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Some people love them and some people can't be bothered with them.  Survey sites – do you have the patience to be a winner?

There are numerous survey sites out there.  Personally, I don't have the time and patience to enter all of them, but I do participate in a few.  One of the more popular survey sites that I like is Pinecone.  Once you sign on and are in their database, they will email you when they have a survey for you.  Their surveys always begin with an agreement that you won't discuss survey specifics, so the example I am mentioning here is completely made up and not based on an actual survey I have completed for them.

A typical survey would be for a product that the sponsor believes you might use.  If your profile says, you are a 50 year old single guy, you won't get the diaper surveys.  You might get a survey that could suit anybody, like paper towels, or you could get a survey about hair loss, since the sponsor thinks this might be of concern to you.

The length of the survey will vary.  Sometimes you will be shown pictures of the product and asked to provide your feedback.  Sometimes you will be given a chart where you mark off attributes that you think apply to the product.  Other times you will be asked to rank a product.  At the end of the survey, you may be selected to receive an actual sample of the product.  Whether or not you get a product sample, completing a survey earns you $3, paid immediately through PayPal.  Some sites will give you the opportunity to earn an entry into a prize sweepstakes.  Other sites allow you to earn points and then redeem them for prizes.  You need to work to enter these sweepstakes, but they can be worth the effort.