Saturday, August 25, 2012

Online Survey Review: Global Test Market


A review of Global Test Market as an online survey site earns it a “B-”
By The Survey Sheriff


This is an ongoing review of popular online survey sites.  The sites offer cash, prizes, sweepstakes and other rewards for people interested in spending a few minutes or hours online taking surveys. As with all these reviews, a letter grade is given for each online survey site. The grade is based on my own experience, but also on the following criteria:
1. The rewards/prizes offered
2. The frequency of surveys available to be taken
3. How quickly payment is made for completed surveys
4. Responsiveness to customer complaints
5. Fewest glitches or other incidents that make taking a survey unpleasant.


Global Test Market - Grade: B-

Founded in 1999, GlobalTestMarket is powered by GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.), one of the world's leading providers of market research. GMI serves more than 1400 clients in more than 60 countries worldwide.

The Good
Global Test Market (globaltestmarket.com) isn’t the best survey site around; then again it’s not the worst either.
While my top sites are the likes of Opinion Outpost, Focusline, and Toluna in terms of having lots of surveys and paying well, Global Test Market is almost in that group but not quite.
The good thing about GTM is that it can be depended on to provide two or three surveys a day for you to take. That’s not a lot, but it is steady. The rewards, what they call Market Points - in terms of points you accumulate to eventually cash in, are good for the most part.


The Bad
There aren’t many bad things about GTM. I would say it’s requirement that you accumulate 1000 points before you can cash in $50 is a little much, but the reward is fair. But, it does take a little longer than it should (several weeks) for you to receive your reward and it comes via snail mail so you’ll have to wait a while.

If you’d like to read my “Tips For Being A Successful Online Survey Taker - By Not Following The Rules” go to http://www.infobarrel.com/Tips_For_Being_A_Successful_Online_Survey_Taker__By_Not_Following_The_Rules#ixzz1mOLbG43K

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Re-Captcha Redoux

I wrote a few weeks ago of the increasing use of Re-Captcha at Toluna and other survey sites. Here's an update.
Toluna is really going hog wild with the Re-Captcha service (where you have to type in a random series of letters and numbers to qualify for taking a survey test). Recently I've experienced not only having to enter a Re-Captcha code after I've done a survey, but before I've even taken a survey. I'm not sure what the latter is supposed to accomplish. Additionally, I've often been asked to enter a code before a survey and upon entering it correctly was transferred to the survey where I was promptly notified I wasn't eligible to take the survey. Huh? I have to enter a code to be told I wasn't eligible for the survey? Wouldn't they have known I wasn't eligible before I entered the code?
So, while the use of Re-Captcha and similar code entering requirements is growing it isn't making any more sense than it ever has. BTW, I've sometimes entered the correct code (I checked carefully) only to be asked to re-enter a new code. Go figure.
Also, although they don't inform you of this - you don't have to enter the letters in a code in case-sensitive format. So a capital G is just as well entered as a small g. It's not a big thing, but if you are trying to maximize you time not having to bother with capitalization saves a key stroke. Small thing, but it can help.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Giving Birth Dates?

Most surveys ask for your age in order to categorize the people who take their surveys. But, many surveys also ask for your birth date. The question is, should you give them your correct birth date?
While all surveys say they will guarantee the security of all information given them, I don't take any chances - I never give my exact birth date and neither should you.
All the guarantees in the world will not protect you if some hacker (or even a survey company employee) gets into the so-called "secure" data base and scoops up a bunch of birth dates from survey takers and uses them for nefarious purposes like identity theft. What are the chances of that happening? Not very high. But, do you want to be one of the ones who runs out of luck and has to try and recreate your financial profile after an ID theft experience?
Giving your real birth date is akin to giving out your social security number, bank account number or other personal information that should remain secret. Many experts have said that once someone has your birth date it is like opening your front door while you are away on vacation. Recently I attended a police seminar where a local detective in charge of pursuing identity theft criminals revealed that the police only solve five percent of local identity theft cases.  Want to try your luck?
I routinely change my birthdate by a digit, or month, or year. Yes, I know the rules of surveys say you have to give accurate information. But, are they going to reimburse me if I have a financial attack drain my bank account? Not a chance.
Survey taking shouldn't put you at risk and giving out your birth date to an anonymous company you likely know nothing about - and many of them are based in foreign countries - is not a good idea.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Surveys Tracking You

I always preach speeding through surveys -there's no reason to take long for the meager rewards and also because it's more lucrative to do more surveys than spend a long time on a few - but that doesn't mean there aren't hazards to watch out for.
Recently I completed a survey only to be told I wasn't going to be rewarded for my work. When I inquired/protested I was told my survey had been tracked and found that I had selected a single option (e.g. number 5 in a series of options) so frequently that it appeared I was just clicking quickly on one number in order to proceed rapidly through the questionnaire. Doing so, I was told, violated the rules of the survey.
Obviously no human is tracking such things so it is left to a computerized system to determine if you are paying attention, going to fast, or - as in this case - just randomly clicking on a single response in order to gain speed. There's just one problem. What if you honestly believe that the choice you made accurately describes how you feel? If number 5 is the number you chose to describe your best response to the question, you may be automatically rejected. It's just another way to get tripped up whether you completed the survey correctly or not. In my case, I couldn't even remember what happened in the survey I took because obviously I don't commit to memory the response to every question. However, I do know - from having studied survey taking for a very long time - that clicking quickly on a single response to a series of questions isn't too smart. It's red flag to the computer gods at the survey company.
So, if you are clicking along rapidly - as I recommend you do - make sure you vary your responses; or just pay close attention and move along as rapidly as honest answers will allow you to do.