Tag Archives: paid for survey

Tour the MindField Online Website!

cloudOver at the MindField Online Facebook page, we commonly hear, “I’m new—how does this whole thing work?”  That’s a pretty broad question, so we usually answer, “There’s plenty of info to be found at our website, www.mindfieldonline.com -check it out!”

But exactly what you will find has been a mystery, wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in an internet – until now!  So, keep your hands and feet inside the tram as we take an informative, exciting (but mostly informative) tour of the MindField Online Internet Panels website. And please, no flash photography!

Member Home: A really useful portal that gives you a quick look at announcements, surveys available (“Live Now!”), membership details, payout options, referrals, member profile survey status, payout balance progress… and more!

Try Our New Apps!: Located at the top-right of our Home page, this is where you can download the new SurveyCloud mobile app for Apple or Android devices.

Account Settings: Here is where you can update or change your user preferences, email or street address and your password.

Study History: This is a detailed list of your Transaction History, Survey History, and Cashout History.

FAQ: Check out the answers to some frequently asked questions HERE. Then, take a moment to realize “So THAT’S what FAQ stands for!”

Policies: How do you register? Who is eligible? What are the rules? Here is where you find out!

IQD: Other than farm fresh ingredients, what steps does MindField Online Internet Panels take to ensure the quality of our data? Find out HERE.

News: Much of the news you will have seen on our Facebook page, but you will get more detail here.

Winners: MindField Online has regular cash drawings and sweepstakes. Here is where you can see the winners. ALSO… don’t forget our 2014 Holiday season cash drawing for $1000!!!

Contact:  Here is how you reach the helpdesk. They are ready to help with all kinds of technical issues!

MindField Online hopes you find our website an informative, user-friendly experience. Thanks again to the best consumer panelists in the business – YOU.

Marketing to Kids

shop kidsNot long ago I was going through some old photos. I found one of my class pictures – the one where the kids and teacher all stand together on a riser. I won’t tell you what grade I was in, but the year was 1972. And I noticed it right away: not one kid was wearing a Hello Kitty or NASCAR or Mountain Dew shirt. They just wore…clothes.

Commercializing our kids, marketing to children… some folks don’t mind it. Some don’t like it. Others say that this is just the way things are, and not much can be done about it.  Still others have decided to take a stand.

According to the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood (CFCC), too many kids are falling for the “values that dominate commercial culture—materialism, self-indulgence, conformity, impulse buying, and unthinking brand loyalty.” So, with the Holidays coming up, they have nominated the following toys for (in their words) the worst toy of the year. This year you can vote for:

  • Fitness watch for 5-year-olds
  • Girl Scout Barbie with high-heeled hiking boots
  • Mini-mall set with every conceivable name brand in it
  • Tablet device for ages 0-5
  • McDonalds/Cartoon Network app for boys 6-11

Head on over if you care to.

I have tried to present this without comment, but what do YOU think? Is there too much commercialism in today’s childhood? If there is, is this a horrible thing or are they making a mountain out of a molehill? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Veteran Deals and Freebies 2014

veterans dayFirst off, a big thanks to our veterans, active military and their families! Now, go out and enjoy your freebies, such as a free haircut at Great Clips, a free Bloomin’ Onion from Outback, or a free beer at Rock Bottom! The list of participating retailers is long, and these are just the big national chains. There are likely many smaller retailers in your locale showing their appreciation.

Here’s a link roundup of the bigger deals. Enjoy… and be sure to thank a veteran today!

The Best deals for November 2014

NOV SAVINGSNovember is the month when those “here are the best deals for the month of X” articles start to get serious! In a few short weeks, the madness known as Black Friday begins the 2014 holiday shopping season. Just like last year, Black Friday is coming rather late (last year, 11/29; this year, 11/28) so the retailers are already panicking, and working a few new angles. Walmart, Amazon, NewEgg and others are offering some form of Black Friday savings for the entire month of November. So, if you want to get a jump on things, here is a list of links to tell you where the deals are this November. Enjoy!

So, are you ready to rock? Do you know of other good deals? Let us know at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Halloween by the Numbers 2014

While these safety nerds probably WON'T get hit by a car, they WILL get hit by 8th-graders!
While these safety nerds probably WON’T get hit by a car, they WILL get hit by 8th-graders!

Our Halloween spending will be up slightly from last year’s average of $75.03.  According to a poll of 6,332 consumers:

More than two-thirds (67.4%) of celebrants will buy Halloween costumes for the holiday and spend $3 billion, the most in the survey’s 11-year history. Two billion dollars will be spent on decorations. The average person will spend $77.52 this Halloween, compared to $75.03 last year. Total spending on Halloween this year will reach $7.4 billion. National Retail Federation

So, slightly up, but still lower than before the Crash. Even so, while you pinch your pennies, don’t forget to invest in safety for your little goblins! In that vein, here’s a classic bit (as if) from years past, “Halloween Safety for Nerds and Other People.”

When I was a kid, Halloween safety consisted of my dad telling me not to accept any apples, because hippies were hiding their drug needles in them. “That’s it! Now go run in the night streets in your dark gray Batman costume!”

So, to pay it forward, I will share a few Halloween safety tips from the National Safety Council.

Motorists: BE COOL! Seriously, I don’t even have kids, but I spend half the night screaming at the idiots driving 45mph on my street!

Parents: Basically it’s your job to suck all the fun out of it. Make your kids tell you their precise route. Give them a curfew time. And make them wear bright or reflective clothing, even if it ruins their Zombie costume.

Kids: Use some common sense! Don’t go to dark houses. Don’t eat your stuff until mom inspects it and steals the Kit Kats. Carry dad’s best flashlight, which you will surely break. And stay out of the abandoned mill, even if they dare you!

OK, enough sarcasm. You should download the list. There are tons of great tips to keep Halloween safe. The alternative is a “Trunk or Treat” in the middle school parking lot…and nobody wants that!

Also, tons of Halloween statistics and charts HERE.

Happy Halloween, MindFielders!

(picture credit: springsgov.com)

The Toy Business Has Seen Better Days

ID-100238505Hey parents! What’s the deal with the toy business? Lego is going strong, (that movie certainly helped!) but almost everybody else in the toy business is hurting. Mattel’s sales are down, so is Barbie, and Toys ‘R Us is doing some…interesting things to ramp up business.

Case in point (according to Time magazine): selling Breaking Bad action figures. Trust me, Breaking Bad is truly one of the best TV shows in the history of TV (the full series is streaming on Netflix.) But, toys based on drug dealers, complete with wads of cash and fake crystal meth? Not so sure about that. The retailer explains that the BB stuff is in their adult section, away from your Hello Kitty and your Iron Man…which makes me ask: Toys ‘R Us has an adult section?

The experts say that this is a sign of the times. The only toy-related things that sell anymore are video games (and Lego, of course). And Toys ‘R Us is partnering with Claire’s to sell earrings and nail polish to teen girls.

But I don’t have kids. So I’m asking… are toys dead? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Source

UPDATE: Toys ‘R Us bails on Breaking Bad?

Black Friday Predictions 2014

ID-100198089Black Friday conjures up widely differing images in people, from absolute dread to necessary evil to a whole lot of fun. (I never tire of hearing about my sister-in-law, who drags her mother and sisters along in the family camper and sleeps overnight in the Kohl’s parking lot!)

But it seems that too many people are giving up on the Black Friday tradition, despite the deals that can be had. So the retailers are responding in a number of ways. According to DealNews.com, retailers have a bag of 13 or so tricks to keep the madness fresh this year. Here are some highlights:

  • More Black Friday Ad Sneak Peeks
  • More Stores Will Offer Guaranteed Doorbusters
  • Stores Will Be Better Staffed
  • Credit Card Info Will be Guarded Like Never Before
  • More Stores Will Offer Discounted Shipping
  • Mainstream Laptops Will Pack Better Hardware at Lower Prices
  • To Compete With Amazon, More Retailers Will Price Match
  • You’ll See More Tablet Deals Than Ever Before
  • Black Friday Will See Excellent Toy Deals

Again, just some bullets. Lots more info at the original piece.

More powerful, cheaper laptops appeal to me, as I attempt to drag my wheezing machine across the finish line (which is 52 days away!!) What deals are you looking for on Black Friday? Do these changes sound good? Have any other ideas? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook Page!

More on Data Security

ID-100288994You can be forgiven if you read that title as “moron data security,” given recent events. Anyhoo…

You know the old UPS slogan, “What can Brown do for you?” I would answer, “How about protecting my data!?”

Yep, the UPS Store is one of the latest businesses to be data-hacked (by data-hackers!) 51 stores in 24 states, apparently. You can check out the locations at the UPS site.

And just a few days ago, it was Jimmy John’s sandwich shops. I actually went there a while back. Thankfully, I used cash. You can read all about it on their site, as well.

So, that’s UPS, Michael’s, Target, PF Chang’s, Goodwill, the entire  South Carolina Social Security system…the list goes on and on.

Two weeks ago, they had the “Biggest Hack in History,” in which Russian hackers stole over ONE BILLION user names and passwords. People downplayed it, saying that Usernames and PWs are not as bad as credit card information.

BUT… the problem is that we are lazy. We tend to use the same Usernames and PWs across many accounts. So, as soon as the hacker punks crack your Bi-Lo Savers Club account, it’s a short walk to hacking your Discover Card.

So, CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS. Today. Don’t use the same User and PW for every account. While you’re at it maybe look at fraud protection. Soon, it’s going to be as necessary as homeowners insurance.

And, for more info on protecting your data, visit the Federal Trade Commission site, or check out this review site for data protection services. And have a great weekend!

PS… remember when we were all supposedly marching toward a “cashless society” where it would be all plastic, all the time? THIS is the reason that will never happen – not for me anyway!

Cloud-y with a Chance of Earnings!

cloudIn the past week, you will have probably received an email or two listing a random selection of studies currently available to you on the MindField Online SurveyCloud™. In addition, you will also find a larger list of available surveys when you log into your MindField Online home page.

BUT, coming soon, you can enjoy all of these opportunities on the new MindField SurveyCloud mobile app! As the notification says:

We realize our panelists are on the go more than ever. Use the (Apple or Android) links below to download the SurveyCloud™ app powered By MindField Online that will allow you on-the-go access to all of your account information, surveys, and much more.

Mind you, this is only a sneak peek of the many features and benefits the SurveyCloud™ will offer you in the future. The entire point is to get you accustomed to seeking out your own opportunities, instead of waiting for an email invitation. So, get proactive, folks – opportunity awaits!

So, what do you think? Will you “go mobile” with MindField? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Restaurant Rage

HIPSTER
Your Hipster waiter will take your order now, if he must…

And now, a little Friday fun – or frustration (your mileage may vary.) Consumer Reports has published a fun graphic noting “America’s most common restaurant complaints.” I believe it can be a matter of perspective. I admit that I sometimes go into a place looking for trouble and, if you’re looking for it, you find it. Other times, dissatisfaction is thrust upon you. Once at the Tattooed Moose in Charleston SC, about seven of the things on the following list happened even before our order was taken (so, like, we left!)

Anyway, what are our top beefs? Take a look…

  • 76% Dirty utensils. That piece of spinach baked on the fork isn’t harmful in any way, but still…
  • 73% Dirty restrooms. I’m going to guess that the Men’s room is worse…
  • 72% Impolite or condescending servers. Yeah, see illustration above, from the aforementioned Tattooed Moose
  • 67% Sloppy or dirty-looking wait staff. Same…
  • 66% Hot food cold, cold drinks warm
  • 62% “That’s not what I ordered.”
  • 61% Feeling rushed to leave by the server. You know, the girl who you never saw throughout the meal, but now won’t leave your side as you write out the tip?
  • 51% Slow service. Cousin of No Service. Or, watching the staff fawning over “regulars” while you die of thirst waiting for a drink refill. Or, my favorite, waiting forever for the check (I call it the Hostage Situation.)

What’s missing from this list? HIPSTERS! Either ones dining next to me, ones affecting the menu (Pabst Blue Ribbon, anyone?), or ones waiting on me (um, see illustration again.)

It’s a fun list, and there’s lots more at the original piece, so check it out! How about you? What are your top complaints when dining out? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!