Tag Archives: apple products drawing

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

It was just a couple of weeks ago that we were discussing Apple impresario Steve Jobs’ retirement. Now we have learned of his passing.

By no means am I in the die-hard Steve Jobs Admiration Society. Not until recently, when I worked for a company whose entire business was making accessories for Apple products, did I give Mr. Jobs much thought. But I have to say that he was a trailblazer. He didn’t just make awesome products to satisfy our needs – he anticipated our needs and invented an entire industry to meet them. In this way, he has been (rightly, I believe) likened to a modern-day Thomas Edison.

So today, that’s what I would like to focus upon, as opposed to speculating on the effect on Apple’s shares. Just yesterday, we had the first big Apple teleconference without him, and many were under-whelmed. Who knows? Maybe they were anticipating the news.

So what do you think?

Blogging Year in Review, el parte uno

This week marks the one-year anniversary of MindField Online jumping into the world of social media, including the blog, our Facebook page and Twitter feed. In social media, old stuff tends to get buried under new, and useful info sometimes gets lost. So for this reason (as well as misplaced nostalgia) we take a two-part look at the past year.

We took time to learn about Consumer Testing. Some of it was “inside baseball,” as they say, others were pretty useful!

Along the way, we took time to discuss features, changes and improvements to the system, including

Looking back, one thing becomes clear: we use a LOT of exclamation points! Anyway, this is just SOME of the excitement we have perpetrated in the past year. More tomorrow, and THIS time it gets personal! Exclamation point!

Steve Jobs Passes the Torch

Steve Jobs will be remembered as the Edison of mobile: his numerous Apple products have impacted the work, home and play lives of hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide.  …MobileMarketer.com

People weren’t exactly stunned by this week’s news about Steve Jobs. His health has been a long-running concern for the past several years. The day when he would take a big step back in the day-to-day operations at Apple had to come eventually, and so it has.

Mobile Marketer pulled together a bunch of quotes from industry types about Steve Jobs’ influence on personal computing, entertainment, marketing…it goes on and on! Here are some highlights:

With the iPhone, Steve Jobs reimagined what the smartphone could be and ushered in a new level of sophistication in mobile marketing.

Before Steve Jobs, mobile phones were about making phone calls with a few peripheral features. Now, voice calls are the peripheral feature.

He knew he could get people excited about products they didn’t know they wanted and almost certainly don’t need.

…he has turned Apple Computer around to become just Apple – the leading consumer technology brand in the world.

He did this not because he’s a great developer, engineer or even product designer, but because he’s probably the greatest marketer and showman in technology.

He provided true market leadership that not only transformed Apple but forced all of their competitors to innovate.

I might even say, that aside from Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin, there might not have been a more significant contributor to changing so many aspects of our world.

Those are some highlights. There are plenty more quotes HERE.   So what do you think? Is Steve Jobs a genius? A master showman? Completely overrated? Have his products “changed your life?” Let us know!

iPad Pulling Away?

This is not an endorsement of any particular personal tablet computer. But chances are, if you or someone you know has one, it’s an iPad. Lately, you are seeing lots of ads for competitive tablets. But, a recent article in the New York Times, entitled “IPad Rivals Fail to Gain Traction”… says that, um, iPad rivals are failing to gain traction.

According to an analyst’s report issued by JPMorgan Chase:

…companies building products to compete with the iPad have slowed production by as much as 10 percent since this time last March. At that time, the report said, competing tablet companies created 81 million tablets; this year the number has fallen to 73 million.

You don’t have to ask an iPad user if he’s happy – and you might not want to, because he won’t shut up about it 😉 …But are there any non-iPad tablet users out there, like Motorola Xoom and the Samsung Galaxy? What do you think? Are you happy with your device?

Meet the Panelists: Molly

Molly

Molly lives in Florida and has been a member of MindField Online since 2004. As she puts it: “It’s been a great experience. I love completing MindField surveys and, over the years, I have been able to voice my opinion and thoughts about all kinds of products!  It’s exciting – almost like being in on a big secret!”

Molly is a stay-at-home wife with a disability that keeps her from working and driving. But she’s no shut-in – she’s fully wired and web-savvy! She’s got the time and a real enthusiasm for surveys.  And she LOVES to hear the UPS truck rumbling down her street bringing the latest test product from MindField Online!

What does Molly like about MindField Online? Obviously, she likes qualifying. And when she doesn’t, “it’s disappointing, but I know that I will be entered into a sweepstakes nonetheless for my time and effort. It’s never a waste of time!”

As for compensation, she likes MindField’s low payout threshold. “But I like to let my account build into a nice fat check. And the checks ALWAYS come, very promptly and without fail.”

Molly was also excited to learn that MindField Online had started a blog and Facebook page, and “friended” us right away. This automatically registered her for our December Apple drawing, and led to a big Christmas surprise: winning an iPhone 3G! “I was shocked! It took years, but I FINALLY won one of the famous MindField Online sweepstakes! ALL of my friends and family are envious!”

Well, thanks for your years of loyalty, Molly – and your incredible enthusiasm. Enjoy your iPhone, and keep spreading the word about MindField Online Internet Panels!

*     *     *     *

Hey folks, do YOU have a fun MindField Online story like Molly’s? Leave us a note in the comment section below!

Refer a Friend, Earn More Cash!

MindField Online Internet Panels recently re-launched our Refer-a-Friend campaign. If you would like to get involved and earn more cash, log in and follow this link:

http://mindfieldonline.com/user/refer

There, if you have NOT already activated your referral account you will see the following text:

Cash Reward Referrals

You will receive $1.00 for every friend or family member you refer to MindField Online – once they register, activate their account, complete their profile and begin participating in surveys.

How does it work? It’s simple . . .

  1. Click on the Activate button below to activate your referral account.
  2. Upon activating, use the URL link provided to send to your friends, post on your Facebook page or any other legal website. This is your referral link that will allow us to track your referrals back to you for crediting once your referrals do their part. The more creative you are the more opportunity you have to earn the extra incentive.
  3. Your friends and family will need to click on the link that will take them to our registration page. They will need to follow the same steps as you did to register and activate their account as well as complete their profile questionnaire. As soon as they begin responding to our questionnaire invitations and complete their first survey, you will receive credit for the referral.
  4. As part of our required data quality policies, referrals are subject to ongoing verification.

If you have any questions, please contact our support department at [email protected] or by calling 800-969-9235.

*     *     *     *

Once you have activated your referral account you will see the following text:

Cash Reward Referrals

Send the link below to all of your friends, associates, etc. Even put it on your FacebookMySpace and Twitter sites. By referring your friends you can sit back and increase your earnings. MindField Online will credit your account $1.00 for everyone you refer who fully activates a brand new account, completes their profile and completes a survey.

Sorry, you can’t join multiple times as that would be a violation of our Member Terms and data quality policy. But you can earn a great deal of extra money by referring as many people as possible. So what are you waiting for? Email this link to your contacts . . . IM it to your buddy list . . . post it on your website and let your friends and MindField Online make you extra money!

Consumer Testing: A Big Business, and Getting Bigger

It’s a fact: today’s consumers have a big say in the types of products and services that companies introduce to the marketplace.  This influence comes by way of consumer research and product testing.

Consumer research and product testing is a big business, and one that keeps growing. Why? Because it is enormously expensive to introduce, market and sell new products to the consumer. It is also very risky. Some statistics say that four out five new products introduced will fail in their first year, potentially costing companies millions of wasted dollars.

Companies have no real way of knowing how the public will respond to a service or product, without trying to measure that reaction by way of consumer research and product testing. They can’t simply guess or assume! Testing – extensive consumer research and product testing with as many consumers who represent a company’s target market – is a key ingredient of a new product’s success.

To do this, many companies hire online consumer research and product testing firms like MindField Online Internet Panels.

MindField Online members complete a series of consumer profiles to paint an accurate picture of their demographics including gender, age, income, family makeup, type of home, number and type of automobiles, appliances, and on and on. Using this information, MindField Online Internet Panels matches the consumer with relevant surveys commissioned by corporate clients.

MindField Online members are often asked to give their consumer opinions about existing products and services, so that companies can improve their product quality, marketing or advertising messages. Or, MindField Online members are asked about new or proposed products that don’t yet exist, so that companies can decide whether or not – and how – to proceed with their introduction. Often, these surveys include free samples of the product in question.

In return for giving their consumer research information, MindField Online Internet Panels members earn extra cash and prizes, and are eligible for frequent member appreciation giveaways for popular items like Apple iPods and iPhones. MindField Online Internet Panels also encourages members to log on to its growing social media network including its Twitter feed, Facebook page and blog site.

As the field of consumer research and product testing continues to grow in size and importance, the need for qualified consumer testers will also grow. Consumer research firms will compete for panel members, forcing these testing firms to constantly seek better ways to serve their members. Improved service, greater incentives and a growing sense of community are all ways that MindField Online Internet Panels will continue to attract and reward its loyal members in the future.

For more information, please visit the MindField Online website at http://mindfieldonline.com/

Congrats, Lucky Apple Winners!

MindField Online Internet Panels reached 1,000 Facebook fans last week! (BTW, it’s over 1600 now!) And so, we began notifying our Apple products prize winners. It takes time to notify and receive confirmation, so we had to wait until we heard back from everyone before making the announcement. The list is below…

If you didn’t win, keep your fingers crossed. We still have our December 10th Apple drawing coming up, where we will give away even more iPhone 3GS, iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano and iPod Touch, as well as Apple TVs and an iPad valued at $499! Check it out here: Prizes Page.

Thanks again to our longtime panelists for your loyalty – and for recommending us to your friends! And welcome to all of new MindField Online Internet Panelists!

Let’s congratulate our MindField Online Internet Panels “1000 Facebook Fan” Winners:

Joyce Sexton

Joyce Sexton from North Carolina won an iPod Shuffle!

Crystal Young of Tampa Florida won an iPhone 3GS!

Christine Mastricova from New Jersey won an iPod Shuffle!

Jimi Stoddard

Jimi Stoddard of Jackson, Mississippi won an iPhone 3GS!

Xavier Benson of Seattle, Washington won an iPhone 3GS!

 

Holly Robinson

Holly Robinson of Longview, Washington won an iPod Shuffle!

Kealey Bird from Illinois won an iPod Shuffle!

Miguel Carino from Texas won an iPod Shuffle!

 

Nicole Hemenway

Nicole Hemenway of Marrero, Louisiana won an iPod Shuffle!

Thanks again!

Facebook Fan Appreciation Update!

The winners of MindField Online’s Facebook 1000 fan giveaway have been chosen. Emails are going out now. Please respond with a verification of your name & mailing address. We will not mail anything until we receive your verification.

We would LOVE to have your written permission to use either:
1. Your name and picture,
2. Your Name , or
3. First name and last initial

Thanks again for all of your support!!! XOXOX

Facebook Milestone!

Well, we started out on September 10, 2010 with ZERO Facebook fans, and the list grew from there. Along the way, we announced our Apple giveaway: That when MindField Online Internet Panels reached 1,000 Facebook fans, we would give away SIX iPod Shuffles, and FOUR iPhone 3GS!

We kept you posted as we hit 400, 500, 600, and so on. Then, it happened: on Thursday, October 14 at about 5:30 pm Eastern, YOU did it. 1,000 fans! We are so grateful to our MindField Online members and fans. Keep up the excitement, and keep telling your friends about the fun and extra money they can earn as MindField Online members.

We will be notifying our Apple winners VERY SOON. Thanks Again!