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$100 in two hours as a focus group member!

May 12, 2008 in Focus Groups, Paid Surveys by admin | 1 comment

Short Version:

I’ve been a member of FocusForward.com for about two months. In that time, I’ve been invited to participate in one focus group, for which I was paid $100 in cash on the spot. All I had to do was show up and talk. Total time involved = about three hours, including travel.

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Long Version:

About two months ago, I signed up for a site called FocusForward.com, which is a focus group facilitator. Based on your demographic information, they connect you with opportunities to participate in focus groups in exchange for money.

I just completed my first assignment with them. A few weeks ago, they sent me a short survey asking questions about my cell phone use. I completed the survey, within a few days spent about fifteen minutes on the phone answering some in-depth questions. At the conclusion of the call, I was given the choice of a one-on-one interview lasting one hour, for $75, or a two-hour focus group worth $100. I opted for the focus group.

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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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Cashing out with Opinion Outpost

March 31, 2008 in Paid Surveys, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

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Just a quick update: I earned another 15 points with Opinion Outpost, which brings me to a total of 64 points, or $6.40. Yeah, I know that’s not much money, but it took very little effort to earn it. Since I passed the five dollar minimum for cashing out, I requested a check for the entire amount I’ve earned. The process was easy: a couple of clicks and an address verification.

Opinion Outpost says to allow four to eight weeks for “processing.” I assume they are waiting to get paid before they pay me. Anyway, the check is supposedly on its way, and I’ll post when I receive it.

Update: Payment received.  See this post.

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Survey Update, and Four Reasons I Like Opinion Outpost

March 23, 2008 in Paid Surveys by admin | No comments

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Since my last paid survey post, I’ve joined several more sites, and filled out a few surveys. I have not yet earned enough points to cash out with any company. Here is where I stand:

  1. Opinion Outpost: I have 49 points, which is worth $4.90. I need $0.10 more to cash out. It took me either two or three surveys to reach that point. The shortest took less than five minutes, the longest took about fifteen. This site has taken the lead in my estimation.
  2. Greenfield Online continues to sent me the greatest number of surveys. I usually receive at least one for a sweepstakes entry every day, and every third or fourth day I’m offered one that is worth one or two dollars. I don’t bother with the “sweeps,” and I haven’t qualified for any of their paid surveys yet. That seems odd to me, because I filled out an extensive list of screening surveys when I first joined. I would have thought they would do a better job of prequalifying before offering me a survey.

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