April 2008

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Jeers to Big Idea Group

April 30, 2008 in Paid Surveys, Scam Avoidance by admin | 1 comment

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Most of the survey companies I’ve tried are fairly straightforward about how their rewards systems work. Every time I receive an email invitation to take a survey, I know exactly how many points it is worth before I even click the link. Also, most sites have a page that tells you what your points can be redeemed for.

A few weeks ago, I signed up with a company called Big Idea Group (BIG). You qualify for “clubs” based on your demographic information. Each club has a series of activities where you answer questions about features and usability of a particular class of products, including making suggestions for what features you would like to see on a new product.

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Payments received: Opinion Outpost and Secret Shopper

April 27, 2008 in Mystery Shopping, Paid Surveys, Payments Received by admin | 1 comment

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First of all, I apologize for the two-week silence. I’m down to crunch time at school, so I’ve had to limit my extracurricular activities. Finals are next week. After that, I’ll be back to posting once or twice per week.

I previously posted about mystery shopping with SecretShopper.com, and cashing out with Opinion Outpost. I received checks from both of those this week, as well as a check for Mrs. Fencepost from MySurvey.com. Here is a summary:

  1. MySurvey.com: $10.00 (Mrs. Fencepost earned this one.)
  2. SecretShopper.com: $23.00
  3. OpinionOutpost.com: $6.40
  • Total: $39.40

Once finals are over, I’ll try out some other mystery shopping providers and post about my experience.

Regards,

J

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Four ways to avoid online scams

April 10, 2008 in Mystery Shopping, Paid Surveys, Scam Avoidance, Uncategorized by admin | 1 comment

When I started trying to make money online, getting scammed and losing money were major concerns for me. As a result, I took some steps to minimize my risk. Here are a few tips based on my experience:

  1. I do not ever pay money to join a paid survey site or mystery shopping provider. Legitimate companies can be easily found with a Google search, and there is no reason for them to charge a fee. They get paid by the companies whose surveys you take.
  2. Before I sign up with any site, I type their name, plus the word “scam,” or “fraud,” into a search engine (such as Google) to see what comes up. I decided not to join a couple of sites based on what I found out about them through a quick Google search.

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Award-winning Diet Coke and Mentos Video

April 8, 2008 in Uncategorized, Videos by admin | No comments


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For all those who were previously unaware of what happens when you mix Coke and Mentos, here’s an educational video.  This clip won a Webby award for best viral video and was nominated for an Emmy for best broadband content.

For more like this, step on over to EepyBird.com, official site of the guys who created this video.

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It

April 7, 2008 in Horror, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

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Author: Stephen King

Genre: Horror

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)

Summary:


It consists of two stories involving the same group of characters. The first story happens when they are children in Derry, Maine, in 1958. The second occurs in 1984, when most of them have moved away, and are highly successful in their careers. Both stories revolve around a monster known simply as “It.” It takes various forms, and can only be seen by children. To some of them, It looks like a clown, others see a werewolf or a giant bird. In almost all cases, the children who meet It are brutally killed.

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Mystery Shopping – 1st Job and Payment

April 7, 2008 in Mystery Shopping, Uncategorized by admin | 1 comment

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I recently tried my luck as a mystery shopper. For those who don’t know, a mystery shopper visits businesses as an anonymous customer, and submits a report of their experience through a mystery shopping provider. Businesses that have been mystery shopped use the reports to improve the customer experience. Mystery shoppers typically receive compensation, usually including reimbursement for purchased items, as well as some extra money for their time. As with surveys, you shouldn’t quit your day job, but you can make a modest amount of extra money as a mystery shopper.

Back in February, I signed up for a mystery shopping provider that I had researched and trusted, SecretShopper.com. I completed their online training, passed a couple of tests, and scheduled my first job, which I completed last week. After visiting the store, I electronically submitted my report and a scanned copy of my receipt. The job took about three hours including drive time and report submission, but much of that was first-time learning. I expect that the next job will go much quicker.

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