Maybe a way to pick up a few $$?

[agate]

I found out about this from someone elsewhere but I hope she won't mind if I pass this Website address along here. There's no guarantee apparently that your information won't be used for marketing purposes, and I think you'll need a PayPal account, but if you agree to take part in surveys, you earn a few dollars:
https://surveyjunkie.com

I signed up and had to provide my name, e-mail, birth date, and ZIP code. This may be far more information than others want to give. I thought it was worth a try though.

[Lazarus]

Let us know your experience. Interesting.

[agate]

So far I've taken part in several surveys. Several others were either already "filled"--guess that means too many people had already signed on for them--or I wasn't eligible. Sometimes I went through a few questions for maybe 5 minutes on a survey that should have earned me 50 points but when I turned out to be ineligible, I earned only about 3 points for trying. But it all adds up.

So far I've earned only 210 points ( = $2.10). I won't be paid anything until I've earned at least $10.

I have a feeling that I'd be more eligible if I owned or bought more things.

So far the questions have often given the option of "Prefer not to answer." I prefer not to answer questions about race, and I check that option too if the question strikes me as too personal.

[stillstANNding]

So you must be thinking, who is collecting this info and why?

ANN

[Frog42]

I wasted several hours on that site. I'm not typical enough, I guess. Maybe they didn't like me not wanting to tell them about my income. In any case, I don't plan on going back.

[Sunshine]

One of my kids did Pinecone Research surveys for extra money in college. They’re legit.

[agate]

Yes, it's probably a waste of time, and I'm fairly sure I'll give up on it soon.

I don't worry much about who's collecting information though I try not to give out my exact location, Social Security number or credit or debit card number.

When I first got a computer, I just assumed that nothing would ever be really lost on it. You may think you've deleted something but it's not really deleted. You may even think you've wiped your hard drive clean but the chances are that that information is out there somewhere if anyone wants to track it down.

In other words, for many years I've assumed that anyone can know anything at all about me, that I'm in a goldfish bowl.

There are two comforting thoughts. One is that if I'm not doing anything criminal, nobody can catch me at anything. The other is that most people just aren't that interested in what I'm doing--and so they're not looking.

So let the businesses collect information about me. I do prefer to answer some questions that seem too personal, and if an answer can't be skipped when I'd like to skip it, I leave that survey.

The possibilities for something very horrible to happen are real but so far I see no sign of it. There would have to be a vast, hidden conspiracy going on. I've heard tales about the "dark Web," etc. So long as I take reasonable precautions--and make sure all of the recommended safeguards are in place--I think I can safely sign up for these surveys. For a short time anyway.

If I cancel my registration, it will be because it's a waste of time, not because I have doubts about what is happening to my information. All kinds of things could be happening to it anywhere online, and over the years I've probably put lots of information in lots of places. It's all sitting there somewhere even though I may think it's deleted. I'll do what I can to make it hard to get at but in these surveys I'm willing to share the information they want--which is mainly whether I've heard of 7/11 or Cadbury's, and whether I'm planning to buy a car--that kind of thing.

If consumer surveys help some companies to develop a better product, I'm willing to participate. Maybe I'm being naive and will regret this. Stay tuned.

[tic chick]

hey all !

i participated in surveys through one survey company, not the one agate mentioned. i did this for about 3 years. i'd earn points and then trade them in for a $25 macy's gift card because i got my haircuts in their salon.

in the beginning, the surveys were interesting. i participated in one that asked questions about what type of health insurance plan i would purchase if my choices were limited to certain hospitals, doctors, location, etc. this was just before the affordable care act was passed, so i have a suspicion that it was related to that. yes, they asked questions about income and race and depending on the survey, i would use my judgement as to whether i could decline to answer those questions. i also didn't complete surveys if they asked questions about my children.

some of the tedious things about taking these surveys were the repetitive questions asked in different ways, the length of time to complete some surveys (if it was over 30 minutes, it usually wasn't worth my time). what stopped me from participating in the surveys were companies that would have you answer questions about their product and then say you weren't qualified or part of their demographic group after you gave your opinions. i thought that within 6 questions the company should know whether i was part of their targeted demographic. i would write the survey company a letter expressing my displeasure at the unscrupulous companies who had me answer 20 question and then said i wasn't qualified for their survey. the survey company credited me with the points i would have gotten to take the survey...prolly about 85% of the time.

i took the surveys from about 2008 to 2011 and then i had too many things going on to take the surveys anymore.

thanks for posting all your experiences.

thank you for reading,
jeannie

[agate]

tic chick, you're really a pro at this! Yes, I've been noticing that I'm being told I'm not qualified but only after I've spent quite a long time answering questions. I'm usually given a few points anyway but only about 3.

[Cherie]

I was a part of this for a little over 2 years and it was not an income generator. Most surveys were "filled" after I had spent 15 or 20 minutes answering questions. I opted out finally. It was not a rewarding or enriching experience and in fact, was generally frustrating after the initial surveys.