Online Surveys Financed My First Website!

Online Surveys Financed My First Website!

by: Jason Glicken

Online surveys alone financed my first web site. Getting paid to take these online surveys is a winwin situation. Large companies want your opinion on their products and services and they are willing to pay you for it. These online surveys give them good insight into their target market, people like you, so they win. You win by getting paid for your time.

It all started about 5 months ago when I had finally decided I wanted to start my own online business. I have a full time job, a stay at home wife, and a 15 month old baby boy. I had no extra money, as you can imagine, and didn’t want to risk my hard earned salary without knowing if this venture would work. With no idea on how to go about starting an online business and with no startup capital, I did what all web surfers do; I surfed, and I surfed, and I surfed.

During the course of my research I ran across some ads for taking online surveys and getting paid for it. I was skeptical at first, but when I researched the companies that offered online surveys I found a few that were for real. So I signed up with 3 of the sites.

Once you sign up you fill out some easy questionnaires about yourself so the survey company can match you with one of their clients looking for your demographic profile (e.g. age, sex, where you live, what you do, etc…). Easy enough, still free, I filled out my profiles and that was it, they let me know that they would contact me when a survey that fit my profile was available.

Without skipping a beat I went back to my research. It was becoming more and more evident that I would need to learn a lot more before starting my own internet business. I decided that for any business venture you should be as prepared as possible. And I still had no extra money to even give it a try. I was still in my hunting and gathering phase.

Then one night while surfing the net, I got an email telling me that a $10 survey was waiting for me. Great! I logged into my account at the survey site and clicked the link to start the survey. It took me about 20 minutes. This particular survey company pays directly to your PayPal account (it took a couple weeks to see the money, but I did see it.)

I was hooked. Over the next several months I received more surveys. There are times when you don’t qualify for a survey. This could even happen a couple times in a row. Don’t worry they will keep sending them and you will qualify for a lot of them.

About 4 weeks ago I decided I knew enough about web sites, web site hosting, web site promotion, newsletters, and most of the basics of starting my own site. So I logged into my PayPal and found $32 (all from surveys), and logged into my other 2 survey sites, $20 dollars in one account and $45 in the other. I had my startup money!

Taking these surveys enabled me to start my own business online using only the money I made online. No out of pocket money was needed to set up my site, get my domain name and start a hosting plan. In reality this is more than enough money to start a website backed business. I used only my PayPal money to set up my web site, and not all of it. Yesterday, I deposited $40 of survey money into my checking account and then transferred it to my PayPal account. I now have a little war chest for financing my online business.

Online survey companies (the real ones) don’t charge you to join, don’t spam you when you do (I only get invitations from them, nothing else), and pay you when your done. It can take up to 4 weeks to get paid (sometimes less sometimes more). For me this was not a problem since I was not yet knowledgeable enough to start my web site.

I still spend most of my time surfing and learning but I also understand the concept and dangers of procrastination. I did take my time getting started based solely on financial reasons, now that I have the money to get started that is exactly what I am doing, getting started!

I want you all to know that making money online is a reality. Surveys will make you money, I still take them as soon as they hit my inbox, but you will not be able to quit your day job. If you don’t give up and hang in there you can start your own web business without touching any offline money. If you don’t want to start a business then buy yourself or someone a gift with the money you earn. It truly is easy money!

By: Jason Glicken

About The Author

Jason Glicken Editor The Affiliate Journal

Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved.

Create start up capital completing FREE surveys online.

http://www.theaffiliatejournal.com/sparechange.php

Better to be a doer than a dreamer…

[email protected]

This article was posted on January 19

by Jason Glicken

Making Money With Online Surveys

Making Money With Online Surveys

by: Paul Clark

Gone were the days when you had to wake up in the early hours of the day, rush your breakfast, drive in frustrating heavy traffic to get to your office and subject yourself to endless such hassles…You don’t have to do all these anymore. The advent of Internet culture is changing our work culture upside down – you can make money staying at home, doing something that you will enjoy and at the same time feel important. The best part is, you can work when you like, enjoying your breakfast or enjoying your favorite TV show. The advantage of deriving income by taking part in online surveys is that you need not have to be working on it full time. You can choose your own work time and that allows you to live your life to the full. Even if you are employed, you can still supplement your income by taking part in online surveys.

Yes! Unbelievable but it is true! You can make money by taking part in online surveys. All that you have to do is to make few choices, express your opinion, and be paid. www.moneymakerbiz.com that has been helping millions to make money through providing an appropriate forum to take part in online surveys is ready to help you too.

Companies conduct paid surveys prior to the launch of a new product to get consumer feedback to ensure success of the new products. In order to gain deeper insight into their product from customer’s point of view, companies spend an enormous amount of money in gathering information through online surveys. They are willing to invest their money on you because they know that your opinion counts.

However, does this offer you any job security? How constant is the income? How long can one rely on income through online surveys? Analysis of current trend will tell us that these fears are undue fears because the realization of the advantages of online surveys is on the rise. More and more people are seeking recourse to online surveys because of its ability to collect a vast amount of data in a short span of time, reduced hassles on manual efforts to enter and process the data as automation is possible. Online surveys also enable automatic data validation. All the above advantages contribute to remarkable efficiency. Thus, the growing popularity of online surveys can only make you rich, that is precisely what www.moneymakerbiz.com will help you do and you need not have to worry about the stability of your income. You just need a computer, internet access, a valid email id and should have completed 18 years of age to make money through online surveys.

About The Author

Paul Clark operates his own successful home based business and also coaches others seeking to start their own home based business. For more information visit his website at http://www.moneymakerbiz.com.

This article was posted on February 20

by Paul Clark

Conduct Online Articles Or Be Left Out!

Conduct Online Articles Or Be Left Out!

by: Nick Hill

In a world where websites and email have become ubiquitous, conducting online surveys has become so convenient that everybody is doing it. Are you? If not, here are 10 reasons why you should.
1. Develop quickly Most survey softwares have a sample survey library, question library, and a response library that enables you to develop surveys quickly. You can also develop surveys from scratch very quickly.
2. Present the best way possible You can use a dropdown list for questions with many responses, or you can also use audio and video where it is appropriate. Online surveys allow you to present your questions in the best possible way.
3. Prepopulate with data You can prepopulate your surveys with data that you already have about each respondent.
4. Distribute easily You can distribute online surveys very easily, and in many different ways: link on website, entire survey on website, link in email, entire survey in email or newsletters, or handheld devices.
5. Skip questions You can skip questions based on the answers to some questions. The logic to determine whether to skip or not can be simple or fairly complex.
6. Personalize your surveys You can use answers of questions in the following questions. This allows you to personalize your surveys, like saying ‘thanks Steveก instead of only ‘thanksก. You can also ask questions like กWhy do you like most about Coke?ก if the respondent selected Coke as his/her favorite drink in the previous question.
7. Validate the responses You can validate the responses given by respondents thus ensuring that they enter valid data. This increases the quality of the results.
8. Eliminate errors associated with manual entry With online surveys, respondents take the survey themselves. This eliminates the need for manual entry and its associated errors.
9. Get fast results With online surveys, you can begin to accumulate responses in hours rather than days, and complete surveys in days rather than months.
10. Save time and money You save lot of time developing surveys due to the timesaving features that survey softwares have. You can also save money compared to the traditional method of conducting surveys since you have to send out postal invitations, hire call personnel, hire data entry personnel, and generate results manually.
© Web Based Survey Software (http://www.webbasedsurveysoftware.org) 2004

About The Author

This article has been copyrighted and has been reprinted with the permission of Web Based Survey Software (http://www.webbasedsurveysoftware.org). If you want to reprint this article, please send an email to [email protected] to inform us and we will grant you the permission. But please ensure that this message appears at the end of the article and proper credits are given.

[email protected]

This article was posted on June 24, 2004

by Nick Hill

Making Money Filling Online Surveys In Your Under

Making Money Filling Online Surveys In Your Underwear

by: Keith Watson

Online surveys are big business and you are being encouraged to take part, as companies are keen to get your opinions on new products or services…

And why not get involved? On the surface this appears to be an attractive and easy way to earn extra money, wherever, whenever. This is not from personal use though, so as always กbuyer bewareก.

But here is something that makes me smile.

What follows is a typical sentence from a website promoting the lifestyle that is possible by carrying out online surveys as a way of earning a living.

กImagine waking up, logging on, filling out a few surveys, and getting a paycheck at the end of the month! You can do it in your underwear!ก

I see this approach all the time!

Why is the idea of working in your night attire or under garments so appealing? Perhaps it is I feel a survey coming on!

Anyway I digress.

Online Market research is a £500 million pound a year industry, and this money is being paid out every day to people like you! These companies need your opinion about new products and advertisements, and this information is so valuable to them that you can earn a lot of extra money by taking part!

In my thirst for knowledge, I decided to dig a bit deeper and find out why these companies spend so much money, and how they use the data.

Whoops! Mistake.

Now, Iกm a simple man, and I had waded in too deep. Read the next paragraph. I mean it.

กWhen the site, documentation or software has been modified to incorporate the prescriptive input from the usability testing, online survey work can once again measure how well the designers have captured the essence of the usability counsel. It is at this phase that some confusion has occurred when surveybased assessments have been referred to as usability testing. In out opinion, this should be more correctly referred to as perceptual affirmation, because although some online surveys include taskbased stimuli, the feedback is generally not the probative and iterative measurement found in the classical usability assessment procedure…ก

Try it again and then Iกll test you.

Who spotted the spelling mistake? Well, you couldn’t expect an academic to worry about the spelling of a three letter word (in out opinion).

I digress again.

If anyone wants the reference source, just email me, because there are pages more like this.

Now, Iกm sure that the academic quoted here has a point, and has probably contributed more than I will ever fathom, to the way we live and shop today. And frankly, good luck to him/her, as we all have to earn a living.

However, I have surfaced again just to say look they are prepared to pay for your opinion, so if you are seeking a stayathome, but mustmakemoney solution to your needs, this may provide an answer.

Right Iกm off to get dressed.

Oh, and apologies to any academic that should read this.

About The Author

Keith Watson has been developing websites and advising about marketing and sales on the Internet since 1992. For further information about making money on the Internet, visit www.creativeeye.co.uk/recommendations/cbmall.asp

This article was posted on August 03

by Keith Watson

The Truth About Paid Online Surveys A Question a

The Truth About Paid Online Surveys A Question and Answer Session

by: Chris Ohlson

The Truth About Paid Online Surveys A Question and Answer Session

With thousands of people trying to find a way to make some extra money online everyday, paid online survey sites are popping up everywhere. With so many out there (some good, some well, not so good) itกs hard to determine what to believe. In an attempt to clarify the ins and outs, and the myths and realities of paid online surveys, Iกve composed a series of questions and answers to help you sort everything out. Weกll start with the basics and then get into the nitty gritty.

Question: Is this for real? Why would someone pay me to take online surveys?

Answer: Yes, this is for real. There are literally hundreds of legitimate market research companies out there who offer incentives for your opinion. Companies have come to these firms to get public opinions on their products or services and are willing to pay them to find out what you think. They then pass some of that payment onto you.

Question: What are the surveys about?

Answer: Just about anything that you can think of. You may be asked to review a movie trailer for a new movie, what kind of peanut butter you like, what restaurants you frequent, you name it. From barbeque grills to medical questions to appliances to what you had for dinner last night. There are sites for specific age groups, professions, hobbies and interests. The surveys are generally very interesting and these companies are looking for your opinion on how to shape their products.

Question: How does it work?

Answer: Each company works a bit differently, but here are the basics of online surveys. You will signup for a paid survey site. You will enter some basic demographic information (age, gender, etc…), and when they have a survey available in which they are looking for someone who fits your profile, they will send you an invitation to take a survey. The invitation will usually contain a link directly to the survey and the incentive they are offering for you to take the survey. Just click on the link and take the survey to qualify for the reward.

Question: What kinds of incentives are offered?

Answer: The incentives vary for each site, but generally the incentives take the following forms: cash, gift certificates (Amazon gift certificates being the most popular), merchandise (DVDs, small appliances, electronic gadgets, cookware, etc…), and charity donations. Each survey site will offer one or several of the above incentives for your participation in their surveys. Some will offer these straight out, for example กget paid $5.00 to take this surveyก, some offer these in the form of a drawing and others have a point system in which accumulated points can be กcashed inก for the items above.

Question: Will you get spammed by signing up for paid survey sites?

Answer: No, but you do have to be careful. There are some sites out there that are simply advertising firms posing as paid online survey sites. Hereกs my advise on how to tell the difference. First, if they offer you a chance at a fantastic prize for signing up, such as a car or a boat, I would be a bit weary and do some more research before you signup. Second, if the survey to signup for the site consists of a lot of questions as to whether or not you want more information on other products, walk away, you’re certain to get spammed. Just remember that a legitimate market research firm will not endorse a product or service, they are supposed to be unbiased. Third, read the privacy policy if you have any concerns. The majority of the sites out there are legitimate and will only email you if there is a survey available or if there is important information they need to notify you of.

Question: Should you pay for a database of paid survey sites?

Answer: No. There are several reasons why you shouldn’t pay a dime to take online surveys. First, with a little effort youกll be able to find all of the sites yourself free. There are a lot of free sites that have pretty good lists and also a few really good free sites out there that have comprehensive free paid survey directories with hundreds of listings. Secondly, market research firms are actually prohibited from charging people to participate in surveys and frown upon anyone who does.

Question: Can I get rich just by taking online surveys?

Answer: Iกve had so many people ask me if there are going to be able to retire by taking online surveys. Well, thatกs just not going to happen. Where it is possible to make a decent amount of money by making referrals or by running a survey related website, you’re just not going to be making a fulltime salary by simply taking surveys. There are a lot of sites out there advertising that you can make thousands of dollars per week or make $45 dollars and hour for taking online surveys (you can actually make $45 dollars an hour for a particular survey, but you won’t always make that much and it may only be a 10 minute survey).

Question: How much can I make?

Answer: Thatกs really hard to say. It really depends on a number of factors. How many sites did you signup with? How often do you take the surveys you are invited to take? What is your demographic? Etc… But I won’t just leave you hanging at that. I would say, if you signup for a number of survey sites, take the majority of the surveys you are invited to and are not limited in life experience, you could make perhaps $1,000 to $2,000 a year in cash or something equivalent. Mostly you will get smaller payments ($1.00 to $10.00) for a survey but Iกve seen them pay as much as $200. Treat this as extra cash, not a career. You can easily make enough to take the family out for dinner, buy a few extras, get a few nice things for around the house or save it all for your Christmas shopping.

Question: So, is it worth it?

Answer: Yes, I think so. Whereas, itกs not going to make you filthy rich, itกs certainly an easy and fun way to make a few extra bucks. I find the surveys to be enjoyable to participate in and for the time spent, the compensation is pretty good.

That wraps up this question and answer session. Hopefully this article has shed some light on the world of paid online surveys. If you cut through the hype and know what to look for, online surveys can be an enjoyable way to make some extra money. Youกll get to see new products before they come out, give your opinion on how to make existing products better and get paid to do so. Not too bad for a few minutes of your time.

About The Author

Chris Ohlson is the owner of Free Paid Surveys.net, http://www.freepaidsurveys.net

With a comprehensive listing of over 300 paid online survey sites and dedicated to providing straightforward and honest information on paid online surveys.

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 13, 2004

by Chris Ohlson

Ten Reasons Why Online Surveys are the Future Of M

Ten Reasons Why Online Surveys are the Future Of Marketing

by: Martin Day

Customers are tough cookies. They’re extremely media aware and increasingly cynical – itกs a clever marketeer who can get under their skin. Online surveys reinvent the traditional format and offer a unique way of interaction – all the benefits of the internet without the programming.

Here are ten reasons why they may be the silver bullet marketeersก need, complete with examples supplied by Martin Day, managing director of Survey Galaxy one of a new breed of websites making online surveys quicker and cheaper.

1. Itกs cheap as buttons

Select the right survey website and creating surveys can be free of any charge and the cost to publish is minimal. Useful information harvested from surveys can be reused and repackaged in other marketing and PR for use in press outlets making it a very efficient form of information gathering.

2. Itกs easy peasy

Anyone can develop an online survey. Survey sites allow people who are interested in the benefits of surveys, rather than technicalities, to sidestep the required programming skills and create relevant uptotheminute surveys, instantly – surveys that are even easier to complete than they are to make.

3. Anyone can play

Once the survey is online itกs a simple step to promote it, either through email (with a link enclosed), via a link from a website or referenced by other forms of advertising. Anyone who has the link can be connected instantly to the survey, at a time thatกs convenient to them, 24×7.

4. Weกve all got an opinion – and we like to give it

Customers like surveys – they’re not seen as spam, but as an empowering opportunity to make their voice heard and a chance to have an impact on a brand. They can be particularly good for broaching sensitive subjects with concerned employees; a survey asking a workforce on their opinion of change allows the key issues to be raised in a positive way and encourages employee participation. Online surveys allow the message to reach each individual and invite feedback in a manageable form.

5. Get inside their heads

You can lead a customer to an advertisement but you can’t make them think. Surveys actively engage the respondents, who think about the question before giving their response.

6. Beautiful relationships start here

It needn’t all end at the end of the survey – while you have their attention and are in the mood you can ask if they want to sign up for more information or a regular newsletter – making the most of the window when you have their interest.

7. If you like this, youกll love…

Perhaps one of the strongest elements in a survey is the ability to make inspired or useful connections instantly to other areas. By including links within the survey to websites that offer detailed information you are able to reinforce the marketing message.

8. Subtly does it

Surveys can be used to associate a product with positive attributes. By listing the many features of a product and asking the respondent how important they are, regardless of their response, the product will be associated with the features; if they are rated as important the positive impact is endorsed by the customer.

9. Itกs not just about selling

A survey is an effective, quick and easy method to promote and gain acceptance for a difficult proposal; maybe a public body trying to gain acceptance and support for a particular scheme. Take the example of a city trying to gain support from the general public for their bid to host a future Olympic Games. A survey can explain each benefit putting the respondent in a much better position to appreciate what the real advantages are that might just combat any negative headlines. As well as promoting the cause, useful feedback is gained that can be used to fine tune the overall marketing strategy.

10. Fresh topics engage interest

Thinking laterally a lively and imaginative approach to surveys can provide the กhookก to engage respondents. The survey subject can be focused towards a particular group on a subject close to theirs hearts. The surveyกs marketing message can take the form of a simple brand awareness message by stating that ‘this survey was sponsored by brand nameก, or by finding a link from the subject matter to the product – something that is surprisingly easy and highly effective. Discover the benefits of including in your website a Public Survey section as many people who enjoy completing crosswords and doing word puzzles enjoy completing surveys. Having a public survey notice board as part of a website is a low cost and automated method that helps to increase traffic and establish a loyal and returning following. Unlike discussion boards there is no opportunity for people to disrupt the site by inappropriate remarks as the survey results are displayed in summary form enabling them to dispense with moderators free and maintenance.

Many of the techniques and a few more to boot are contained in the following sample survey:

http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=956

For an example of a Public Survey area please click on the following link:

http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublic.asp

About The Author

Martin Day is owner of Survey Galaxy Ltd. For more information visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 09, 2004

by Martin Day

How To Conduct Effective Online Surveys

How To Conduct Effective Online Surveys

by: Nick Hill

Although they are inexpensive and product fast results, online surveys still need to be conducted properly to be really effective. The key steps for conducting effective online surveys are:

Identify your objective
Decide what information you need
Develop a questionnaire
Conduct the survey
Analyze the responses
Recommend a course of action

* Identify your objective
Online surveys are conducted to find out the characteristics, behaviors, opinions, and knowledge of a particular population. No matter what the subject matter, all surveys are conducted with an objective, to gather information relevant to a specific problem or situation. And the key to a successful survey is clearly identifying that objective upfront. To do that, ask yourself กwhat problem am I trying to solve?ก The ideal objective has a narrow scope and can be clearly stated. The wider the scope, the more complex your survey and the less meaningful its results. Always remember, your survey is only as good as your understanding of your objective!
* Decide what information you need
Once you have defined your objective, identify the information you need to gather to achieve your objective. If the objective is clear and narrow, the information you need to gather will be apparent. Be specific and avoid the temptation to gather กextraก bits of information that are กnice to knowก but not relevant to your objective. Once you have identified the information you need, you should explore the possibility of gathering it from existing data sources. With an abundance of information available from corporate databases and public information sources, you might gather the information without even conducting a survey!
* Develop a questionnaire
Developing the questionnaire is undoubtedly the most important part of conducting a survey. The quality of the questions will determine the quality of the results and the effectiveness of your survey. Get tips for developing an effective questionnaire.
* Conduct the survey
Once you have developed the questionnaire, you need to test it on a few people to determine if it is clearly written and can be understood by people representing your potential respondents. Testing the survey might take several iterations, but it is well worth the effort. Once you are satisfied that your questionnaire is clear and unambiguous, you are ready to conduct your survey.
If you are going to distribute your survey through email, make sure that your email message is clear and compelling. A boring message will not get the attention of your potential respondents and decrease your response rate. Additionally, you should also remember the following things:

Address emails to a single person whenever possible.
Always use the blind carbon copy (BCC) if you must send a single email message to a group of people.
Include a valid email address in the กFromก field or the recipients will consider your message as spam.
Provide the URL that will take people directly to your survey, if you are inviting them to the website to take the survey.
Tell recipients how to contact you if they have a problem or concern.
Identify the source of purchased email addresses so recipients know who to contact if they want to be removed from the list.
Ignore the กflameก or กhateก messages you might receive in response to your email invitation. A small percentage of the recipients always take offense to something or the other.

If you are going to distribute your survey from your website, you need to consider how will get visitors to take the survey. If your site has just enough traffic, you can probably place a hypertext link on your home page through which visitors can reach your survey. If you have very heavy traffic, you can use a program on your web server to randomly deliver your survey to some of the visitors. However, if your website doesn’t have enough traffic, you should consider sending invitations by email or other traditional methods.
Once you have sent out notifications, responses will begin to come in immediately. For online surveys that invite individual participants (email or postal mail), most people will respond within 72 hours of receiving your invitation. Surveys that rely on passive participation (clicking on website links or responding to indirect advertising) generally take much longer. In either case, you need to decide how long to keep your surve active based on your target audience and how many responses you need to collect. If you are surveying a known group of people (e.g. customers, employees, students, etc) you might need to send out reminders to remind some people to take the survey.
* Analyze the responses
You can begin to analyze the responses as soon as you receive them. Unlike traditional methods, online surveys make it possible to analyze responses without human intervention. Responses are received in electronic format and immediately added to a database. Once in the database, they can be manipulated with a variety of tools, including the survey software, statistical packages, spreadsheets, and presentation programs. The key to proper analysis of online surveys is no different than that for traditional methods. You must be able to filter the data and display results in a variety of formats for effective analysis. And always remember to relate the analysis back to your objective.
* Recommend a course of action
The last step in conducting effective online surveys is to recommend a course of action. With your objective in mind, you should be able to recommend specific actions as a result of your survey. Your recommendations can vary widely depending upon the nature of the problem you are trying to solve. If you cannot identify any actions as a result of your survey, then it is highly possible that your objective was too broad, your information needs were incorrect or incomplete, or your questionnaire was poorly written. In these cases, your recommended action should be to conduct further study.
© Web Based Survey Software (http://www.webbasedsurveysoftware.org) 2004

About The Author

This article has been copyrighted and has been reprinted with the permission of Web Based Survey Software (http://www.webbasedsurveysoftware.org). If you want to reprint this article, please send an email to [email protected] to inform us and we will grant you the permission. But please ensure that this message appears at the end of the article and proper credits are given.

[email protected]

This article was posted on June 24, 2004

by Nick Hill