10 Online Survey Tips to Keep You Safe!
Interested in taking online surveys but not sure if you should?
Here some tips that will help keep your personal information
safe, and will help you reap the rewards of being an online
surveys panelist.
1. Register only with online survey panels that list a privacy
policy on their website
2. Look for panels approved by the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
and that have privacy policies reviewed by TRUSTe or features
the WebTrust for Online Privacy Seal of Assurance.
3. Beware of "survey websites" asking you to receive information
for special offers and other survey panels during registration -
these websites may sell your name and information to other
companies that will send you spam.
4. Always set up a separate e-mail account exclusively for
survey invitations. This will make it easier for you to see how
many surveys you have received, and will avoid spam being sent
to your personal e-mail address, should you make a mistake and
register with an unreputable surveys website.
5. Beware of "survey websites" that ask for overtly personal
information such as your bank account information, credit card
numbers, full names of family members, etc. A real online market
research company would never ask you to provide this type of
information.
6. Be cautious of "get rich quick" websites. You cannot get rich
taking online surveys. However, you can make a decent amount of
cash on the side participating in surveys.
7. Legitimate online survey e-mail invitations will provide
information on the type of study being conducted, the survey
length, and the incentive for completion. Do not respond or
click on e-mail "survey invitations" that feature ads to win
products, cash, etc. These e-mails are not coming from
legitimate market research companies!
8. Some research companies will ask you to download software
after registration. This software usually tracks your web
browsing habits and the information is then sent to marketers.
It is ok to download this software if you can verify a
legitimate market research firm is running the site - do your
homework to make sure that this is indeed the case.
9. Look for mentions of marketing association memberships on
survey panel websites. Reputable associations include CASRO
(Council of American Survey Research Organizations) and the
AAPOR (American Association for Public Opinion Research).
10. Your opinion counts! Marketers truly are interested in what
you think, enough to reward you with cash and prizes just for
sharing your thoughts. Stay cautious when registering with
online survey panels, but when you've found a reputable panel -
have fun and reap the rewards of being a panellist!