyone over the age of 18 can
participate in the surveys and participants from all over the world are
encouraged to sign up.

Although signing up for Qsample requires you to give some personal information,
they will not ask for a bank account, social security number or credit card.
Your privacy is guaranteed and they do not "sell" your information to
telemarketers. This site is 100 percent legitimate and offers an interesting
way to earn a few extra dollars every other month, simply by filling out
questionnaires.

In some cases, Qsamples clients will insist upon offering a prize or free
giveaway. You do not have to participate in such surveys or provide additional
information. You will still get paid for participating in these surveys,
however the amount is usually nominal.

One caveat is that Qsamples clients are software companies. A little bit of
knowledge about different types of software is helpful if you wish to sign up
for this site. Actually, Qsamples is a computer geek's dream. A survey company
that will poll them about virtually every new software on the market.

The site is owned by Survey Analytics, LLC and is primarily in the business of
providing software to companies to conduct research online. Their website
indicates that they have over 2000 clients, most of them software companies,
with Microsoft being their largest client.

The surveys are far more sophisticated than most of the other online survey
companies. One of the surveys that I was asked to participate in involved
demographics and employment details in Calgary, Canada. This was way beyond the
scope of my knowledge, but an absolute dream come true for anyone who knows
anything about software development. Another survey involved ways to draw
people to the Arthur Ashe foundation.

Unfortunately, although I signed up to participate in this site, many of the
surveys offered were way beyond my field of comprehension. They might as well
have been written in Chinese. And although it's easy money, and I just love
giving my opinion about everything, I am hesitant in providing them with
information that is way beyond my scope of knowledge.

But the site is legitimate. I can truly testify that I have not been plagued by
phone calls or spam. It is the ideal way for someone with a little more computer
knowledge than me (which encompasses just about everyone I know, even little
kids) to earn a few extra dollars at home while investigating the fascinating
world of software.

If you decide to join Qsamples, do so without worry. You can also receive bonus
dollars for referring any friends to the site as well. It is a legitimate
company and you have nothing to fear.

Survey Club

A free online survey company that pays cash to people who visit websites and
and fill out brief surveys about the websites. It's an easy way to make a few
extra dollars in your spare time. But you have to be careful with this site.
Unless you want a bunch of magazine subscriptions delivered to your door.

I signed up for surveyclub.com a month ago. Since then, I haven't really made
any money. Although the site boasts a lot of hype about visiting websites and
getting paid, I found that they were more interested in selling magazine
subscriptions and health insurance than actually paying for opinions.

Click on to surveyclub.com and you will get an audio sales pitch. They tout
themselves as the "Number One Online Survey Club in the World." Several
testimonials on their site from different people boast of making at least
$1,000 to receiving $125 for a single survey.

I'm a little leery about any "get rich quick scheme" and this site reeks of
that. I'm also leery of anyone who is making $1,000 a month sitting behind a
computer doing surveys all day. Things that sound too good to be true, are
usually just that -- too good to be true.

Surveyclub.com boasts of people making "thousands of dollars a month" just for
giving their opinions. Any halfway intelligent person would be skeptical of
this. The only way you are going to make "thousands of dollars a month" sitting
in your home without having a widely marketable skill is if you're selling drugs
from your home. I wouldn't advise that any more than I would advise
participating in this site.

Unlike the most other online survey companies, Surveyclub.com does not pay you
for taking the surveys. Payment is made from a variety of alleged "Fortune 500
Companies" who will "send you a check." You cannot pick the surveys you want to
take, opportunities are sent to you via e-mail and they usually have some sort
of catch.

I have received literally hundreds of e-mails from various companies promising
me everything from a car to a luxury vacation. Although I am currently out of
work, I am a halfway intelligent person. I don't believe in "getting something
for nothing" and can usually smell a scam a mile away. These e-mails are
deleted. Since I have signed up for this website, I've received many e-mails
(most of which are directed to my spam folder). The ones I get in the my
regular e-mail folder get deleted.

The one survey I did respond to, in the very beginning, was for $8. That didn't
seem like an outrageous amount. Until I read the fine print. In exchange for my
$8, I had to pick four magazines to subscribe to. I would get them for one
month and then be able to cancel the subscription. Sorry, but that's just a
little too much trouble to go through for $8.

Online survey companies can be a fun way to make a few extra dollars while you
are at home. But they can also be a way to lose a lot of money and have your
inbox flooded with unwanted e-mails. Like everything else, there are good
online survey companies and bad ones. Surveyclub.com is a bad one. It preys on
people who want to get rich quick (aka, suckers).

If you are thinking about joining an online survey company to make a few extra
bucks, skip surveyclub.com. Take it from someone whose been there -- it's
really not worth the trouble.

Panda Research

I love Pandaresearch.com. Ever since I began doing surveys at home for money,
Pandaresearch has been one of my favorite haunts.

There are literally hundreds of online money making schemes. Many of them are
just that -- schemes. The trick to finding a legitimate online survey company
is to do a little research. If a site promises $10,000, chances are it's a
scam. A trip to the Bahamas? It's a scam. But when they offer you $3 to do a 10
minute survey, chances are it's legitimate.

I've been participating in online surveys since I got laid off from my job two
months ago. While these sites will not pay your mortgage, or make you wealthy,
they are a good way to earn a few extra dollars in between job interviews.

The thing I like about Pandaresearch.com is that it's easy. The surveys
generally only last about 10 minutes and pay anywhere from $3 to $10. It's not
a lot of money, but it sure beats watching daytime television.

Signing up for this site is easy. If you are thinking of having several e-mail
accounts and doing repetitive surveys, don't. Only one person per address can
sign up for this site. And IP addresses are easy to check. Take it slow and
realize the process for what it is -- a chance to earn a few bucks while
sitting at home.

There are a variety of surveys to choose from at Pandaresearch.com. Many of
them are free, but be wary of those who offer $45. The surveys that pay more
than $10 often have a catch. Like switching your telephone carrier. Unless you
are seriously thinking of doing this, avoid this type of survey. You might end
up spending more in transferring your telephone service than you make in the
survey.

The best thing about pandaresearch.com is that they pay through Paypal instead
of by check. Signing up for a paypal account is easy and the site has a link to
Paypal that will walk you through it. For those of you who are leery of Paypal,
don't be. I've been using Paypal for a number of years and have yet had any
money stolen. Paypal is a free service and you can request a debit card from
them for no charge. In addition, you can transfer money to and from your bank
account without any fees. The debit card has a Mastercard logo and can be used
anywhere credit cards are taken. Best of all, for each purchase you make using
your Paypal card as a credit card, you get money back into your account.

The only problem with pandaresearch.com is that you have to accumulate $100 in
your account before you receive payment. But it's not difficult to do. Unlike
some survey companies, they will not "kick you off the site" for inactivity. So
you can participate in surveys at your leisure. Then, when you have accumulated
$100, simply ask to have the money transferred to your Paypal account. It's
really very simple. However, the process does take four weeks for completion.

The surveys range from vacation getaways to shoes. You will not be turned down
for any survey. In order to qualify for to be a pandaresearch panelist, you
must be a United States resident at least 18 years of age and have a valid
e-mail address. They will not accept an anonymous e-mail address, such as a
hotmail account or yahoo account. No proxy servers will be accepted. And,
again, only one person from each household can qualify.

Online surveys can be a fun way to make money while sitting online. If you have
an opinion and like to shop, this is an excellent way to make some extra money
in your spare time.

StartSampling

If you enjoy receiving free samples of products in the mail and trying
something new, sign up for startsampling.com. This site is absolutely free and
will not release your personal information to telemarketers or anyone trying to
sell you anything. They do not pay cash, but participants, in addition to
receiving free products delivered to their home, accumulate points redeemable
for gifts.

Signing up for the site is easy. You simply fill out a questionnaire and submit
answers to the site. The questionnaire screens you for which type of products
you can try. The trick is to answer "yes" to most of the questions they ask,
this way, you can receive the most products and gain the most points.

Upon signing up for the site, depending upon your answers to the questionnaire,
you'll be directed to various websites where you will give your name and address
so they can send you the sample product. Some sites offer more than just
"samples" and give you a full sized product to sample.

The products participants can try for free include household items, personal
hygiene items, pet supplies, beauty products and even music CDs. After you
receive the product and try it, you simply fill out a short survey that takes
about 10 minutes and give your opinion of the product. You never have to pay a
shipping fee or send anything back to the company.

About twice a week, startsampling.com offers contests participants enter. About
20 winners each week collect 50 "Frequent Tryer Miles" points in their account.
You can enter as many contests as you like and most people win at least once.
When you win a contest, the site notifies you via e-mail. You can accumulate
your points

Participants earn points simply for visiting the recommended sites and
additional points for sampling the product. Some of the gifts they offer
include gift cards, travel items, household products and other merchandise.

The best thing about this site is the "no pressure" sales. Startsampling.com
does not attempt to sell you any products. There are no "elaborate" prizes, but
gifts a normal person would expect to receive for doing a minimal amount of work.

Another thing I like about this site is the opportunity to sample different
products I might not otherwise try. Unlike some sampling survey companies, you
know what the product is and if you enjoy using it, you can purchase it in the
store.

Probably my favorite thing about this site is that it doesn't represent
magazine subscription houses, insurance companies or online education
companies. In my foray into the online survey world, I've found that these
appear to be the main "hard sell" items most companies push. Since signing up
for the site, the only e-mails I've received relating to startsampling com have
been from their site; I have not received any unsolicited telemarketing calls
related to this site. They keep their word when they say they will maintain
your privacy.

The downside is that while the prizes and gifts are nice, there is no cash
involved for participating in this site. But it's fun, easy and takes only a
small portion of your time.

Startsampling.com is a legitimate online survey/sampling company. You have
nothing to fear if you decide to sign up to participate in this site and will
have a lot of fun sampling their products.

Blarry House Research

Blarry.com is the website for Blarry House Research, located in San Francisco.
This company is an online survey company that conducts its research through
focus groups, rather than questionnaires. The focus groups meet either on the
internet or by telephone. Participants are asked to give their candid responses
about their professions, hobbies and even breakfast cereals. The focus group is
comprised of people from similar backgrounds or use the same products (for
example, everyone who likes Captain Crunch cereal).

Blarry.com is open only to United States residents older than age 13. This is
yet another way for your teenager to earn money; however only one person in the
family can participate in each focus group. You can, as an adult, sign up for
the site and have your teenager participate in a particular focus group, so
even though you have one account, other members of the family can participate.

Payment for participation in a focus group ranges from $40 to $150. This is a
nice survey company to join, the pay is good, although the focus groups
generally take about an hour of your time. The company is based in California,
so if you are planning on participating in a teleconference forum, you should
have unlimited long distance service on your phone; otherwise you may end up
paying more for the call than you earn in the survey.

The only drawback to participating in this site is that you can't expect to
participate on a weekly basis. But the more you answer "yes" to the general
questionnaire you complete upon joining the site makes you eligible for more
focus group participation. Payment is sent to your home in the form of a check.

There are many positive aspects about joining this site, besides the money.
Blarry.com will never try to sell you anything. Since joining, I've received
only a few e-mails and participated in one focus group, which was via internet.
I have not yet participated in a teleconference. The internet focus group was
conducted as a "chat session" and was quite painless.

In addition to not trying to sell you anything or spamming your inbox,
Blarry.com maintains your privacy and will not sell your information to those
who do want to sell you something. This cuts down considerably on unwanted
telemarketing calls.

Blarry.com is very similar to survey groups I participated in years ago, before
the advent of the Internet. A panel of people who fit the criteria is selected
and they give their views about a different product or service. Yes, the chat
session or teleconference is lengthy, but pays well. They also cater to people
who work outside the home during the day as most of the focus groups meet in
the evening; however, if you live on the East coast, you have to account for
the three hour time difference.

I truly enjoy being a member of this survey company. It's honest, professional
and pays a decent amount of money to individuals for their time. Best of all,
you are not limited as to how many focus groups in which you can participate.

If you are looking for a legitimate way to earn a few extra dollars (you aren't
going to retire on the money you earn from this site), and enjoy giving your
opinion in front of other people, this site is for you.

Send Earnings

Sendearnings.com is an excellent way to may a few dollars while sitting home
doing nothing. Just for signing up to this online survey company, I received a
$5 bonus. I then began participating in a few surveys that paid $1 each. In
less than a half an hour, I earned $7.

Signing up for this service is rather simple. You simple click on to the
website, give your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. A
confirmation e-mail will be sent to your e-mail address. This sometimes goes
into your bulk or span folder, so look for it shortly after you sign up. In
order to earn any money at sendearnings, you must confirm your e-mail address.

The surveys for sendearnings are simpler than those on some other paid survey
sites. They actually seem legitimate and do not direct you to countless of
other websites. They will occasionally send you e-mails from their advertisers.
If you click on these e-mails and visit the sites, you will also receive a small
bonus from the survey company for doing this. It is important, to remain an
active member of SendEarnings to continue to visit the websites of the sites
advertisers. You don't need to purchase any products or provide information.
Simply click on and click out -- it's that simple. Those who don't visit the
websites are normally put on the "inactive" list and not eligible for pay. So
be sure to check your spam folder every other day or so from the sites
advertisers.

Only one user for the site is permitted per household. You cannot make up "fake
names" and use the same computer, either. Your IP address will be tracked and
will result in you getting kicked off the site.

I was actually impressed by the first paying survey I did for SendEarnings. It
was all about gym shoes and although it asked dozens of questions, it was about
a topic I knew something about and a product that I often purchase. Another
survey I attempted was denied by the site because I didn't fit the criteria.
This did not deter me, in fact it added some credibility to the site.

There are dozens of free surveys in which you can participate in SendEarnings.
In addition to answering survey questions, participants can refer other members
to the site and earn a bonus if they sign up to do the surveys. More money can
be made by continuing to visit the sites' advertisers.

Payment is made once a month, but for not less than $30. Once you have earned
$30 in your account, you can request payment. Payments are sent to your house
via check or money order and there is a $3 fee if you request a money order.

Those living outside the United States can also sign up for this service,
however they do need to speak English as this is the only language available on
the site. WebTV users are also permitted to participate as well.

Once you have made $30, you can request payment from the site. However, do not
expect it to come quickly. Most of the survey sites I have visited take about
30 days to send out payments to individuals. You also must continue to be a
member in good standing in order to get paid, so bookmark the site and visit it
each day. And be sure to pay attention to the e-mails you receive from the site.
They will not only earn you a percentage of the profits, but will keep you an
active member of the account.

Members of the site can purchase a "Gold Membership" which gives you extra
benefits including unassigned referrals. When I signed up for the website, I
did not do so through a referral, so my referral bonus went to a Gold
Membership member.

Once you have completed a survey, it can take up to five days to show up in
your earnings account, although some survey payments show up immediately. In
many cases, it takes a while to confirm the survey. I have found that this is
the way of most survey companies.

For the most part, I found Sendearnings.com to be a reputable online survey
site. Although the survey process was a bit lengthy, there were no "hidden
agendas" and the survey stayed right on target. It reminded me of taking a
survey at the mall. I definitely recommend Sendearnings.com to anyone who is
thinking about taking surveys at home for extra money.

Zoom Panel

An online survey company that does market research for a variety of fast-food
restaurants, including McDonalds and KFC. A couple of their other clients
include General Mills, Proctor and Gamble and Microsoft. Zoom Panel makes the
grade of one of the "legitimate" online survey sites on the internet.

Membership is free for this site. There are no fees involved and they will not
share your information with telemarketing companies. They also promise not to
"spam" you inbox with a variety of ads.

Rewards are based on points. Surveys regarding different products are sent via
e-mail. You are under no obligation to participate in any survey. Each survey
earns the participants "points." When accumulated, the points can be redeemed
for prizes or gift cards. Zoompanel does not pay cash to individuals
participating in surveys.

Those interested in participating in this website should answer "yes" to all of
their questions in order to receive the most surveys. If, however, you answer a
couple of questions and find out that you do not qualify for a survey, you are
eligible to play a game called "spin to win" where you can earn points or
prizes.

Each survey is worth between 25 to 150 points. Points for gift cards and
merchandise can be redeemed once you reach the 1000 point level. If you manage
to refer a friend to the site, you will earn 100 points for each friend
referred. This is probably the easiest way to gain points with doing as little
work as possible.

Referring a friend to a survey company is easy. This can be done in a variety
of ways. You can send a link to the site to all your friends via e-mail. Or you
can rave about how well you're doing on the site on your MySpace or other blog
site and include a link. This is the easiest way to earn points and/or money
for every legitimate online survey site that offers rewards for referrals. Be
advised that Zoompanel limits you to 400 points a month for referrals.

One of the exciting things about zoompanel.com is the opportunity to view
different products and/or concepts before they are available to the general
public. The information is gathered in a database and presented to those
companies that use this site to gain information from the public. McDonald's,
alone, spends millions of dollars a year conducting surveys about its products
and uses several different avenues to gain information.

A word of warning: Don't expect to get "big rewards" for participating in
zoompanel, Rewards at the 1000 point level consist of battery charges and other
little gadgets. Even at the 5000 point level the rewards are comparable to those
banks used to give out as premiums.

The positive aspect of participating in this site is the chance to view new and
exciting products, not receive telephone solicitations, answer simple, brief
surveys and gain a little prize now and then. This is not a way to make money,
but can be a lot of fun. And yes, this site is completely legitimate.

NPD Research

If you're a sucker for online sweepstakes, than NPD Online Research is the
place for you. Signing up for this site is easy and free. As a matter of fact,
if you choose to join the online survey world, you will probably end up signing
up for it anyway. Just about every online survey portal provides your
information to this company.

The surveys are easy. And in between taking each survey, you can rest assured
that you'll be automatically directed to a website for one of the following:

Online education Health Insurance Diabetes Care

Ever since I unwittingly signed up for NPD Online Research, I have received at
least 20 calls from people trying to sell me either an online education or
health insurance. I never have to worry about getting lonely; the phone is
always ringing.

The good news about this site is that the questions that they ask you are easy.
So easy that a five year old can answer them. But NPD isn't really interested in
your answers. They are interested in obtaining as much information about you so
they can sell you the following:

Online education Health Insurance Diabetes Care

Occasionally, they will surprise you with a chance to "earn" a free issue of
"Taste of Home" Magazine. With the promise of a subscription. Don't worry about
giving them your credit card information; they already have your phone number
and if you check the "yes" box without reading carefully, they will charge the
subscription directly to your phone bill.

In exchange for sharing personal information with this company and fending off
telemarketers, participants have the advantage of being entered into their
monthly "sweepstakes" drawing. For $1,000.

Ever since I mistakenly signed up for this site, my inbox has been flooded with
spam. I have contacted the company several times, via e-mail, and asked them to
take me off their list. I have not yet received a reply. It doesn't matter,
however, because most of the mail they send me goes directly into my "bulk"
mail. And I empty that regularly without ever looking. While I used to get
about 20 pieces of "bulk" mail a day (mostly porn -- even though I swear that I
never went on any porn sites), I now get at least 200 pieces of "bulk" mail a
day. All thanks to NPD.

Online surveys can be fun and can earn the participant a few dollars. I've
researched many of them and found that NPD is not one of them. They take your
information and offer you absolutely nothing in return. Unless, of course, you
believe that you have the chance of winning the "sweepstakes" prize.

The worst thing about NPD is that it encourages young people to join their
"panel." The site is open to anyone over the age of 13, but adds a disclaimer
that they "do not KNOWINGLY collect information from persons younger than 13."
In English, this means that just about any kid with access to a computer can
click on to this site and participate under the guise of entering "sweepland,"
which is the name given for the sweepstakes that you can win once you've given
them every bit of information about yourself besides your blood type.

My sense of humor has made it possible to laugh at NPD. I particularly like
their non-committal answer to whether people can actually earn cash for
participating in their surveys. This is a simple, direct question that requires
a "yes" or "no" answer. Their answer? Sometimes you might be able to earn cash.

If you are thinking about participating in online surveys for cash, please do
yourself and your family a favor and stay away from this site. Unless, of
course, you wish to receive incessant phone calls and e-mails about:

Online education Health Insurance Diabetes Care

If you have unwittingly joined this website by accident, keep a close eye on
your telephone bill in case they have decided to send you a "complimentary"
magazine subscription.

MySurvey

I joined MySurvey.com in an effort to make a few extra dollars while being laid
off of work. The idea of making easy money from home appeals to most people, and
if you have a computer, online survey gigs are a good way to start.

They aren't going to pay your mortgage. You'd have to do surveys non-stop for
days straight to make any real money. But if you can manage to do a few surveys
a day and keep up with the different websites, you can make a nice supplemental
income to enable you to buy the "extras."

MySurvey.com is a little different than some of the other online survey
companies I joined. For one, instead of awarding you instant cash per survey,
they give you points. Each survey you complete is worth about 10 points. Once
you reach 1,000 points, you can redeem them for cash, prizes or make a
charitable donation.

The nice thing about MySurvey.com is that the surveys are short and easy. You
can easily do about 10 surveys in a half an hour and earn 100 points. For each
1,000 points, members earn $10 in cash. Each time a participant earns $10 in
cash, they can opt to have a check sent to them from MySurvey.com.

Not all surveys are worth 10 points. Some of them can earn an individual 1500
points. In addition, several times a year, 50,000 points are awarded to a lucky
member of MySurvey.com. And every month, a lucky winner receives a bonus of
10,000 points.

One of the nice things about this site is that you are not inundated with
telephone calls from solicitors. Since I joined, I have not received any calls
from any telemarketers. MySurvey is generally just interested in getting
opinions about their advertiser's products.

I also like the concept of donating the money to charity. Some of the charities
this website supports include The American Heart Association, The Make a Wish
Foundation and Save the Children. I'm quite an advocate for children's
charities, particularly the "Make a Wish Foundation."

Those who accumulate a lot of points have the option of donating some of their
earnings to a charity and taking the rest of the earnings in cash or prizes.
Only those people living in the contiguous 48 states are eligible to
participate in MySurvey.com. It is not open to those in other countries.

Another way to earn points is to refer a member to the website. For each
referral, you earn 150 points. These points can add up very quickly. Members
also receive 45 points for just signing up on the website. However, you must
remain active in order to maintain your membership. It is best to add
MySurvey.com to you list of favorites, or bookmarks, and take a survey every
other day or so. Inactive members are sent three e-mails. If, after the third
e-mail, the member does not respond, the account is cancelled and all points
are forfeited.

To avoid missing any e-mails, you should add the website to your address book,
so the e-mails don't go into your spam folder. The first e-mail I received from
MySurvey.com was directed to my spam folder; luckily, I was expecting it and was
able to respond.

Participating in online surveys is a fun, effortless way to earn some cash
while sitting at home. MySurvey.com makes it easy to do this.

Lightspeed

One of the highest rated online survey companies is Lightspeedpanel.com.
Lightspeed began a few years ago and since then has built a reputation as being
a legitimate way for consumers to receive cash and other prizes in exchange for
sharing their opinion about certain products.

Lightspeed is open only to residents of the United States and Canada. Only one
person per household can sign up for an account. To join the panel, you need to
complete a questionnaire requiring demographic information. You will also need
to provide your e-mail address, telephone number and personal address. As is
the case with many legitimate online survey companies, Lightspeed maintains a
strict privacy policy. They will not sell your telephone number or other
personal information to third parties. They also won't spam your e-mail inbox
with hundreds of "free offers."

Once you've answered the application with truthful answers, you'll submit the
form and receive an e-mail within 24 hours providing you with a link to your
account. You'll be asked to use a password to access your account; you can use
any password you like.

Lightspeed offers a "points" system. You'll earn up to 10,000 points for
completing a survey or "marketing project." The number of points earned is
determined by the length of time it takes to complete the survey. Once you have
accumulated 600 points, you can easily redeem them for gift cards or cash. If
you decide to redeem the points for cash, the funds will be deposited into your
Paypal account within 30 days.

You can choose which surveys in which to participate by visiting the
user-friendly website, where you can also keep track of your points. Lightspeed
will also send you special survey offers via e-mail, so you should add them to
your address book to prevent the e-mails from being misconstrued as "spam."

If you are inactive for nine months, Lightspeed will cancel your account any
accumulated points will be forfeited. If you are in the process of joining
several online survey companies, make sure to keep this account active so you
don't end up wasting your time.

In addition to earning points by taking surveys, a lightspeed panelist can earn
points by visiting websites and participating in certain activities, including
games. Lightspeed posts the points to your account within 30 days after your
participation in a survey or online activity.

Lightspeed is a fun and easy way to earn a few extra dollars online. Be
forewarned, however, that if you earn over $600 in cash in a year's time, you
will need to complete a 1099 form and declare the earnings on your income tax
statement.

I'm actually glad I joined this site a few weeks ago. Since then, I've
accumulated several hundred points for answering very brief surveys and playing
one game on a website. I have not been flooded with unwanted e-mails from the
site nor have I received any calls relating to my participation on this
website. I like the idea that although the cash incentive is taxable after
$600, you can elect to redeem your points in prizes that you can actually use,
like gift cards. On the whole, on a scale of one to ten, I give Lightspeed an
8. It's honest, easy and fun.

American Consumer Opinion

An online survey company that offers participants a chance to win a cash
drawing for completing quick, fun surveys and actual cash (between $4 to $50)
for completing more extensive, in depth surveys that they refer to as "focus
groups." The site contends that focus group participants generally do not make
less than $50.

To join American Consumer Opinion, you need to click on to www.acop.com. This
will bring you to the site's home page where you can sign up for the site.
After you complete the questions, a confirmation link will be sent to your
e-mail address under the name of "Ann Parks." The site warns that many of these
e-mails end up in your bulk or spam folder, so if you are interested in
receiving e-mails from the site, you should add the name "Ann Parks" to your
e-mail address book.

American Consumer Opinion has been around for about 10 years. It's a legitimate
site, but, unfortunately, does not offer a lot of money. There are several pros
and cons to joining American Consumer Opinions:

Pros:

- The site is open to international residents. You don't have to live in the
United States to participate and there is no age limit, although since many of
the surveys pertain to work and other adult-oriented activities, teenagers will
find the questions boring;

- There is a steady flow of both short surveys and longer questionnaires
available to participants;

- Your information is private; they will never try to sell you anything, spam
your mailbox with ads or telephone you.;

- The site has been around a long time and is respected in the marketing
community.

Cons:

- There is no guarantee of earning anything for completing the short surveys,
only an opportunity to win cash in a monthly drawing. To date, I haven't won
anything. Only one person wins each month and the winner receives $250;

- The cash received for participating in a lengthy survey is not paid to you by
the site, but by the company requesting the information. You may end up waiting
four to six weeks for a $4 check;

- You don't get to pick which surveys you want to complete, you'll receive them
by e-mail;

- There are times when the site goes "down" in the middle of your survey, which
means you have to take the entire thing over again. The reason the American
Consumers give for this is that the site is experiencing "too much traffic."
But it is extremely frustrating.

American Consumer Opinion is a subsidiary company for Decision Analysis Inc., a
Dallas based marketing research company. The company performs research for a
variety of corporations around the world, including fast food chains, railroad
corporations and airlines.

One creative way to make money with this site, instead of merely participating
in the surveys, is to become an affiliate of the company. This can be done by
filling out a form via e-mail and asking to have a banner, or link posted to
your website. The company pays 50 cents for every person who joins the site
when clicking on to your ad.

If you have an independent website or blog, this is an easy way to make a few
extra dollars as the amount paid to affiliates is considerable as compared to
other companies that offer the same incentive. But the person has to sign up to
join the site, not simply click on the ad. Once you have accumulated $5 in
affiliate fees, the company will send you a check. Monies paid to affiliates
are made on a monthly basis.

On a scale of one to ten, I'd have to rate this site a five. It's not a big
money maker, but is totally legitimate, private and, using the affiliate
program, is a painless way to make a few extra dollars online.

Cashcrate

My first foray into the online survey world came just after I lost my job as a
paralegal at a major international company. I was getting unemployment, but the
amount I was taking in was less than half of what I was making at my job.

While I had various headhunters looking for jobs, I scoured the newspapers and
internet for a position. Nothing. While perusing the internet one day, I
discovered a way I could make money while working from home. All I had to do
was fill out simple surveys and they would send me a check! It seemed easy
enough.

A friend recommended cashcrate.com. I went on the site, read a little about it
and signed up. I had to give my name, address, telephone number and e-mail
address. Cashcrate sent a confirmation to my e-mail address and a link to
click. I did so immediately and was ready to star making money.

One of the things I like about cashcrate was that you can choose which surveys
in which you can participate. There is a pull-down menu and if you wish, you
can do only the surveys that are 100% free. There was no "catch" to this.
Cashcrate even tells you exactly how much information you need to provide in
order to get paid.

The pay for each survey is minimal. Most of them pay 50 cents to one dollar.
But each survey only takes about 5 minutes to complete and as I was doing
nothing at the time, I embarked on several surveys. Within one hour, I made
$12. Not bad for sitting at home, doing nothing.

As with any online survey company, there are caveats. If you decide to do
online surveys for money, make sure you read the "fine print" in some of the
surveys. There are often "free" gifts associated with many of the surveys and
you are often directed to various different websites. I noticed that some of
the "free" gifts, although not elaborate, had a catch. They wanted you to try a
product for a certain amount of time, after which, you could cancel. But your
phone number would be billed for the product.

Rule number one in doing online surveys is to watch your phone bill. While most
people are clever enough not to give out their credit card information online,
not all of us read the "fine print." You certainly don't want to spend an
entire day making $30 only to have most of it tacked on to your phone bill.

Rule number two is not to give out your credit card information. You want to
make sure that the website is honest and that you won't be billed for any
unnecessary charges. The whole point of doing surveys online is to give your
opinion about products and get a little money. It shouldn't end up costing you
anything.

Rule number three is to use your correct information. Many companies call to
make sure that you have given them the correct phone number. If you are the
type of person who really gets irked by telephone solicitors, this is not the
project for you. But, if you are like me, and feel no obligation to listen to a
telephone sales pitch, it's fine.

After only two days of sporadically filling out surveys on cashcrate, I made
over $30. The company pays once a month, by check and the checks are mailed out
on the 15th of each month. I found that it wasn't a bad way to pick up a few
extra bucks.

One of the things I like about the prospect of online surveys is that the sky's
the limit. When I was a stay at home mom, there were several survey companies in
the area. You had to sign up with them and periodically, you were called in to
test a product. These tests often lasted about an hour and you made about $50.
It was a good way to pick up extra cash, but the down side was that you were
only able to participate in a survey every six months for each company.

With online survey companies, you won't make as much money, but you can
participate as often as you like and bring in some money without leaving your
house. It takes a little patience, a little caution and be prepared to receive
an influx of telephone calls from solicitors.

Of all the online survey companies I tried, I enjoyed using cashcrate the most.
It was easy, fun and didn't take up a lot of my time. It's an ideal way to make
a few extra dollars while staying at home.

Click IQ

An online paid survey company that offers points for completing each survey.
The points are called "Visor points" and you earn a certain number of points
(usually around 50) for completing each survey. After joining the site, you
will become what they refer to as an "E-visor," and you'll earn 100 points for
joining the site. Unlike other online survey sites, you do not get points for
referrals.

Joining Click IQ takes about 15 minutes of your time. You need to fill out an
extensive questionnaire regarding the household products you use, children in
your family, occupation, etc. This information is collected to put you on a
panel. When your profile is complete, you can view the number of panels you are
eligible for.

Click IQ collects information for a third party, ascertains the information
provided to them from your survey then informs them of the results. Surveys are
sent to participants via e-mail. You are under no obligation to complete any
surveys, but the more you complete, the more points you earn. You need to
accumulate 2,500 points in order to "cash out." Each 100 points is worth $1, so
on the average, you will make about $1 (sometimes up to $1.50) for each survey
you complete. The surveys are very short, however, and take less than 10
minutes to complete. There are some surveys that take longer and offer more
points. The highest amount of points I made for completing a survey was 500 and
that survey took me approximately twenty minutes to complete.

I have mixed feelings about this site. I found the initial questionnaire to be
quite extensive and time consuming. The other problem I have is that they offer
surveys sporadically. You won't even receive one each week, which makes
accumulating points a lengthy process.

The good news about this site is that it is truly legitimate. They will pay you
$25 every time you accumulate 2,500 points and do so by check. You can also
request to have the money put into your Paypal account.

Another positive aspect of Click IQ is the privacy issue. Since joining the
site, I haven't received any spam mail, as a matter of fact, I haven't received
many e-mails from them at all. Unlike some online survey sites that seem to
flood your inbox every 15 minutes or so, Click IQ is very low-key. They will
never provide your personal information to a third party and you won't be
harassed by a series of unwanted telemarketing calls.

Prior to writing this article, I clicked on the website to see if there was
anything new and was surprised to see that at the current time, no surveys are
available. Other members of Click IQ who I've met and talked to state that the
site tends to be either feast or famine. There are usually many surveys
available at once and then the site dries up for a couple of weeks. So you
can't expect to earn a steady income on this site. But then, I don't think
there's a paid survey site out there where you can actually earn a steady
income.

Click IQ is open to US residents only. They do not specify age, but request
that you are the "decision maker" and in charge of the grocery shopping, so
it's really not a site for young people, unless there are teenagers out there
who actually do grocery shopping. This is about as rare as finding a paid
survey site in which to make a living.

I believe this site to be legitimate, but slow to pay. It does no harm to join,
but do not expect to receive a check for at least two months.

Vindale Research

Vindale Research advertises that it covets "the finest minds" in online
research. Signing up for this website was easy; I simply entered my name,
e-mail address, gender and birth date and they sent me an e-mail. I opened the
e-mail and clicked on the confirmation and was a member.

The site advertises that it has a "zero tolerance spam" policy. Vindale
Research pays its members monthly through their Paypal account, but you have to
have a $50 balance in order to get paid.

Surveys are easy, but some of them require you to test different products. One
has to be careful with this. A survey to "test" a different online carrier pays
$75, but how difficult is it to drop the carrier if it doesn't work out?

There are many surveys, however, that pay in the $5 range and they normally
last about 20 minutes to complete. They consist of the use of different
household products, online shopping sites and cigarettes. Members can also earn
$5 for every friend that they get to join the site.

I took a very quick survey for which I earned $2. This asked me many of the
usual questions that most survey companies asked such as my average household
income, occupation, number of dependants and ethnicity. I found it odd that
they asked my religion and sexual preference, however. This was the first time
that I've been asked such questions during any survey.

Those who get easily offended can take comfort in the fact that answering these
personal questions regarding your religion and sexual preference is optional.
Vindale Research affirms that they will not share this information with anyone.

Unlike some survey sites, Vindale Research sends you surveys through your
e-mail account that fit your criteria. If you truly like taking surveys, answer
"yes" to anything they ask you. Tell them you eat at fast food places at least
three times a week and smoke like a chimney. Answering "no" to any questions
limits your survey taking ability.

Beware of giving them your credit card or billing information. Many of their
surveys require that you "test" a product. Vindale Research will send you the
product, charge your account for it, and then, once you return the product with
the completed survey, refund you. For someone like me who doesn't like running
back and forth to the post office, this isn't for me. Be careful of what type
of survey you sign up for.

Vindale Research reminds me a bit of some of the survey companies that I joined
years ago. These companies offered up to $75 in exchange for testing their
products at their facility. In some cases, you had to bring the product home,
use it for a certain period of time and return to the facility to fill out a
questionnaire. The surveys offered by Vindale Research pay more than the
average online survey companies, but are much more involved.

People who enjoy actually testing new products might enjoy participating in
this research company. Those who are looking for a fast buck, however, are best
to seek out other legitimate online survey sites.

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