Survey says (updates, notes, asides)

Awhile back, I recommended Your2Cents as a way to make a few bucks taking surveys. That company has recently merged with another, and is now known as Toluna.

I've completed several surveys since the changeover, and still recommend the service. As a matter of fact, it has a few new ways of earning "points" which can be converted into cash or sweepstakes entries -- sponsored "quick polls" and that sort of thing.

So far I've earned and received $40 from Your2Cents/Toluna. I have another $10 check on the way, and am most of the way to requesting another. They don't seem to have an affiliate program, so I'm not making money by sending you their way, but they're worth the recommendation.

Lightspeed Consumer Panel is another online survey/research company I've worked with, and I've recently started doing their surveys again (didn't hear from them for awhile -- I think my spam traps were catching the invitations for some reason). Over the last few years I've knocked down $30 in cash and Amazon gift certificates from them, and have another $5-$10 worth of redeemable points in my account at the moment.

I'd also send you their way without an affiliate program, but they do have one. I've made a little money by referring people in the past, but they just revamped the program and I'm going through their signup process again ... so I'm going to wait a couple of days until I get the new referral info before I set up a link here. Might as well make money off y'all when I can, right?

Inline update, 08/11/09: Ah, here we go! Graphic and everything, concentrating on the "downloads as rewards" angle!]



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Here's the thing to remember: You aren't going to get rich by filling out online surveys. Certainly not if you're honest, and probably not even if you actively game the system or just plain cheat.

But if you like taking surveys -- and I do -- you can pick up a little pocket money and/or some small prizes. Occasionally, actual products come your way: I've received personal care items from manufacturers, plus a token fee for using those products and giving the company my opinions of them. The time commitment isn't huge. Most of the surveys advertise that they'll take 15-30 minutes to complete, and come out toward the shorter end of that estimate. It's something you can do while you're surfing the web anyway, and get rewarded for.

If there's one thing I know about KN@PPSTER's readers, it's that they're opinionated. Might as well get rewarded for sharing your opinions, right?