Thesurveypro.com is of the latter. I clicked on the site and entered some basic information, such as my name, address, age and e-mail address. I then pressed the button to "join" the site, that promised to pay me for participating in online surveys. Thesurveypro.com then sent me a confirmation e-mail.

I went to my inbox and clicked on the confirmation link and was directed again to the site where they asked me to participate in a brief "20 questions in 2 minutes" survey. Some of the questions they asked me consisted of the following:

Would you ever consider working from home? I answered "no." In my experience, answering "yes" to such a question is giving the "go-ahead" to receive dozens of calls and e-mails from unscrupulous "work at home" scam companies.

Are you interested in an online degree? I answered "no." Ever since I foolishly answered yes by mistake at another survey company, I get, on the average, four calls a week from "online education" sources using hard sell tactics to try to get me to "better" my education. At first I was nice, now I simply hang up.

Do you carry more than $10,000 in student debt? I answered "no" and this is the truth. But a "yes" answer will signal calls from debt consolidation companies, which are always bad news. Signing up with such a company ruins your credit as it is actually viewed as filing a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy.

Do you own a home or a condominium? I lied and said "no." Because I know if I said "yes," I would get a ton of mail asking me to refinance my home.

Do you feel it is important to know your credit score? I said "no." Because I know if I said "yes" I would get mail and phone calls trying to "help" me raise my credit score.

Do you carry more than $10,000 in credit card debt? I truthfully answered "no." This is just another attempt to get you into debt consolidation.

In the last 30 days, have you rented a movie? Again I truthfully answered "no." This is an ad for netflix. I'm not interested.

Do you consider yourself an expert in computer use? Another "no." But I'm expecting to start receiving mail offering me instructions any day now.

Are you happy with your current body weight? I truthfully answered "yes." I am one of the few Americans who is actually happy with my weight. Constant aggravation caused by my two kids has kept me in marvelous shape.

Do you belong to a fitness club? Gee, I signed up for three health clubs during my lifetime and ended up paying over $2,000 in fees. I think I used the club about five or six times. I wisely answered "no."

Do you drink coffee? I answered "yes," but I am not interested in receiving free gourmet coffee every month through the mail.

Are you interested in receiving free gourmet coffee? I answered "no."

After answering these questions, I was directed to yet another site where they asked me to "help keep their site free" and check "yes" or "no" if I was interested in getting more information from their sponsors. As you may have guessed, most of their sponsors related to the 20 questions. They included various online universities, Overstock.com, Taste of Home (which is a wonderful magazine, but available at the bookstore), a few other magazine subscriptions and several "diet" sites,

I said "no" to all of these offers. They then asked me to "consider" another optional offer. I clicked on the site and saw a flashy car, huge house and the chance to earn THOUSANDS of dollars. All I had to do was give them my name, address and telephone number. Fat chance.

I clicked out of that site quickly and went to my inbox. There I found a link to confirm my membership to thesurveypro.com. I clicked on the link and quickly found how I can immediately earn $10 for only 30 minutes worth of work. All I had to do was sign up for 20 other survey sites.

While thesurveypro.com is not technically a scam (they don't want any money), it is not a legitimate "paid survey" site. It is merely a tool used to get information for businesses. The information that you provide to this site is sold to telemarketing companies that sell products such as diet pills, fitness equipment, magazine subscriptions, credit cards, debt consolidation, and - my personal favorite - online education.

Looking for a way to make a few extra bucks online? Skip Thesurveypro.com. Unless, of course, you have a desire to have your mailbox flooded with offers and like to talk to telemarketers.

The site advertises that it has a "zero tolerance spam" policy. Vindale Research pays its members monthly through their Paypal account, but you have to have a $50 balance in order to get paid.

Surveys are easy, but some of them require you to test different products. One has to be careful with this. A survey to "test" a different online carrier pays $75, but how difficult is it to drop the carrier if it doesn't work out?

There are many surveys, however, that pay in the $5 range and they normally last about 20 minutes to complete. They consist of the use of different household products, online shopping sites and cigarettes. Members can also earn $5 for every friend that they get to join the site.

I took a very quick survey for which I earned $2. This asked me many of the usual questions that most survey companies asked such as my average household income, occupation, number of dependants and ethnicity. I found it odd that they asked my religion and sexual preference, however. This was the first time that I've been asked such questions during any survey.

Those who get easily offended can take comfort in the fact that answering these personal questions regarding your religion and sexual preference is optional. Vindale Research affirms that they will not share this information with anyone.

Unlike some survey sites, Vindale Research sends you surveys through your e-mail account that fit your criteria. If you truly like taking surveys, answer "yes" to anything they ask you. Tell them you eat at fast food places at least three times a week and smoke like a chimney. Answering "no" to any questions limits your survey taking ability.

Beware of giving them your credit card or billing information. Many of their surveys require that you "test" a product. Vindale Research will send you the product, charge your account for it, and then, once you return the product with the completed survey, refund you. For someone like me who doesn't like running back and forth to the post office, this isn't for me. Be careful of what type of survey you sign up for.

Vindale Research reminds me a bit of some of the survey companies that I joined years ago. These companies offered up to $75 in exchange for testing their products at their facility. In some cases, you had to bring the product home, use it for a certain period of time and return to the facility to fill out a questionnaire. The surveys offered by Vindale Research pay more than the average online survey companies, but are much more involved.

People who enjoy actually testing new products might enjoy participating in this research company. Those who are looking for a fast buck, however, are best to seek out other legitimate online survey sites.

To participate in Surveyspot.com, you must be at least 18 years old. Only one person from each family can sign up for the site, but there are many surveys that teenagers can participate in that pay. Family members just need to divvy up the money when it arrives.

Not all surveys at Surveyspot.com offer payment. Some of them simply offer a sweepstakes entry. But you are under no obligation to do any survey in which you don't want to participate. Unlike some sites, survey offers are sent to you via e-mail. You are under no obligation to respond to the e-mail if the survey does not interest you and you will not be kicked off of the site.

If you find a survey that offers a cash reward, payment is immediate. Unlike many other online survey companies, you do not have to accumulate a certain dollar amount before receiving payment. The money is sent to you via check and generally arrives within four weeks after survey completion.

You may also be asked to test new products that will be delivered to your door. This is an excellent way for people to try different products that they would otherwise not buy. In most cases, you will be financially compensated for testing the product.

To sign up for Surveyspot.com, you simply need to click on the website and hit "join." You will be asked a series of questions, including your telephone number. Surveyspot adds a disclaimer that it will not share your telephone number with anyone. Since I joined this website, I have not received any telephone calls from any solicitors of the products I've surveyed.

The surveys are fairly simple and generally take only 10 minutes to complete. The one drawback of this site is that you have to wait a few days to participate in surveys and you can only participate by responding to your e-mail. If you have a spam folder on your e-mail account, you may miss some e-mails, so it is wise to add the website to your general address book.

Throughout the year, various sweepstakes are awarded to lucky prize winners. These range from cash prizes to luxury vacations. If you are lucky enough to win a sweepstakes, Surveyspot will notify you by e-mail.

Some of the marketing companies that Surveyspot.com represents include the Marketing Research Association, the American Marketing Association, American Association for Public Opinion Research, The Council of American Survey Research Organizations and the Advertising Research Foundation. Unlike some disreputable online survey firms, Surveyspot.com is a legitimate marketing website. They will never ask you for any money and are careful to keep your private information private.

If you are just starting to explore the world of online surveys, Surveyspot.com is a comfortable place to start. After you join, an e-mail will be sent to your account to confirm your membership. Simply click on the link provided and look for e-mails from Surveyspot in your mailbox. You are under no obligation to take any of the surveys or enter any sweepstakes and you can be assured of your privacy.

The site boasts of having over 1.5 million registered members worldwide. Joining is relatively easy, although the questionnaire requirements are extensive. Expect to be asked a series of demographic questions, including your race, whether or not you own a home, your occupation and how many people reside in your household. If you have children, they will ask for their year of birth and gender.

Once you've completed the three page questionnaire and submit it to the site, you'll receive confirmation of acceptance via e-mail within 24 hours. The purpose of the questionnaire determines your eligibility to participate in certain surveys.

Surveys are sent to you via e-mail on a periodic basis. This is a legitimate site, so don't expect a flood of e-mails from them. Some of the surveys are extensive and relate to employment, and some are just fun, like viewing a You Tube video and giving your opinion. The cash incentive for each survey completed begins at $3 and generally tops off at $25, depending upon the time spent answering the questions.

Occasionally, participants with children will be asked to have their children complete a survey relating to their age group, however any payment is directed to the person who registers with the site. Surveysavvy is very careful about their verification process; in some instances, you may be contacted by telephone to verify the contents of the survey.

One way to make money through this site is referring friends. The site pays you $2 for each friend who signs up for the program through you and an additional $1 for each survey they complete. If you have a website or blog, you can earn money easily by referring people to the site through a link provided to you once you're accepted.

Although you do not have to participate in every survey offered, one caveat is that the site will impose a service charge of $1 if your account remains inactive for a year. Those who decide to participate in a variety of online surveys for cash must be careful to maintain activity with your account or cancel your membership to the site; however, the charge will never result in any negative balance to your account. They simply take the money from the money you've already earned with the site. There is no danger of receiving a bill from them or having your telephone bill charged.

If you continue to participate in the surveys and refer other people to the Surveysavvy, you can find yourself earning a few extra dollars per month. The site is very clear about adhering to IRS rules; if you earn more than $600 in a year, you need to complete a W-9 or 1099 form for the IRS and declare the earnings.

SurveySavvy.com is also very strict in maintaining an anti-spam policy as well as keeping your information private. Although you may be contacted by Surveysavvy by telephone to confirm your participation in a survey, they will never provide third parties with your personal information. The company has been around for many years and has an excellent reputation within the online survey community, according to several people I've spoken to who participate in frequent online surveys.

I have only two problems with this site. One is that you can't choose which surveys in which you participate. Surveysavvy decides whether or not you're eligible and sends you the e-mail, so you have no control over how many surveys you can take. The other problem is the time element. It can take a couple of days before your completed survey is "validated."

The good news is that you won't receive spam, you won't receive telemarketing calls and you will get paid for your time. And referrals can end up earning you easy cash.

I signed up for surveyclub.com a month ago. Since then, I haven't really made any money. Although the site boasts a lot of hype about visiting websites and getting paid, I found that they were more interested in selling magazine subscriptions and health insurance than actually paying for opinions.

Click on to surveyclub.com and you will get an audio sales pitch. They tout themselves as the "Number One Online Survey Club in the World." Several testimonials on their site from different people boast of making at least $1,000 to receiving $125 for a single survey.

I'm a little leery about any "get rich quick scheme" and this site reeks of that. I'm also leery of anyone who is making $1,000 a month sitting behind a computer doing surveys all day. Things that sound too good to be true, are usually just that - too good to be true.

Surveyclub.com boasts of people making "thousands of dollars a month" just for giving their opinions. Any halfway intelligent person would be skeptical of this. The only way you are going to make "thousands of dollars a month" sitting in your home without having a widely marketable skill is if you're selling drugs from your home. I wouldn't advise that any more than I would advise participating in this site.

Unlike the most other online survey companies, Surveyclub.com does not pay you for taking the surveys. Payment is made from a variety of alleged "Fortune 500 Companies" who will "send you a check." You cannot pick the surveys you want to take, opportunities are sent to you via e-mail and they usually have some sort of catch.

I have received literally hundreds of e-mails from various companies promising me everything from a car to a luxury vacation. Although I am currently out of work, I am a halfway intelligent person. I don't believe in "getting something for nothing" and can usually smell a scam a mile away. These e-mails are deleted. Since I have signed up for this website, I've received many e-mails (most of which are directed to my spam folder). The ones I get in the my regular e-mail folder get deleted.

The one survey I did respond to, in the very beginning, was for $8. That didn't seem like an outrageous amount. Until I read the fine print. In exchange for my $8, I had to pick four magazines to subscribe to. I would get them for one month and then be able to cancel the subscription. Sorry, but that's just a little too much trouble to go through for $8.

Online survey companies can be a fun way to make a few extra dollars while you are at home. But they can also be a way to lose a lot of money and have your inbox flooded with unwanted e-mails. Like everything else, there are good online survey companies and bad ones. Surveyclub.com is a bad one. It preys on people who want to get rich quick (aka, suckers).

If you are thinking about joining an online survey company to make a few extra bucks, skip surveyclub.com. Take it from someone whose been there - it's really not worth the trouble.