There are over 500 online survey companies advertised on the Internet, and I’ve participated in many of them! I’ve found that, like most things in life, there are good ones, bad ones, and really, really ugly ones.
Good online survey companies actually pay you for your time in cash, gift cards, or points that you can trade for various rewards. They don’t sell your personal information to telemarketers, they don’t flood your e-mail inbox, and they tell you up front exactly what you will receive for completing it. The good survey companies are an excellent way to earn extra money from the privacy of your own home (or anywhere else you can use your computer). That’s all good news! The bad news about the “good” survey companies is that they are few and far between.
Bad survey companies may offer cash and actually pay cash, but they fill your e-mail inbox with so much spam that you have to get a new e-mail address to stop it. They sell your contact information to so many telemarketing and bulk mail companies that you will never again answer the phone without checking your Caller ID, and well over half of your U.S. Mail will go straight into your recycle bin.
The really, really ugly companies are outright scams. They won’t offer you any money, but will tempt you with the chance to win “thousands” of dollars in their sweepstakes. They will attempt to get as much personal information as possible and promptly sell it to third parties. They will try to trick you into signing up for “free” magazines or ringtones and then charge your telephone or cell phone bill for the subscription. They will do anything to try to weasel money out of you and not give a single thing in return.
The really bad thing about the really, really ugly sites is that they prey on the elderly, the young, and the greedy.
So enjoy taking paid online surveys at the good sites, be careful with the bad, and run screaming from the really, really ugly ones.