Finally, a little green!!
Written: Sep 10 '04
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I am an admitted online-survey taking addict. I think I’m a member of close to two dozen survey sites, some more profitable than others. Greenfield Online initially left a bad impression, but after being a member for about nine months now, I have to say I am more than impressed. In fact, this has become one of my most favorite - and most profitable - survey sites.
The general idea...
Greenfield Online works for the same purpose as any other survey site. They provide surveys to consumers to get feedback on new or existing products and services for major corporations. These surveys are often targeted towards a specific demographic which, of course, directly affects the number of surveys you are asked to be a part of. They e-mail you an invitation, and you can either participate through a link provided in the e-mail, or just delete it if you don’t feel like taking the time. Most surveys offered by e-mail take between ten and forty minutes to complete - a fairly reasonable amount of time. In exchange, you are offered either a cash incentive (usually between $1.00 and $20.00 by e-mail invite, depending on length of survey) or an entry into a drawing for a larger prize. Membership is free (and I would never recommend a survey site that you have to pay to join!).
Getting started....
All you really need to do to get started is to enter some basic information at the Greenfield Online website. This includes e-mail address, name, and address information for the purpose of sending out rewards. After that, you can choose to take a few profile surveys. These allow Greenfield to sort out which surveys you will be eligible for. For example, you may be asked about entertainment interests, which will determine your placement in a future survey about movies or music. There are several available, and filling them out is optional, although I highly recommend it as you will receive more surveys that are better geared towards your interests.
The pros
Many survey sites offer little chance to actually earn a reward because new surveys are rarely added. Such is not the case with Greenfield. This site offers me by far the most opportunities per month. On average, I will receive six or so invites a week by e-mail alone, and oftentimes more are available if you visit the website as well. Also, once every two or three months, you may be asked to participate in an interactive group survey. These are the best opportunities. You will be invited by e-mail to participate and must respond that you will be available at the listed date and time. Often, multiple dates are made available and times are usually in the early evening. You will be sent a confirmation e-mail if you are accepted to join. The day of the survey, you will receive an e-mail with a link to the interactive forum. Typically, ten people total will participate as a group under the direction of a moderator. These surveys take about 75 minutes to complete, but you can also surf the web and do other things while participating. These provide the major payouts - a guaranteed $25.00 and up.
The cons
The only downside is that oftentimes you will be disqualified from a survey even though you met the demographic requirement to be initially invited. You start the survey by entering your basic information - e-mail address, age, sex, and a few other qualifying questions. If you do not meet the exact interests of the survey, the survey ends. This can be frustrating, as about half of the surveys you will be disqualified from. Also, you must wait 4 to 6 weeks from completing the survey to be notified if you have won a reward. There is no instant gratification here, although the actual chance of winning is high. You can also check the website monthly for a list of the people who won prizes. The site is a bit annoying to navigate - everywhere you turn, you have to re-enter your member name (e-mail address) and password to proceed.
Show me the money!
Payouts are by check only, and you must log into the site to request payout. I have noticed that I don’t always receive my e-mail notification when I earn money, so I check back once a month or so to see how much is in my account. Usually it is the guaranteed payouts from the group surveys that show up first. Checks take 6-8 weeks to receive, but they are good about getting them out.
To join, or not to join, that is the question!
If you already participate in other online survey sites, you will definitely see a pleasant difference here in the number of surveys available and the higher reward amounts - no accumulating “points” towards unobtainable prizes. They do start out a little weak with new users, but once you get a few months into it, it turns out to be a really great site. Overall, I can definitely recommend this site, and you have nothing to lose - if you don’t like it, all you have to do is visit the site to cancel your membership.
Similar sites you may enjoy..
GoZing Online Surveys
It Pays To Learn
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Tina
Location: New York!
Reviews written: 112
Trusted by: 29 members
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