Monday, August 25, 2008

For Free Online Web Research Surveys Stuff Paid Cash

By Gibson Maseko


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.

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.

When you build a site to market your survey site, you can 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.

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 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 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.

So you should enjoy the good, be very careful with the bad and stay away as far as possible from the really, really ugly.

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