One may wonder how did online surveys and focus groups came about as a home based income opportunity? Well big companies need regular consumers to test their products, fill out surveys about their needs and preferences, participate in focus groups, watch their TV commercials, etc. These companies are willing to pay or give special gifts for ordinary people who are willing to take part in these activities. So, there is a mutual benefit situation, and people can participate in these activities and make a nice additional income from home.

You might ask - "how do I find these companies and the deals they offer". And you are right - it is not easy to find these companies, sign up to their deals, and hope they pay for your time. This is where online survey sites come in.

Online survey sites, also known as online survey cash sites, offer you a periodically updated data base that contains the best survey and focus group offers form reliable companies. The access for the data base costs only a one time fee, and from then on you can access the data base an unlimited amount of times, and fish for the latest offers. You than go and take part with the offers you chose (fill out a survey, watch a video...whatever the offer is). The company that handles the survey sends you a check. It's really that easy.

Now, of course you need to find the right online survey site to join. There are quite a few parameters you can look into when choosing a good online survey site. Let's take a look at a few tips for doing that:

Tip number one: Do they offer a verity of activities? - some sites only list offers that are of one nature, say, online surveys. While there is nothing wrong with online surveys, you will probably want a verity of activities such as focus groups, commercial watching, product tryouts etc. So, you should look for a site that lists all these activities.

Tip number two: Are they international? - This is especially important to international customers (outside the US). Does the site offer sufficient activity for people who are not Americans? If it doesn't, that you should look for another one (if you are from outside the US).

Tip number three: Are they updated frequently? Try to find out if the database for members of the site is being frequently updated with new offers. This is very important, as you don't want to end up with access to a "dead" data base.

Tip number four: Do they have a good customer care? Drop them an email and see how much time it takes them to answer a simple enquiry. Do they answer the question you asked them? (Amazingly enough, some customer care reps. simply ignore the question you asked and answer whatever they feel like).

Tip number five: Do they offer a guarantee? This one is important. Make sure you can check out the members area, and request a refund if the site does not answer your highest expectations. This way you will be completely safe from investing in the wrong survey site.

Tip number six: Is there a monthly fee? Most survey sites request only a one time modest fee of about $30-$40, for lifetime access. Make sure you are not billed monthly for using the site (unless you found a survey site that is something special, worth a monthly fee)

Tip number seven: Will they be here tomorrow? This one is the hardest. Will this survey site survive to the long term? Some of these sites are being shut down because they don't have enough members. So, make sure your site is popular and has lots of happy members. This will indicate that the site owners are more likely to be here tomorrow.