Taking online paid surveys is a rather quick and easy way to earn extra income online. The attractiveness of internet surveys lie in its convenience and accessibility by people all over the world. Street surveys are somewhat limited to the local geographic but with online paid surveys, there are no boundaries. You can put up a questionnaire at US and have a resident of New Zealand fill it up the next minute.
Online paid surveys are fast becoming the standard medium for market research and gathering of data on consumer habits and behaviors. They are about the fastest way it can get for market research companies to know what consumers want from products and services. This offers tremendous opportunities for income seekers hoping to earn some quick cash from web surveys.
Getting paid for taking online paid surveys and focus groups is a good opportunity to make money online without much risk and investment. Though they cannot help you replace your day job immediately, these surveys can definitely improve your life and financial situation. A few hundred dollars or more can really make a difference in many average families' lives. But not all people who take such questionnaires do it because they are in dire financial conditions as the number of students, stay-at-home mothers and retirees are among the largest groups of survey takers. They love it because of the flexibility and the simplicity.
Paid online surveys normally have about 30 - 40 questions and can pay pretty well from $10 to $50 or even more. There are also quite a lot of $5 surveys lying around but these are quick starters and simple to fill questionnaire. They are ideal if you are starting out and can accumulate quite fast.
The market research companies are not too picky in most cases but you are expected to know how to type and surf the net. Normally, such surveys are in the form of multiple choice questionnaires or require some form of simple one-sentence replies. The requests for participation are often sent to your inbox directly. Focus survey groups on the other hand are conducted via chat systems or special communication systems to simulate a real life experience.
While all is fine about online paid surveys, you are advised to exercise discretion when submitting your personal details at the sites that do not have a clear privacy or non-disclosure policy. You do not want unscrupulous business owners to sell your details as leads to others.
A possible tell-tale sign that something is amiss is when those sites list only their email address or PO box addresses. These could be potential scams but it would also be presumptuous to jump to conclusions. Check out and clarify with the site owner. Perform a "who is" check at the domain registrar to see if the paid survey sites are registered as proxy sites.