I'd hate to know actual statistics for those who have flocked after get rich quick ideas. I have talked to many who indicate they have spent way too much time and far too much money on trying to develop moneymaking ideas that just never seemed to deliver on the golden promise.

In most cases you can read the fine print of the offer and learn that the glowing reports that filled you with hope were, ?not typical?.

This is also true with paid surveys. I honestly believe that the companies that perform online surveys do look for (and find) a satisfactory number of individuals to fill out their survey. However, the truth is they generally look for a very specific type of individual. Add to that the fact that the actual need for survey participants is a very small percentage of those who have filled out a profile hoping for pennies from heaven.

This concept is a bit like attempting to become an extra in a Hollywood movie production. If you're really interested you figure out how to sign up. If you want it with all your heart you'll show up on the lot and wait. Even after all that ?want to? you will likely still be sent home because you didn't quite fit what the producer had in mind for an extra.

The term ?paid surveys? is not false advertising. The truth is someone will take surveys and those individuals will likely be paid something for their time. These individuals could be paid in cash, they could be paid in products or they could be paid in a raffle ticket concept where one survey taker will take home a nice sum of cash. This happens when everyone knowingly forfeits his or her small payment for the opportunity to win a larger payment. Maybe I don't need to say this, but the odds never look good.

The only thing paid surveys can genuinely offer is a small bit of hope. There's the thrill of possibility, but as each day passes and no offers come to your inbox it becomes clear the hope was rented at best.

What's interesting is that for everyone that comes to the conclusion there is no real money to be made in paid surveys there are at least half a dozen more individuals pouring over a search engine looking for opportunities to develop an online profile for these same surveys.

I can't fault the survey companies much though. They deliver on their promise ? surveys taken ? payment made.

Maybe it's all the information that needs to be read between the lines. Things like the fact that not many survey respondents are actually needed, payments may be very small, payments may be in the form of products you may or may not need, or that they already have more people signed up than they can ever use.

I understand why survey companies would bring this idea to the Internet, but the idea has grown to something much larger than the reality behind it.