Speeders Beware

I've frequently said an online survey taker should speed through surveys to avoid wasting time for little reward. I still believe and encourage that philosophy.
However, that doesn't mean the survey companies aren't trying to force you to slow down. They take a number of actions, including bumping you out of surveys if they feel you haven't taken enough time (I still ignore their warnings and it has rarely resulted in any problems for my survey taking and rewards.
But, the companies still keep trying. One of their new wrinkles is having you answer a question that requires you to read it carefully before proceeding. One such tactic is similar to the following:

"Recent research shows that behaviors are affected by context. Differences in how people feel, their previous knowledge and experience, and their environment can affect their behavior. To help us understand peoples’ social media behavior, we are interested in information about you. Specifically, we are interested in whether you actually take the time to read the directions; if not, some results may not tell us very much about behavior in the real world. To show that you have read the instructions, please ignore the correct answer and instead check thirty-four as your answer.  Thank you very much.

7 x 9 = ? 

• 84
• 63
• 20
• 56
• 34
  If you didn't read the question carefully you would likely answer the question as "56" instead of "34" as the survey asks you to do.
  That's a good reason to slow down a little - or keep right on going and disregard whether you'll be excluded or not (after all there are lots of other surveys to take). I'm reading a little more carefully now and it has slowed me down every so slightly. Just a word of caution to you all.
  
  
  
  

Jury Trial Via Survey?

I recently completed a couple of surveys that I found quite interesting ... and strange.
These surveys were real court cases for which I was being asked to sit as a juror in trials having to do with traffic accidents and their consequences. At first I thought it was some sort of joke or scam, but they turned out to be very real.
The cases were provided in a format in which I had to read a summary of the case and then answer questions that had to do with either who was more at fault and/or what if any compensation should be awarded.
I haven't been able to get any more details about the actual cases. But, I'm amazed that an actual court - or at least the lawyers in the case - are resorting to going to the online survey community to get decisions for their clients. It's fascinating to take the survey (or pass judgement on the case), although they are usually quite lengthy.
Perhaps these are lawyers that are using the survey community to see if their case will stand up well for a real jury and help them decide if they should settle the case out of court. Or maybe there are other reasons. Whatever the real reason it leaves me both interested and concerned. Concerned because if I was either the plaintiff or the defendant I'm not sure I'd want to put my fate in the hands of a random sample of online survey takers. No offense guys in the survey community, but really can we all say we would be diligent in giving opinions in cases where we only get a snippet of the case, don't see or hear all the evidence and testimony, etc.?
Yet, it is fascinating. Maybe it is the start of a trend among the legal community so we all may be seeing a lot more of these jury by survey cases.

Cheating on Surveys?

Should you cheat or lie when taking online surveys? Of course not - why would you bother for the few cents a survey is worth?
But, do I cheat/lie? Yes, but let me explain.
Surveys caution you to be truthful in answering their questions and giving opinions. But, sometimes they leave you no choice but to lie or cheat. Here are some examples where you are forced to lie or cheat and there's really not much you can do about it.
1. The selection of answers given doesn't offer one which reflects your true opinion or choice.
2. When there is no appropriate answer available, the survey doesn't offer you a way to opt out of the survey so you have to carry on with the survey or close your browser and start over again.
3. The survey asks you such confidential information that you have no choice but to answer untruthfully or opt out of the survey if possible or, again, close your browser and start over. It shouldn't  be surprising when you are asked very personal or confidential information because surveys, if nothing else, are data collection sites and want to glean as much information about you as possible. That's part of the price you pay for doing online surveys.
4. The survey is so long and so confusing - and sometimes so limited in the answer options - that you lie because you are just trying to get through the darn thing without having to spend an inordinate amount of your time. For example, surveys often give you a long list that asks what kind of survey you may have previously taken. Instead of going through the whole long list each time, I usually check the option of "other online survey." It's not exactly true, but it's not exactly false either.
There may be other times you shade the truth, or answer untruthfully because that's the only option you are given. It's ok - just about everyone does it and the survey companies don't seem to make any effort to create survey options that give you the choice selection you desire anyway.

Don't Bother With MyOpinionNow.com

On occasion I try out new online survey sites, so a few weeks ago I signed up for MyOpinionNow.com. I was actually taken to the site by completing a survey on another site (such intermingling of surveys from one site to another is not uncommon).
MyOpinionNow (MON) says it has over a million members and even offers 100 bonus points just for becoming a member (e.g. signing up to take surveys). There's not much information about what company owns MON - clicking on the "contact us" button takes you to a page where you can email the company, but the only identifying information is that the company is based on New Jersey.
I dutifully signed up because the site looked interesting enough and there seemed to be some decent points awarded and what you could earn for the points seemed good (not great, just good). However, since signing up I've not gotten a single survey from the company. My sign in page indicates I have 120 points (100 for signing up and another 20 for I don't know what). Even checking back occasionally (as opposed to waiting for them to send me an email) proves fruitless as there has not been a single survey available to take.
I don't know what the other million people who are claimed by MON to be members of their site are doing, but as for me I'm not going to bother with the site any longer. There are enough survey sites that you can join where you can be assured of taking many surveys and earning points every day (Opinion Outpost and Focusline being among the best). Having to wait for a site that doesn't offer any surveys to take is a waste of time - and that describes MON precisely.

Toluna Issues Continue

You'd think that one of the important things for a survey site to do would be to keep the survey takers/members pleased enough with the experience to want to continue using the site. Toluna seems to think otherwise.
Ever since their redesign, Toluna seems to take pleasure in confounding their users. I've written of this before. I've also written to Toluna suggesting their changes are making their site less user friendly. Indeed it is one of the most unfriendly survey sites around.
Do, I still use Toluna - yes, I do, I'm sorry to say. That's because there are still points to be gained and cash to be won. But, Toluna certainly doesn't make it easy to be a fan.
Take for instance the fact that when you see a message that there are no more surveys to take. Guess what, with a little clicking you can find many surveys available. And that's important because you can earn points even when you are not eligible for a particular survey. So, you have to take the time to click around the site to find the surveys, despite Toluna saying there are none. Does, this sound like a user-friendly survey site? Certainly not.
Another issue - Toluna is one of the slowest sites to award you the points you've earned. And, although this is just my opinion, it seems like Toluna has a higher rate of non-payment for surveys you've taken and completed. This happens frequently with many survey sites. But, Toluna seems to be the leader of the pack in this regard.
There are many other issues with the new Toluna web design and the site in general. What's most confusing and frustrating is that Toluna seems to be so unwilling to acknowledge and correct the problems.
Oh well, sometimes survey taking can be enjoyable ... and then there's Toluna!

Survey Police

I found a site that is about surveys - much like this site is. The url for Survey Police is http://www.surveypolice.com/.
It seems quite comprehensive with a lot of information and links. I could dispute some of the survey rankings it gives, but in general it is appealing. One thing not so appealing is the registration requirement - although what you are actually register for is unclear.
You might want to check it out.

Product Sampling

Online surveys often tout that you'll be able to test out products as part of your membership. Sometimes the products are food items, or gadgetry, or something.  I've had several opportunities to test items - currently I'm testing some mac and cheese products - and they seem enjoyable enough. Although they don't come along very often, the one I'm currently on is offering 10,000 points to complete the test - so they can be very lucrative.
Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to increase the chances of getting to test a product. And, there may be some you really don't want to test. The key is to be on the lookout for answering survey screeners that may ask questions like "would you be willing to ...." and the like.
Usually, the testing is in two phases. They send you two versions of a product and you are asked to test them about a week apart. After each one you receive an email and provide feedback for that test before moving on to the second one. Sometimes the testing response may be through a paper survey which you mail back. Either way, the work is easy and the rewards are good. So, keep your eye open for product tests.

Download An APP?

From time to time surveys will ask if you would allow the host to download an app to your computer. Sometimes the app is nothing more than a program that will allow the host to track your movements as you take the survey, or track what you see and read on a related website. Occasionally there is a visual tracker - that is you allow the survey host to access your webcam to track your eye movements as you take the survey and look at images.
In general the apps they ask you to download are benign. They cause no harm, you take the survey and all is well.
But, perhaps it's the feeling that I really don't know who these guys are, what country they are located in, and the lack of transparency as to what the ramifications of downloading the app may be that has made me think I'll pass on any survey that asks me to download an app. There are just to many 'bad guys' out there and I'm not willing to take a chance. I don't mean that the survey host, or the company that hired them to conduct the survey, are bad or have an evil intent. It's just that I'd prefer not to take the risk for the very few benefits. Not that I'm saying that payment is the only criteria to my willingness or unwillingness to let an unknown app be downloaded. It's really a matter of comfort and perceived safety. You may feel differently - and that's ok.
As for me, I'll pass on the downloading app surveys and move on to the many other surveys that are available that don't have me worrying about what it might do to my computer.
Yes, I know if the survey hosts were really intent - or anyone else online were intending on doing harm they probably could. But, online safety starts with you and me. For now that safety margin is thanks, but no thanks to downloading apps from survey hosts.