Protecting personal information is the number one priority for many people who shop, browse, and socialize online. However, this is a touchy subject for both companies that run paid surveys and those that want to run them. While it’s understandable that you want to keep some of your information secret, leaving out basic contact information, demographics, and even what you think about products, services, and issues is essential when taking online surveys. After all, sharing information is the point of conducting online surveys.
It’s no secret that people fear scams, with news stories sensationalizing identity theft and other fraud. Not to say that these criminal acts don’t happen to unsuspecting Internet users, it’s just not something you’ll find if you sign up with a reputable survey site. For one thing, legitimate companies collect data at an aggregate level, meaning you are never mentioned by name or in any other way that personally identifies you, unless fully disclosed before the survey begins. The companies you survey online only want to have data on generic “types” like “women over 40 living in California” or “men 18-25 playing video games more than 20 hours a week.”
Although in a sense you are considered a nameless person, this does not mean that you can sign up to take surveys like Jane Doe or John Smith. In the same way, he does not report other fictitious data as the truth, such as a change in birthday, educational level, income level or more. This misinformation will distort company data and possibly cause a product or service to be developed, manufactured or marketed incorrectly. Some people even list fake hobbies and hobbies on their profiles in the hope that they will be invited to participate in additional paid surveys. This is also a bad idea, because you may not be able to expertly talk about an issue in the way the corporation expects.
Respondents should always be completely honest about their name and other personal details when taking online surveys. Think of the end result of using a fake name in addition to harming the integrity of the survey project: your paycheck may not be deposited into your account! That’s a waste of everyone’s time. And, if using the wrong mailing address guarantees that the money won’t even make it to the right door. Also, if you are caught using false information, you will be removed from the study and most likely from the survey site as well.
The surest way to find paid surveys to take is to source your leads and invites from a reputable survey database that has done all the legwork and verification for you. Go one step further by consulting the BBB, reading the survey site’s forums, and reading the privacy policy for each survey view. And, let the alarm go off and drop the survey like a hot potato if it asks for information that is also such as Social Security numbers and credit card accounts.
