By Andrew Jamaz
I saw an interesting question online recently... "Can you make money from surveys?" It would be nice, wouldn't it? You spend five minutes doing a survey and earn $5. That's a very handsome $60 per hour… fantastic money for sitting at your computer checking boxes when you get a spare half-hour. So, can it be done?
Well, let's look at it objectively. Demographical information, as collected by surveys is valuable marketing information. If a company can find out what brand of soap people prefer and why, they can make sure that their next soap product will be well received. Lots of money is being spent to collect that kind of information. Therefore, money may well be available to participants. You give up your data and time in exchange for a few dollars per survey. It sounds like it could work.
But, if you're getting paid to take the survey, you would immediately fall into a specific demographic of people who have signed up to take surveys in order to earn cash. While some marketers would want to poll that demographic, most won't. They'll want to poll their customers, their resellers, their target markets. Perhaps polling people who have signed up in order to earn money will bias their data.
Then there's all the possible scams, schemes and cons that relate to the "get paid to take a survey" market. There are a lot of companies who promise you "rewards" for taking surveys... rewards that turn out to be "points" which you need to accumulate to exchange for "prizes" that you may not even want. Even legitimate surveys may take a long time to complete. If one takes 30 minutes and earns you $3, is it worth it?
By the way, be very careful to read the small-print when you sign up to take surveys. Otherwise you may well find that your name/email address will be sold to many more companies. It may be wise to get a free email address and use that when you sign up, just to be safe.
Finally, there's the outright scam of asking you to pay to join and then not supplying any surveys, or not paying you for completed surveys. I wouldn't recommend you paid to join for any reason. If you're valuable to the company sending out surveys, they should pay you to join… at the very least it should be free to join.
It's possible there are quality companies who pay cash for people to take surveys... after all, as I said at the beginning, your information is potentially valuable to marketing companies... but you will need to be very careful about the company you select. And please, don't believe the hype that taking surveys is an easy way to make money... if it was, everyone would be doing it.
Article by Andrew Jamaz, on behalf of http://www.RefreshArticles.com/articles/
At http://www.RefreshArticles.com we add a new quality article every 30 minutes. Visit us now for quality tips and information on every topic!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Jamaz
http://EzineArticles.com/?Can-You-Really-Make-Money-By-Taking-Surveys?&id=430007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Feedback systems: How They Work to Protect Your Online Reputation Part I
Feedback systems: How They Work to Protect Your Online Reputation Part I
By Kamau Austin
Increasingly online services which operate in a broker capacity are employing feedback systems to allow the users of the services to police themselves. eBay may have been the first online service to use feedback, but the concept is not new anymore.
A feedback system is a form of checks and balances that allows users to weigh in on how they rate the quality of the transactions in which they have been involved.
How Does A Feedback System Work?
With services that employ a feedback system, each user has a number in parenthesis after their user ID. For example, Usera(122)'s feedback number is 122. This means that out of all of the transactions that Usera has been involved with, 122 fellow users have opted to leave a one-line message about how they rate their satisfaction with the transaction.
Buyers or those that have contracted to have services provided leave feedback for sellers and those that provide services; and sellers on service providers leave feedback for buyers and those that have contracted to have services provided. In addition, to a one line message the user selects a radio button of either; positive, negative or neutral which is the actual rating that gets assigned to the transaction.
A positive feedback message adds one point to the number that is to the right of a user's ID. A negative feedback rating decreases the user's feedback number by one, and the neutral feedback rating neither adds to nor decreases the total.
The feedback system works so well because each party in the transaction gets a shot to rate their experience. As a seller, if the buyer pays in a timely manner and doesn't make any unreasonable requests, the seller is likely to leave positive feedback or the buyer.
If the seller ships promptly and doesn't make any claims that are not supported by the actual product, then the buyer is inclined to leave positive feedback for the seller.
The system works because each participant gets an equal opportunity to leave feedback. The buyer and seller are more inclined to leave feedback that accurately represents the transaction because they know that the other party has the same opportunity to leave feedback and can retaliate if they do not like or agree with the feedback left for them.
Under normal circumstances, once feedback is not retractable, although there are exceptions to this rule. The permanent nature of feedback makes it important to leave only feedback that accurately portrays the transaction. For this reason, feedback should not be left in anger or when one is upset with a transaction. Take time to reflect on the transaction and accurately reflect your experience.
Most services suggest that their users think twice before leaving negative feedback since this can damage the reputation of the user for whom the negative feedback is left. In most instances, users are encouraged to work out their differences before resorting to leaving bad feedback, although in some instances, it may be warranted.
Most long-term users of an online service have feedback ratings of at least 99.0%. This means that almost all of the feedback that has been left for them has been positive. It is difficult for sellers and buyers to be successful with feedback ratings of less than 99.0% because of the vast numbers of users who have 100% feedback ratings.
The higher the feedback rating, the more secure users feel about the quality and integrity of a particular user with whom they may be involved in a transaction.
A feedback system raises the perceived value of a service when compared with similar services that may not employ a feedback system. The thinking is that feedback systems take care of the users of the service by providing a way to weed out any unscrupulous users.
Feedback and comments are becoming an indispensable part of Web 2.0. In this second major evolution of the web space with rich web applications and social networking, major players are emerging with outstanding feed back systems.
New players like Digg.com, YouTube.com, and Myspace are taking social networking and feedback to another level. From the vantage point of business, a new service like Iganit.com really shines.
www.iGanit.com is like a Craig's List on steroids because it brings the power of YouTube.com and video to buying from local service businesses and to finding great deals for its users. iGanit.com employs a feedback system that allows both service providers and service users to rate the quality of the transactions in which they have been involved. Plus iGanit.com serves local areas through its web properties like www.AtlantaBestBargins.com. These properties give local communities state-of-the-art online buying and selling platforms.
As a business person, you definitely want to use websites with feedback systems as a source to buy, sell, and outsource services or find great deals. Feedback systems are an essential part of doing trade and eCommerce online.
Kamau Austin is an ecommerce evangelist and enthusiast. He publishes the tech business and finance site http://www.Einfonews.com He enjoys reviewing top Web 2.0 applications like Digg.com, MySpace.com and http://www.iGanit.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kamau_Austin
http://EzineArticles.com/?Feedback-systems:-How-They-Work-to-Protect-Your-Online-Reputation-Part-I&id=424057
By Kamau Austin
Increasingly online services which operate in a broker capacity are employing feedback systems to allow the users of the services to police themselves. eBay may have been the first online service to use feedback, but the concept is not new anymore.
A feedback system is a form of checks and balances that allows users to weigh in on how they rate the quality of the transactions in which they have been involved.
How Does A Feedback System Work?
With services that employ a feedback system, each user has a number in parenthesis after their user ID. For example, Usera(122)'s feedback number is 122. This means that out of all of the transactions that Usera has been involved with, 122 fellow users have opted to leave a one-line message about how they rate their satisfaction with the transaction.
Buyers or those that have contracted to have services provided leave feedback for sellers and those that provide services; and sellers on service providers leave feedback for buyers and those that have contracted to have services provided. In addition, to a one line message the user selects a radio button of either; positive, negative or neutral which is the actual rating that gets assigned to the transaction.
A positive feedback message adds one point to the number that is to the right of a user's ID. A negative feedback rating decreases the user's feedback number by one, and the neutral feedback rating neither adds to nor decreases the total.
The feedback system works so well because each party in the transaction gets a shot to rate their experience. As a seller, if the buyer pays in a timely manner and doesn't make any unreasonable requests, the seller is likely to leave positive feedback or the buyer.
If the seller ships promptly and doesn't make any claims that are not supported by the actual product, then the buyer is inclined to leave positive feedback for the seller.
The system works because each participant gets an equal opportunity to leave feedback. The buyer and seller are more inclined to leave feedback that accurately represents the transaction because they know that the other party has the same opportunity to leave feedback and can retaliate if they do not like or agree with the feedback left for them.
Under normal circumstances, once feedback is not retractable, although there are exceptions to this rule. The permanent nature of feedback makes it important to leave only feedback that accurately portrays the transaction. For this reason, feedback should not be left in anger or when one is upset with a transaction. Take time to reflect on the transaction and accurately reflect your experience.
Most services suggest that their users think twice before leaving negative feedback since this can damage the reputation of the user for whom the negative feedback is left. In most instances, users are encouraged to work out their differences before resorting to leaving bad feedback, although in some instances, it may be warranted.
Most long-term users of an online service have feedback ratings of at least 99.0%. This means that almost all of the feedback that has been left for them has been positive. It is difficult for sellers and buyers to be successful with feedback ratings of less than 99.0% because of the vast numbers of users who have 100% feedback ratings.
The higher the feedback rating, the more secure users feel about the quality and integrity of a particular user with whom they may be involved in a transaction.
A feedback system raises the perceived value of a service when compared with similar services that may not employ a feedback system. The thinking is that feedback systems take care of the users of the service by providing a way to weed out any unscrupulous users.
Feedback and comments are becoming an indispensable part of Web 2.0. In this second major evolution of the web space with rich web applications and social networking, major players are emerging with outstanding feed back systems.
New players like Digg.com, YouTube.com, and Myspace are taking social networking and feedback to another level. From the vantage point of business, a new service like Iganit.com really shines.
www.iGanit.com is like a Craig's List on steroids because it brings the power of YouTube.com and video to buying from local service businesses and to finding great deals for its users. iGanit.com employs a feedback system that allows both service providers and service users to rate the quality of the transactions in which they have been involved. Plus iGanit.com serves local areas through its web properties like www.AtlantaBestBargins.com. These properties give local communities state-of-the-art online buying and selling platforms.
As a business person, you definitely want to use websites with feedback systems as a source to buy, sell, and outsource services or find great deals. Feedback systems are an essential part of doing trade and eCommerce online.
Kamau Austin is an ecommerce evangelist and enthusiast. He publishes the tech business and finance site http://www.Einfonews.com He enjoys reviewing top Web 2.0 applications like Digg.com, MySpace.com and http://www.iGanit.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kamau_Austin
http://EzineArticles.com/?Feedback-systems:-How-They-Work-to-Protect-Your-Online-Reputation-Part-I&id=424057
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Spyware Programs: Are Sneaky Ventures Occuring on Your Personal Computer (PC)?
By Jennifer Charleston
There are a number of definitions for the term spyware. As you know from the movies, the calling card of a spy is that he or she is sneaky and not easily noticed. Spyware is an application that performs sneaky activities behind the user’s back. These covert activities can include; installing itself onto your computer, gathering information about you and transmitting it across the internet, downloading files or running programs on your computer, messing with your system settings, or even trying to silently pass itself on to others.
Know about spyware
Spyware is a term that is used to describe the software that collects personal information about you (usually so it can then show you targeted ads) or change the configuration of your computer. The problem is spyware performs these activities without obtaining your consent first. Spyware is often associated with software that displays advertisements or tracks personal or sensitive information.
Different strains of spyware perform different functions. Some may try to hijack your browser and take you to an unexpected site. Other strains may cause your computer to dial expensive 900 numbers or replace the home page settings in your browser with other sites. Spyware might also attempt to serve you personal ads (even while you are offline). The type of spyware that serves you personalized advertisements is most commonly called adware (it is also known as malware or scumware).
Where it starts
It is estimated that 90 percent of all computers utilizing the internet are infected with spyware. So just how is spyware installing itself onto all these computers?
Well, in many cases, the user is the one installing the spyware. The problem is many popular programs come bundled with spyware. The end user licensing agreement of these programs often disclose all the information concerning the spyware, but most users do not read them before installing the program. So while downloading a new application, you may be doing yourself a disservice by also installing spyware.
In addition to downloading spyware yourself, you might visit a website with a pop up window informing you that site will not display correctly unless you allow it to install a file. If you answer yes, you can inadvertently load the spyware. Spam emails often come with spyware attachments. For that reason, it is very important to never open an attachment from an email when you don’t know who the sender is.
If you are ready to keep your personal computer safe from spyware, check-out our best spyware removal page. Get access to free trial downloads, screenshots of how the tools operate and antispyware tips.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Charleston
http://EzineArticles.com/?Spyware-Programs:-Are-Sneaky-Ventures-Occuring-on-Your-Personal-Computer-(PC)?&id=423850
There are a number of definitions for the term spyware. As you know from the movies, the calling card of a spy is that he or she is sneaky and not easily noticed. Spyware is an application that performs sneaky activities behind the user’s back. These covert activities can include; installing itself onto your computer, gathering information about you and transmitting it across the internet, downloading files or running programs on your computer, messing with your system settings, or even trying to silently pass itself on to others.
Know about spyware
Spyware is a term that is used to describe the software that collects personal information about you (usually so it can then show you targeted ads) or change the configuration of your computer. The problem is spyware performs these activities without obtaining your consent first. Spyware is often associated with software that displays advertisements or tracks personal or sensitive information.
Different strains of spyware perform different functions. Some may try to hijack your browser and take you to an unexpected site. Other strains may cause your computer to dial expensive 900 numbers or replace the home page settings in your browser with other sites. Spyware might also attempt to serve you personal ads (even while you are offline). The type of spyware that serves you personalized advertisements is most commonly called adware (it is also known as malware or scumware).
Where it starts
It is estimated that 90 percent of all computers utilizing the internet are infected with spyware. So just how is spyware installing itself onto all these computers?
Well, in many cases, the user is the one installing the spyware. The problem is many popular programs come bundled with spyware. The end user licensing agreement of these programs often disclose all the information concerning the spyware, but most users do not read them before installing the program. So while downloading a new application, you may be doing yourself a disservice by also installing spyware.
In addition to downloading spyware yourself, you might visit a website with a pop up window informing you that site will not display correctly unless you allow it to install a file. If you answer yes, you can inadvertently load the spyware. Spam emails often come with spyware attachments. For that reason, it is very important to never open an attachment from an email when you don’t know who the sender is.
If you are ready to keep your personal computer safe from spyware, check-out our best spyware removal page. Get access to free trial downloads, screenshots of how the tools operate and antispyware tips.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Charleston
http://EzineArticles.com/?Spyware-Programs:-Are-Sneaky-Ventures-Occuring-on-Your-Personal-Computer-(PC)?&id=423850
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