Don't Be A Follower

Paid infomercials on late-night TV vary from celebrity-endorsed products to get-rich-quick schemes that can make you a millionaire overnight. It's got to be real, right?

Use this same skepticism when looking at some paid survey sites. Even if they have written testimonials of people who have seen survey success, remember the infomercials. These survey sites might be stretching the truth or altering it to get your membership fee.

A Job That Helps Jobs

There's nothing wrong with working the same job everyday. However, this doesn't work for everyone. Some people weren't made for a day in and day out routine. If this is you, a career in market research might be well suited for you.

A market researcher runs surveys for a variety of different companies. Market researchers can work by themselves or through a survey company. If you are on your own you can make your own hours, but you won't get paid health benefits or additional benefits that would come with working in-house. 

Data You Don't Own

Say you're in a rock band and you cover a Beatles song, but you change a guitar riff to make it sound a bit different. Just because you do this doesn't mean it's your song. The Beatles wrote it and put a copyright on it so others can't steal the song. When dealing with survey services you might come across the same thing.

Some companies might legally own survey data. You can use the data as research and examples for your survey, but you can't call it your own. Before you sign on with a survey company find out if you are just renting, or you can actually own your own data.

A Survey Of Sound Or Sight

Computers have come a long way since the 1980s. Today, computers can handle video and audio files with ease. So much so that survey sites are integrating audio and video samples into surveys. This feature works best when you are trying to create a survey about a particular lecture or boardroom event.