July 20, 2021

Paid Surveys: How to Avoid Scams

On another post I shared some reviews of legitimate paid and rewarded survey sites. I don't claim, by any means, to have an exhaustive list. There are many other good survey sites out there. Unfortunately, there are also scams. Here are a few tips on how to avoid them.


1. Don't sign up for any survey site which asks you to pay to access the surveys. These generally only offer links to other survey sites you will have to register at separately (and you can find these other ways without paying a dime). These are not worth your money. You should never have to pay to do a job, and that includes taking surveys.

2. Always carefully read a site's terms of service and privacy policy before registering. If in their privacy policy they say they only use aggregated info, this is GOOD SIGN they are legit. Aggregated information is info (such as answers to survey questions) that is grouped together so it can't be connected with anyone's personal identification like name, e-mail, phone or address. That's what survey sites SHOULD collect. Watch out for sites that say they give, rent, or sell any personal information (info that is not aggregated) to third parties.


3. Watch for language like "get paid for taking surveys AND SIGNING UP FOR OFFERS" if you don't want to have to sign up for stuff with other companies to get paid. There are sites which say they pay for surveys, but what they actually do is pay you to sign up for offers...and to take surveys when you sign up. They also may refer you to some legitimate survey sites which have affiliate programs or pay for referrals. If you decide that you want to try any of these sites, be careful to read all the information on the specific offers--as these offers come from separate companies with their own terms of service and privacy policies. Otherwise, you may end up paying more than you're getting (or give away your info to those who will sell it).


4. NEVER sign up for a survey site (or any other type of site) through un-solicited e-mail. These can be phishing schemes, where they try to get your information to mis-use it (often pretending to be legitimate sites). I've gotten e-mails asking me to sign up for survey sites I've already been a part of for some time. I contacted the real sites, and they confirmed the e-mails had nothing to do with them.
Some legitimate sites do have e-mail referral programs, so if the e-mail is from a friend (or claims to be sent on behalf of a friend) check with the friend first to make sure they sent it.


5. Check around and do a little background research. You can check the site's rating on Survey Police.com (a very good survey rating a review site) and see if there are any reports against it on Rip Off Report.com. A google under the survey name and the word scam or review can also be revealing. Remember though, many survey sites offer affiliate commissions for sign ups, so the absence of bad reviews is much more convincing than the presence of good reviews.

Survey Reviews


While taking surveys online won't earn you gobs of cash or a full-time income (if they promise to, its probably a scam), you can earn a little pocket change and other goodies---which is not bad just for giving your opinion.  For the time it's generally under minimum wage.  I tend to personally look for surveys that pay at least $1 for 10 minutes estimated time.  Less than that is not worth it for me.  Occassionally there will be higher paying surveys, but those are few.

Speaking of opinions, below you will find mine on various online rewarded survey programs I have participated it and been payed through.  I don't take paid surveys as often as I used to, and some of these companies I haven't worked with for a while, so I've started to add notes underneath to show if I'm still active and when the reviews were last updated (ignore the blog post date as this was copied from another site).   Hope you find these reviews helpful.


DISCLAIMER:  If it says below that it has an referral program, I'm likely a part of it (unless I specifically say I'm not), which means I could earn a reward if you sign up through these links.  I try to not let any of that influence my reviews.  I'll tell you if I had a bad experience with this even if I get referral income through the links.


 
American Consumer Opinion (ACOP)
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
Points redeemable for cash. They had an affiliate program where you received $0.50 for every person who signs up through your links.  They have now changed over to a new service I am no longer part of so I am not sure if compensation is still the same. This is just a good steady survey site. I don't receive tons of payed surveys, but I receive enough to make it worthwhile--and a lot of the higher paid surveys ($5-20) I get are through ACOP.   You now have to earn 1,000 points ($100) before you can redeem your points for cash. 
Still Active 5/16/17 - Last updated 5/16/17
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Survey Savvy
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
Pays cash by check (you can let the money build up in your account and cash out whenever you choose). They have a very good referral program. You get $1 for every survey taken by anyone you refer. This is another steady company that's been around for a long time.  I like that you can cash out whenever you want, even if you only have $2 in your account.  Many of their surveys pay at least $1 per 10 minutes.  Their referral program is also excellent. None currently
Active as of 5/16/17 - Updated 5/16/17
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Opinion Outpost
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
You earn points redeemable for cash (payed by check) or Amazon gift card. Yes. They have an affiliate program you can sign up for here.  This is a new program I'm in the process of signing up for, so I'm not sure if it offers the same rate the old one did ($1 for every person who joins through your affiliate links).   They used to send surveys frequently, and most were reasonably compensated...after they had a ownership change the compensation diminished some.  I haven't taken surveys with them for a while so I can't comment on whether any of that is still true. You used to be able to cash out when you'ld earned $5, but now you have to $20 before you can receive a cash reward. However, they have other rewards you can get once you've reached $3 or $5.  Survey pay per teme spent has gone down.
Not currently active. Last active 2015.
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Testspin
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
You get itcoins redeemable for cash (payed by paypal) or Amazon gift cards. Not that I'm aware of. They send surveys frequently (sometimes too frequently) A lot of their surveys are REALLY low pay (like 20 minutes for 20 cents low), and while they do have better payed surveys your inbox will be filled with all the cheap ones.
Last took a survey in 2016. Still receiving survey offers.
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Global Test Market
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
You receive points redeemable for cash. You can cash out once you reach 1000 points ($50). They have an affiliate program, but it's hard to get into (i.e. they didn't let me in -- oh well). They are one of the higher paid survey sites, and send surveys very frequently. It only took me about a year and a half to earn the $50 cash out (even considering that I missed a lot of surveys due to browser incompatibility). The only program I earned more from over the same time period was Pinecone Research. They have a very high cash out threshold -- so don't join this site unless you are willing to stick with it for the long haul.
Not currently active. Last active in 2011
Buzzback Research
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
Pays cash by check. No. They pay well ($3 - $10), and seem to send surveys at least once a month. Some of their surveys are creative--on occassion in stead of just asking you questions they will have you arrange a photo collage on a topic and then explain what it means to you. I like that. Nothing so far.
Not currently active. Last active 2011.
Mindfield Online
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
You can cash out once you receive a minimum of $5 and are payed via Paypal or check. Yes. You get paid $1 for each referral through your referral links. They sometimes have fun collages as part of their surveys (where you get to make a "collage" with different pictures symbolizing your feelings on a certain product or topic. I also like that they always tell how long the surveys are expected to be, how much you will be paid, and usually give you a sweepstakes entry for your time taking screener questions if you don't qualify for the full paid survey. They don't send surveys that I qualify for as often as I'd like.Currently only accepts participants from the US and Canada
Not currently active. Last active 2011
Harris Poll Online
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
You earn points redeemable for rewards including gift cards, and get an optional entry into their sweepstakes with every survey. Yes. You can earn points for referring up to 5 friends by e-mail. They send surveys regularly, so its fairly easy to earn enough points to cash out. They also often have sent surveys on interesting topics (like religion or politics) as well as the typical consumer surveys. They make an effort to avoid redundant questions and keep surveys interesting--most of their surveys are relatively short (often much shorter than they say in their entry e-mail). When I actually calculated how much the points were worth when cashed in for gift cards, I discovered I was only making $0.15 to $1.50 per survey. Also, they have reduced the number of gift cards they offer (they used to offer Target and several other cards they no longer offer).
Not currently active. Last active 2012


E-Poll
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
You receive points redeemable for rewards. Yes. They have an affiliate program where you can receive $0.30 for every person who signs up through your links. You can access the affiliate program here. I have had trouble updating my address to cash out lately though. The surveys were fun. They had a lot of surveys on Televisions, celebrities and current events...not just product surveys. I received my first reward (a CD) not long after joining. I don't get sent surveys anymore because I left my account inactive for too long. After I switched to Linux (Mozilla) the surveys they sent didn't work so I stopped taking them. (Their surveys may now work on Mozilla, since my account became inactive several browsers versions ago, so I haven't been able to test this out.)
Not currently active.
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Toluna (Formerly Your 2 Cents)
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
 Toluna primarily works through reward points - check my Points Value Grid for more info on this. Not that I'm aware of. They send surveys VERY frequently. You have to wade through a ton of surveys that are pitifully paid before finding one worth taking (even at my $1 per 10 minute minimum)...and if the survey you click on in your e-mail is full, they will redirect you to another one.  While they put the estimated time/points rewarded in the new survey, it's only up for a few seconds, and those not aware might still think they are taking the one mentioned in the e-mail.  It's a little disceptive.
Still Active 5/16/17 - Last Update 5/16/17
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Lightspeed Research
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
You receive points redeemable for rewards, or cash through Paypal, and sweepstakes entries. They had an affiliate program where you can receive $0.75 for every person who signs up through your links. One thing that I don't like is they have no simple text link option--according to their terms of use you must not change links so in stead of just having an affiliate link to "Lightspeed Research" I have to include the whole description they provide (or link their banner like I have above). Their site is very easy to navigate, and they send surveys frequently. You get sweepstakes entries even for surveys you don't qualify for, and for answering mini-polls (fun one question polls), quick-matches (short profiles) and longer profiles. Points can expire if you don't use them within two years. Also, a lot of their surveys don't give a good return for your time (often less than $1 for a 20 minute survey) but if you don't take most or all of the surveys you qualify for you may not earn enough points to reach your reward goal before your points expire (if you have a t.
Not currently active.
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Esearch
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
Cash payments via Paypal or sweepstakes entries. No. Their paid surveys are usually at least $5, and I've always received payment quickly. They don't send surveys very often.
Not currently active.
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Pinecone Research
Pinecone does not usually take applicants through their main website. They only take applicants through their banner ads or sometimes through referrals (not paid), and change the link to their registration for often. There's a site I recently found called Annika's which keeps track of these though.
Important: DO NOT REGISTER MORE THAN ONE PERSON PER HOUSEHOLD MAY REGISTER. Multiple registrations of the same Household will void all registrations.
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
They previously payed $5 per survey but are moving to a $3 plus sweepstakes compensation per survey. Sometimes you may get to test products (thought I haven't yet). No. During the period where they payed $5 per survey and I wasn't having browser/operating system difficulties with their site I was payed more through Pinecone than any other site. They send surveys frequently and the surveys and even at $3 they are payed well for the time involved (average of 15-20 min). I am again having problems taking surveys with them using Mozilla or even Safari (this has been a problem off and on with them). I was disappointed that they now only pay $3 (though I gather they sometimes still pay $5 if you sign up through a $5 banner)...I actually had the option to stay at $5 but they said they would be phasing out the $5 surveys and eventually if we stayed signed up at $5 we'd stop getting them. Still, $3 is not bad.
Not currently active.
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Viewpoint Forum
NOT CURRENTLY TAKING NEW MEMBERS WITHOUT A REFERRAL
Reward Method
Referral Rewards?
Likes
Dislikes
Points redeemable for cash (by check). (You can also get points for submitting weekly poll ideas). Yes. Once you are a member you receive points for referring up to 5 friends. At one time this was the site I was getting paid most frequently through. I've also received free samples to test. You often get some points just for completing the screener questions, even if you don't qualify for the survey. They are only taking new members through referrals from current members, and I have used up all my referrals. They also don't send surveys that often any more.
Not currently active. Last active 2012.
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December 5, 2018

Scribbleprints Ornament Giveaway

This Christmas Scribbleprints on Zazzle is giving away one Lady Heart Ornament. To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter below.

Lady Ceramic Ornament


Remember to check out my
Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales!

Giveaway open to US residents over age 18 only.  Full rules here.  
 
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October 9, 2017

Mental Health Awareness: My Mother's Story



My mother passed away several years ago...she would have been 75 this month.

I have so many memories of her...

I remember her teaching me to row, her hands on the paddles next to mine, back and forth and the swish of the oars.

I remember quiet rainy days, sitting at our kitchen table cutting paper hearts, making yarn ropes, or mosaics with allspice and cloves.   She was so creative and she passed that on to me. 

But I have other memories too... 

Memories of her sitting cross-legged in her room, tears straining down her face, talking about how she didn't want to live anymore.

My mother had bipolar disorder.  It was, for her, a roller coaster that took her at times so high there seemed to be no consequences, and at others so low that it cut her off from herself and brought her thoughts of suicide.   It could make her euphoric, or paranoid, a powder keg, a bundle of nerves or a shower of tears.   In between those swings, she was a good mom.

She was not the first in her family to have this disease.   My great aunto spent most of her life in a mental institution with an illness that didn't even have a name then, much less a treatment. 

When my mom first showed signs of something being wrong, sometime in her teens, they had a name for what she suffered from:  Manic Depression (the name later was changed to bipolar disorder).

She spent some time in mental hospitals too.   Once during these stays she received electroshock therapy.  She said it probably saved her life, literally jolting her out of her severe depression, but it also took something away, a part of her that she said she never got back.   The last stay at a mental hospital was when I was very young.  I remember the strange lonely feeling and the worry I felt, staying with friends while she recovered.   When I visited her the place was cheery and bright.  She brought back crafts, but seemed ashamed to have been there.  (Sadly much of the mental health support available back then, in the 1970s, no longer exists.  Read more.)

What kept her out of the hospitals (most of the time), was a drug called Lithium.   Early on she looked at it as a crutch, something she should be able to function without.   It was a pharmacist who finally got through to her...told her it was nothing to be ashamed of, that it was something she needed like a diabetic needed insulin.  And so she faithfully took it, even when doctors had trouble getting the dosage right and it would make her ill.

That attitude, that the medicine is just a crutch, is still far too common.   I met a girl in high school who shared that she was bipolar, but "was working to get off the pills."   She said it like someone would say "I want to quit smoking" --as if this necessary medicine was an addiction she needed to break free of.

And no wonder.   Throughout my mom's life, ignorant people have told her that it's all in her head, that she just needed to "get things together," and even that her illness was caused by demons.  But bipolar is just as much a real medical problem as cancer, or Parkinsons.
  
Recently scientists studied brain scans of those with and without the disorder, and discovered what bipolar disorder actually did to the brain:  Brain scans of thousands of bipolar individuals showed thinning of grey matter, especially in areas of the brain that control inhibition and motivation.   They  also looked at scans of patients that took lithium, and discovered that it provides an amount of protection from this.  

My mom passed away several years before this information came out.  I think she would have found it vindicating...but she had already benefited from the research that has been done. Even in her lifetime additional medications came out that worked better for her than the ones she was originally prescribed, that helped immensely during the last decades of her life.  I have so much hope that things will keep improving for those who face this illness in the future.

~~~

If anyone reading this feels like they might need help, I wanted to point you to the Suicide & Crisis hotline, which is NOT just for those who are suicidal.  It's also for those in any sort of crisis who need to talk with someone, and for those seeking help for a loved one.   1-800-273-8255
  

Mental Health Awareness Collab

A group you-tubers and one blogger (me) are collaborating to talk about Mental Health issues today.   Check out the other collaborators videos below.








December 31, 2016

Happy New Year!




Ring Out, Wild Bells
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out thy mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.



Happy New Year!!







Thanks to Graphics Fairy  for the Bells Illustration 

December 5, 2016

Scribbleprints Giveaway


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