Get paid to talk about PC operating systems

iulie 08 02:00 2009

Who knew being interested and active in the operating systems scene could earn you some good money. Strickmann-Ripps, a marketing research firm, is looking for people who have voiced their concerns or suggestions regarding functions and features of operating systems in the past. Those who qualify will be interviewed via recorded internet chat, and will receive $100.

To qualify, you must be 19 and older, and be living in or very near the following regions: UK, France, Germany, Australia and the USA

Here is the offer in full:

Dear Member:

Strickman Research, a marketing research firm, has contacted us for assistance in reaching out to you with this invitation to participate in a paid research study. If you qualify for the study, they would ask for no more than 20 minutes of your time and would pay you $100 US:

What are we researching?
We are looking for people who have left comments on various blogs and forums about operating system software they’ve used. We are looking for people who have previously “published” their suggestions online and expressed their wishes for certain features or functions they would like to see in future versions of various PC operating systems. Such comments can run the gamut from very technical to very broad, for instance comments like: “I wish it would boot faster.” or “How can I share files between my home computers?” would suffice. The wishes and suggestions can be implied in a question where one is hoping to find a solution to a particular problem.

We are looking for comments published online between 1/2005 – 12/2008. More recent, positive assessments of newer operating systems published in 2009 may also be pertinent.

How do I participate?
If you left a written comment on a blog, forum or informational website which was, broadly speaking, a suggestion or wish for a certain feature or function you would like to see improved in your computer’s operating system, please find your specific comment or comments online and paste the address/es in an email to us at australia@strickman-ripps.com

Please include:
1. The link to your comment/s including the date when it/they was/were posted
2. Your username on that/those site/s
3. Full name
4. Email address
5. Phone number
6. Location (CityState/Country)
7. Best time to be reached

What should I expect?
Once we have received your email, and reviewed your comment/s, a representative from Strickman Research will contact you by phone to ask you a few qualifying questions. This call will take no more than 10 minutes of your time. If you qualify (95% of applicants should qualify) we will schedule you for a recorded internet video chat at your convenience that would take no more than 20 minutes of your time and for which you would be paid $100 US in the form of a VISA cash card.

What if I don’t qualify?
If you do not meet the criteria for our research study, we will most likely let you know in the first few minutes of our phone call. We will not trouble you any further and we will not store or share you contact information.

The offer may sound too good to be true but I have come across one person I trust who is also involved and has assured me that this offer is legitimate. You may also be interested in the company’s official Twitter page, which shows further evidence of the research study. If you have any personal concerns, feel free to discuss in the comments. The offer is completely voluntary.