The Reason Why Paid Survey Sites Multiply Faster Than Bacteria

Imagine if you could make a dollar every time you handed someone a special sheet of paper. To earn the dollar, all you would have to do is get people to read that sheet of paper.

Normally, you would think that making money in this fashion would be a great thing. However, you would soon find out that you'd have a very big problem on your hands: copycats.

Generate huge amounts of cash for yourself and people will always take notice. Not only will they copy your business model, but they will do anything they can do make their business look good while making your business look bad.

Enter the infamous paid survey site. Websites that claim you can make big bucks by taking a few surveys online every now and then.

It wasn't long ago when I first saw one of these sites and thought to myself: "Wow, what a great way to make a little extra cash for myself."

Little did I know, this was just one of a million other survey sites out there basically offering the same type of deal. I was under the impression that the site I joined was reputable and unique.

That couldn't be further from the truth. Hundreds, if not thousands of these paid survey sites exist. Unfortunately 99% of them are exactly the same.

Why so many clones you ask? It's because paid survey sites are similar to the "sheet of paper" example that I mentioned earlier. Paid survey sites are a profitable business and they are incredibly easy to copy.

Let's take an example:

Joe spends a Sunday afternoon surfing the web and stumbles across a paid survey site. He reads that he can get paid for his opinion by taking surveys online. All he has to do is pay an upfront membership fee to access the database of companies who send out the surveys.

Joe signs up, pays the membership fee, takes a few surveys and makes a few extra bucks. Joe then becomes aware that this paid survey site business model works like a charm. It was able to convince him to pay to access the directory, so why wouldn't it be able to convince other people?

Joe then decides to create a survey site of his own. He already has the big list of survey companies from the site he previously joined. The only thing he has to do is register a domain name, purchase a web host, put a page together and voila: a new paid survey site is born!

So now, not only does Joe receive money from the surveys he's taking, but also from the upfront membership fee he charges his visitors to access the exact same list of survey companies that got him started in the first place!

Each person that signs up at Joe's new website represents yet another possibility that he or she will take notice of this survey site business model and create one them self.

Thus you can see just how quickly these types of sites are copied. They really do multiply faster than bacteria!

But what does this mean for you?

Well, quite frankly, you're getting ripped off. Not only are these paid survey sites copycats of one another, the list of companies that they charge you for is actually available for free!

Yes, you read that right. These survey companies are not classified C.I.A documents. They're out there on the web to be found. They're just looking to do market research and they need help from people like you to give opinions on their products.

The trouble lies in knowing where to find these companies. That's where these paid survey sites enter the picture. Upon paying the membership fee, you are given access to a huge, neatly organized list of companies that send out the surveys.

But I would wager you would have an uneasy feeling inside your stomach knowing you're paying for something that you know is freely available. Am I right?

Those were my feelings as well, so I decided to do some legwork and create a website listing some of the top survey companies without charging a fee upfront to access them.

After all, not everyone wants to be known as bacteria.

For over three years, Michael Hole has been an online entrepreneur and is the creator of several websites, including one of the best sources to find free listings of paid survey companies: http://www.WealthBySurveys.com

Survey Determines Which MLM Companies Have Most Loyalty from Distributors...and Which is Actually the Best and Why

Hi, I am Gary Konigsberg of Los Angeles. I wanted to confirm that my chosen multilevel marketing opportunity was indeed the best of all the competitor internet and offline-based multilevel marketing opportunities before I gave it a full go at building it. So I decided to go to the top mlm online forums and survey the people there as to which companies had captured their loyalty and why.

I left the door open to be corrected in case anything truly exceptional came across his plate. The results of his postings at the top mlm forums can be found at the website in the resource box below. After taking a good look, I didn't find anything more exceptional near my "plate" than my healthy coffee opportunity.

After getting many answers in different locations I ams now more confident than ever that his healthy coffee business is the best home based business ever.

It seems that the most popular at these forums are Success University and Usana. They are great programs I am sure but they don't have the numerous advantages offered by healthy coffee. Most notably, their market is smaller and the response that you get when you try to promote the programs to people is one of unfamiliarity. So you have to do a lot of enlightenment. Whereas the market for the Healthy Coffee biz has the following advantages.

World's second largest traded commodity second only to oil Our coffee tastes better than oil. :) Actually it tastes great. All the other nutritional juice companies and such offer great health benefits from their product but they are all competing for a share of that same market. Our market is pretty much everyone you meet. And there is no sales resistance. People are delighted to find out that there is coffee that is good for them. How good? Our coffee has less caf than decaf, It gives a nice energy boost that lasts throughout the day, not just until the next cup and without the jitters. Also promotes better sleep and... balances the ph of the body so that all systems and organs of the body get optimized. Our compensation and bonuses plan is great and you can be a business associate for $100. And we have had over half a billion in North American sales in our first year alone. We have been overseas for 10 years. We are launching a set and forget system in one week's time so anyone can make money whether they are pro marketers or not."

I invite all who are seeking a fun and lucrative home based business with real benefit to all to help make a better world through healthy coffee. He further invites current business associates of other home based business companies to match up their present home based business against what they currently have. Take an honest look and be willing to make a change if anything better comes along. Such as healthy coffee!

Of course the real story here is that there is now such a thing as healthy coffee. With many Americans poisoning themselves with caffeine loaded coffee 2-5 times/day (one top chain has 300 mgs of caffeine in a single cup!) this is exciting news indeed! What makes this coffee healthy is an herb that has been used in Oriental medicine for 4000 years! Known as the King of the Herbs or Reishi (latin name ganoderma lucidurm) this amazing coffee has less caffeine than decaffeinated but still gives a great energy lift - one that lasts a whole day, not just until your next cup but without the jitters! It also has many tests showing it is beneficial to all conditions, systems and organs of the body... circulatory, digestive, elimination, respiratory, nerve systems all benefit, results have been obtained in treating high blood pressure, high and low blood sugar, prostate, liver and even mental health conditions. It normalizes the entire system and optimizes performance across all areas of biological function. It even detoxifies and promotes a good night's sleep. This is why it has been known as the king of the herbs for 4000 years in the Orient. So this is exciting news for one and all.

To join me in my quest to make a better world through healthy coffee visit the site in the resource box below where you will also find out the incredible health benefits that this healthy coffee does offer.

Garko is on a mission to make the world better through healthy coffee! Join him! http://myfavorite-mlm.com

Are Paid Surveys For Real?

Do you prefer Frosted Flakes or Raisin Bran? What kind of car do you think you'll buy next? Can you name 10 brands of beer?

If you think it might be fun to answer questions like the ones above, you're a good candidate to take paid surveys.

While some people still find it hard to believe, it's absolutely true that companies are willing to pay you to take surveys. Why? It's simple; your opinions matter.

For example, before a company releases (or even makes) a product, they need to know if it's a good idea. After all, they don't want to incur the huge costs of creating and marketing something that won't sell. So they hire a market research company to survey people (like you) and find out what they think.

Similarly, some companies just want to identify trends or discover ways of improving existing products. Do you prefer their product or one of their competitor's? Why? Is it cost? Is it quality? Something else? If you could change their product to make it better, what would you tweak? All of that information is incredibly valuable to a company. And they're willing to pay for it.

That's where you come in.

All you need to do is join a market research panel. The more panels you join, the more paid surveys you'll get. The good news: there are a lot of panels online and they're all free to join. The bad news: there are a lot of panels online.

Finding the best companies to join is difficult. But you have a few options.

1) Do it yourself.

You can search online for market research companies, ask friends who may have experience taking paid surveys, etc. This can be pretty time consuming. Another difficulty may be trying to decipher which market research companies send frequent surveys or which ones pay the most. Why take the time to join a company if they're defunct, rarely send surveys, or pay minuscule amounts for your time? You'll either never receive any paid surveys or those that you do get won't be worth taking.

2) Pay a web site.

There are many web sites which claim to have extensive lists of companies that will pay to take surveys. Most of these sites charge people $35 - $50 to gain access to their list. If you go this route, make sure the list only contains active companies (so you don't waste time on companies that no longer exist) and gives details about which ones are the best to join. It's also a good idea to verify the site offers a money-back satisfaction guarantee. If you're not happy with the list or promises of riches that never materialize (some of the sites make pretty lofty claims about possible income), don't be shy about asking for a refund.

3) Visit a free web site.

If you don't want to shell out the cash, finding a web site that offers a list for free is your best option. You probably won't find a list as large as the pay sites offer but you should be able to discover at least a dozen quality companies worth joining. For most people, that's more than enough to keep them busy.

Whatever path you take on your way to becoming a paid survey expert, it's important to remember one thing: taking paid surveys is a hobby, not a job. Keep that in mind and you'll always enjoy it.

The author is the webmaster of http://www.GetPaidGuides.com, a directory of honest companies that reward people for doing things online - like taking surveys, accepting offers, and reading email

Interesting Opinions On Cigars From Recent Survey

According to a recent survey by the ASC (alt.smokers.cigars) the following results were obtained from a recent online survey of cigar smokers:

86% of cigar smokers report that they do not inhale.

The average number of cigars smoked per week is 6.74 at and average price of $4.34

The best individual cigars were the Romeo y Julieta Churchill(Cuba) with 8 votes, the Cohiba Esplendido(Cuba) and Montecristo(Cuba) each with 7 votes, and rounding out the top five were the AF Flor Fina and the AF Hemmingway Signature both from the Dominican Republic with 5 votes each

The best cigar brands overall were A. Fuente from Dominican Republic with 15 votes, A. Fuente Hemmingway(DR) with 12 votes, the always popular and internationally known Cohiba from Cuba with 12 votes, Excalibur by HdM of Honduras, and in 5th La Gloria Cubana from the United States.

The worst cigars were Phillies, Swisher Sweets, Habana Golds, White Owl, Te-Amo, Dutch Masters, Hav-A-Tampa, El Producto, Garcia y Vega, H Upmann, Hoyo/Excalibur, and King Edward.

According to the survey the 10 most popular cigar smoking celebrities are George Burns in first place, followed by David Letterman in second, then Arnold Schwarzenegger in third, Groucho Marx fourth, Rush Limbaugh fifth, Tom Selleck sixth, Bill Cosby seventh, Jack Nicholson eighth, Winston Churchill ninth, and the character Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld tenth.

The favorite cutting methods were the guillotine, Bulls Eye, and the V-Cut respectively.

The two most popular methods of lighting the cigar were the butane lighter at 51% and wooden matches at 33%.

According to those surveyed 47% said that they smoked a wide variety of cigars while 38% reported smoking their favorites and testers.

Most reported their reason for smoking cigars was relaxation, followed by "makes me light headed" and enjoyment of smoking.

The length of time the responders had been smoking cigars ranged from newcomer to over 40 years with the average being 7.2 years.

49% of those surveyed said they bought both boxes and singles, 34% bought only single cigars and 17% bought only boxes.

44% of the surveyed cigar smokers bought their cigars locally while 42% bought locally and mail order, and 14% through mail order only.

Of those with a humidor they had an average of 162 cigars in the humidor and at an average total value of $250 with most of the cigars coming from Dominica, Honduras, Cuba, and Nicaragua.

According to the survey 88% said they would smoke Cuban cigars on a regular basis if it were not for the United States ban and their opinion about Fidel Castro was pretty even with 53% saying that they had no opinion about him and 45% being Anti-Castro. 43% said they thought the Cuban Embargo would be lifted by 2009.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get great quality cigars at http://www.cubancigarsplus.com

The Importance Of French Property Surveys

In general, when people buy property in this part of France, they do not tend to have structural surveys done. This is very different to buying a property in the UK where nobody buys a property without having a survey.

In the UK, a bank or building society will insist upon a valuation survey to make sure that the property in question is suitable collateral for the amount of the loan. In France, the lending source doesn't always require a survey. A lot of emphasis is put on "Honour" over here. So if you tell the bank that the house is worth 150,000?, why should they think otherwise?

If you do want to get a Languedoc property survey done you can either have a friendly builder take a quick look, or you can have a formal survey done by a qualified surveyor. Languedoc Property Finders always work with companies who have RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) qualified surveyors to survey your house for you. Weather you want a full written report, a bullet point report , a simple verbal report or a combination of these they can tailor a survey to suit your requirements.

They will obviously look out for obvious things such as damp, the condition of the roof and any structural defects but they should also be able to advise you on whether the property is prone to flooding and any other information about the local area which could affect the future value or sale of your property.

With my experience of selling property in both France and the UK I can't emphasis enough the importance of having a survey done on any property which you are buying. It would be like marrying someone without dating first!

We have heard of people buying their dream holiday home and it turns into one disaster after another. We have also all seen the programs on TV which highlight both the ignorance and to a degree the laziness of many holiday home owners who seem to arrive in France with there heart and head no longer connected.

To give you an example of the costs of the surveys we have just arranged a survey for some clients who were purchasing a ?150,000 house. The survey cost ?900, at first this seems a lot but it only represents just over 0.5% of the value of the property, this in my opinion is money well spent.

Gary Ingram is a partner at Languedoc Property Finders are a personal property search company based in South West France. <br /> Visit our website: Languedoc Property Finders or call us on 0044 207 193 9341

Maximize Your Income with 7 Online Survey Tips!

Want to take surveys for cash? Here are some tips that will help you out.

1. Register With As Many Online Survey Companies as Possible
- This will increase your chances of being invited to participate in online surveys. More surveys equal more opportunities to earn cash.

2. Create a Separate e-mail Account for Your Online Surveys
- This will keep your personal e-mail separate from survey invitations and will make it easier to see when you have received an online survey notification.

3. Provide Real Contact Information During Registration
- If a survey company has a privacy policy on their website, it will likely mention that panellist contact information is used only to send payments - actual survey responses are kept anonymous. If you provide fake contact information during registration, don't expect to receive any payments.

4. Complete as Many Online Surveys as Possible
- Not only does completing surveys earn you more money, inactive panellists are often removed from panellist databases, so don't decline to fill out too many surveys!

5. Surveys for Points and Prizes are Valuable Too!
- Not all surveys reward panellists with cash, but for example, would you rather receive $3.00 for completing a survey, or a one in 500 chance of winning $1500? Some panels offer points redeemable for merchandise, store vouchers, or gift certificates. These types of panels can be valuable too because you use cash to buy products anyway.

6. Comment Boxes Can Increase Your Chances
- When a survey questionnaire contains an empty comment box that asks for your opinion on something - provide as much detail as possible. As a result, you may be considered a "high quality respondent", which may result in more survey invitations for you to complete.

7. Keep An Active List
- Make sure to keep an updated list of panels you've registered with so that the next time you come across a panel, you'll know if you've registered with it before or not.

Veronica Dubak is an SEO expert, internet entrepreneur, and owner of the successful SurveyBounty.com free online paid surveys directory. With a comprehensive listing of market research companies classified by region, and background information on the online survey industry, SurveyBounty.com is the internet's most legitimate source for online survey information.

Let Your Survey Write Your Business Plan

By Catherine Franz

Most entrepreneurs first write their business plan and then
develop their services or products. This causes them to
generate and fulfill a marketing plan that requires them to
swim upstream using the backstroke. To save the stress,
consider placing the business plan on hold until first
completing a few customer surveys. Okay, some of you are
saying, "Catherine, how can you do a survey before you know
who your market is?" Yes, this is one challenging double
edge sword, that is, if you're mindset is set there.

Over the years, I've found that everyone I've worked with
generally knew what he or she wanted to sell. I don't
believe you are any different. This is the perfect place to
start. You have a clean slate to write on. You might be at
a place of seeing it in nonspecific terms with measurable
doubts as well. That is okay, doubts will always be there,
thus, allow them to be your friend instead of a foe. Its
easy to start with a gender preference -- choosing either
women or men as having a higher purchasing balance for what
you are selling. If you don't have a majority gender in
mind, choose the one you feel most comfortable talking with
or asking questions to.

Lets dive in a little deeper, its time to start thinking
about your surveys and what to ask. Okay, don't fade out on
me now. Generally, when people think of surveys, they
visualize or experience the sensations of long drawn out
processes that cost more money then they can afford or time
that they don't have the patience for. Boy, do I remember
those days of thinking.

Lets play together on this concept of taking surveys before
writing your business plan. At least, allow the old
perceptions to sit outside your door until you've finished
reading this article and learning of a new possible
alternative perspective. The perspective that surveys come
first and don't need to be time-consuming, money-hungry,
must be done by professionals, mongrels.

Take the area you want to focus on, combine with your gender
preference, and begin there. For instance, if your area is
life coaching and you feel more comfortable with working
with women you have a starting point. This doesn't mean you
will never coach men, set those thoughts aside; they will
block your progress and keep you stuck.

From knowing just this basic information, you can now create
a few simple surveys in no time at all that don't require
any money. Even if you know more specifics about your
buyers, you might want to back it up to this point if you
are stuck in generating questions. To generate this survey
plan you don't need to know whether your focus is for a
product or service, or even if its for electronic,
telephone, or in-person delivery, at this time.

The first question you want to generate and ask is what your
gender wants to buy next. If asked in narrow terms, they
will answer. If asked too broadly, they will respond with
"don't know." If the latter, rewrite the question more
specifically, then ask again. Whenever I start, I sometimes
have to revamp my questions five or six times. Just an FYI,
to help you understand that even the experts refine as they
go. Surveying is an evolutionary process.

A second survey question is for people who have purchased
from you in the past. What are looking for next? What do
they want to accomplish in the next few months or whatever
future terms they desire to talk about?

If you don't have any customer history, then substitute.
Open the scope to what is the gender buying? What is the
cross between what you offer and what they want? What do
they want to do next (short-term) that falls within your
scope?

Continuing with the life coach illustration, what type of
women, what age areas, what type of self-development or
improvement topics are they purchasing now? What is the
regular step past this? What "new" hot topics in the
marketplace that meshes with your area? If you attend a
workshop, conference or seminar, examine the topic, and take
notes on the type of women attending. Record or ask their
age group. Ask a few to complete a survey while they are
there.

Ask one way, then another, and create a list of no more than
six multiple choice, yes or no, questions to ask. Then
continue to ask with whomever you meet, wherever you go.
Talk with the workshop leader or conference marketing people
and find out who they were targeting and why. If the event
is a match for you, collect copies of all their marketing
materials for language learning.

Ask friends, family members, or colleagues. Even if they
don't think these groups fit within your current focus.
Just remember not to stay off focus when doing so. If you
attend a coaching school, ask other coaches that do what you
want to do. What are their clients into, what are they
selling them or what ideas have their clients told them that
they are looking for?

Your survey method you use is up to you. To ease into it,
you will want to ask in the form most comfortable for you at
the time. However, caution, most everyone chooses written
form first in order to avoid any negative responses. In a
B2B survey, negative responses never occur. Everyone knows
why a survey is important. In B2C (business to consumers)
be careful not to cross the line of interrogation or too
personal. Ask politely, with respect, and share why you
want to know.

The number one rule of getting survey responses -- is
KISSing the questions -- "keep them short, simple and as
specific as you can at the time." Special note: Don't use
the contraction and in your sentences. The contraction
"and" creates a multiple question, stacks questions, which
confuses readers and listeners on what you really asking.

As you go through the experience of completing your surveys,
new clarity will flower. The gender equation gets more
specific, the age group narrows, and the rest unfold. One
industry category might begin to show you where there is
greater revenue generation. Allow the data to drive you
towards the right direction. Don't try to control or drive
it yourself. That struggle will cost you dearly.

If you're survey request is in the form of writing, you can
offer something in return for an exchange of their time.
Usually saved for longer surveys, you can create a reward
for short surveys too. Its its too early in your survey
process to know what prospects want, offer something
generic. Match the gift with the amount of time it takes
them to complete the survey. If this is the case, offer
something generic. Offer a $5 gift certificate from
Amazon.com. If local, ask you're favorite restaurant if you
can offer a discount coupon that they will honor. There is
some fr*ee portion to the amount donated on the restaurants
part because it increases their clientele list.

Its time to survey. Allow patience, time, and you will
want to schedule this as a regular routine in your business.
Next, plan your services and products to meet those needs
and then generate your business plan around them.
Catherine Franz, a Business Coach, specializes in writing,
marketing and product development. Newsletters and
additional articles: http://www.abundancecenter.com
blog: http://abundance.blogs.com