The Survey Experiment - The Risks

Before I signed up for any surveys or gave out any personal information, I thought about the risks... What exactly did I NOT want to happen during the experiment? For starters, I didn't want an inbox full of spam mail. Easy solution to that one, I made up a new email account, one that I didn't mind being filled with ridiculous emails. I did NOT want to receive any phone calls or increase the risk of my phone number being sold to telemarketing companies. Another easy solution, never ever give out your cell phone or home phone number. I did NOT want to be a victim of identity theft. Never give out your social security number to a suspicious website, I can't think of many reasons why you should have to give it to someone online other than a credit check or for car insurance...

Well, those are the biggies... However there are other risks, such as wasting hours of your time to make a few cents. Limiting survey time will play a large role in my experiment. After all, this is a "hobby" not a full time job, I've already got one and definitly don't need two. I have decided to limit myself to 1 hour of survey time per day or allow myself to complete surveys while watching TV or movies. I look at it as time I would not have been doing anything constructive anyway, so why not try to earn a few bucks while watching?

Another risk is enrolling in a survey company that receives a lot of bad feedback from users. If a survey company doesn't issue their rewards or has shady behavior like terminating user accounts when they have finally accrued enough points to cash out, don't sign up! This site obviously isn't worth your time. But how do you know which sites are honest? Do your research! If you are going to spend the time signing up for a research company and completing the tedious user panels, perform a search for reviews on the survey site! There are tons of them out there. Many blogs and forums will reveal personal experience, and there are several websites dedicated to debunking survey frauds and scams. One of my favorites thus far is http://www.surveypolice.com/american-consumer-opinion. They have a good user rating system that tells you the top survey sites as well as ranks their privacy settings, payouts, user satisfaction, etc... As I find more reliable sites, I will post them. Always read the privacy statement and terms of agreement, I know if takes more time up front, but it may save you a lot of grief later. So, I think that covers the basic risks and my initial parameters for beginning my survey experiment.


Risks

• SPAM mail (avoid clogging your primary email by creating a new account or use filters)
• Telemarketers (Never give out your phone number, a few dollars is not worth your sanity)
• Identity Theft (Never give out your social security # or credit card info to a shady site)
• Wasting you time! (Do not invest hours and hours of your life, make it a hobby)
• Scam sites (Do your research before you sign up, read user reviews)
• Read the privacy statement and terms of agreement