Online Surveys: A Few Things to Look at Before Adapting

There are many market research companies that offer online surveys. Some companies even offer money, prizes, and drawings just to collect your opinions. With all this in mind, how do you know which company to choose? Here's a recent post from The M Society that lists the good and the bad on taking online surveys. Good

1. Most online surveys can be taken under 15 minutes; it really depends on the amount of interruptions, your patience, and other factors that might prolong your experience.
2. There is usually no writing involved unless there are questions that require an additional comment.
3. Easy to navigate, usually through a simple click of a button.
4. There is money to be made by taking surveys; many companies offer $1 to $5 by taking an online survey.
5. There is software that people can download that will automatically fill out registration pages, making it much simpler for the consumer.

Bad

1. The money offered by market research companies is very little, not enough to make a living.
2. Higher paying surveys are generally longer than an hour, and so consumers might get impatient and frustrated.
3. Surveys might tailor to one specific gender, age, or other demographic. Consumers might not even qualify to take it.
4. Surveys might be problematic for people who can not stare at a computer screen for minutes at a time.
5. Many survey companies are not legitimate. They make very outlandish offers for free laptops and iPod, only to discover that consumers must register for many different services before getting anything.

These are just a few points that were made in the post. Take a quick look before you decide to launch any online surveys.