by: Keith Watson
On-line surveys are big business and you are being encouraged to take part, as companies are keen to get your opinions on new products or services...
And why not get involved? On the surface this appears to be an attractive and easy way to earn extra money, wherever, whenever. This is not from personal use though, so as always - 'buyer beware'.
But here is something that makes me smile.
What follows is a typical sentence from a website promoting the lifestyle that is possible by carrying out on-line surveys as a way of earning a living.
"Imagine waking up, logging on, filling out a few surveys, and getting a paycheck at the end of the month! You can do it in your underwear!"
I see this approach all the time!
Why is the idea of working in your night attire or under garments so appealing? Perhaps it is - I feel a survey coming on!
Anyway I digress.
Online Market research is a £500 million pound a year industry, and this money is being paid out every day to people like you! These companies need your opinion about new products and advertisements, and this information is so valuable to them that you can earn a lot of extra money by taking part!
In my thirst for knowledge, I decided to dig a bit deeper and find out why these companies spend so much money, and how they use the data.
Whoops! Mistake.
Now, I'm a simple man, and I had waded in too deep. Read the next paragraph. I mean it.
"When the site, documentation or software has been modified to incorporate the prescriptive input from the usability testing, online survey work can once again measure how well the designers have captured the essence of the usability counsel. It is at this phase that some confusion has occurred when survey-based assessments have been referred to as usability testing. In out opinion, this should be more correctly referred to as perceptual affirmation, because although some online surveys include task-based stimuli, the feedback is generally not the probative and iterative measurement found in the classical usability assessment procedure..."
Try it again and then I'll test you.
Who spotted the spelling mistake? Well, you couldn't expect an academic to worry about the spelling of a three letter word (in out opinion).
I digress again.
If anyone wants the reference source, just e-mail me, because there are pages more like this.
Now, I'm sure that the academic quoted here has a point, and has probably contributed more than I will ever fathom, to the way we live and shop today. And frankly, good luck to him/her, as we all have to earn a living.
However, I have surfaced again just to say - look - they are prepared to pay for your opinion, so if you are seeking a stay-at-home, but must-make-money solution to your needs, this may provide an answer.
Right - I'm off to get dressed.
Oh, and apologies to any academic that should read this.