OWNERS of WAP phones who spend a fortune to download information can get some
of their money back鈥攂y doing some extra dialling. Instead of costly
gossiping, cell-phone owners can now earn cash by filling out market research
surveys. Each completed questionnaire earns the user 拢1.
To take part in these surveys, users need an Internet-enabled WAP phone.
After you register details such as age and sex with Data Liberation, a marketing
research company based in London, the company selects groups to answer specific
questionnaires. Those selected receive an e-mail containing the Web address to
key in, which takes them to a website showing a copy of the questionnaire. Once
it is completed, the user鈥檚 account is credited with 拢1. When their credit
reaches 拢20, Data Liberation sends out a cheque.
Chris Morgan, managing director of Data Liberation, concedes that WAP phone
owners aren鈥檛 a representative cross section of the public. But he adds, 鈥淚f
you鈥檙e after the opinion of younger people and early adopters of technology,
it鈥檚 great.鈥
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Morgan says Data Liberation is considering upping payment for people who
respond quickly, say, within an hour.
But Stephen Tagg, an expert in Internet marketing at the University of
Strathclyde, Glasgow, suggests that Data Liberation might want to think again
about higher payments for faster responses. 鈥淚t turns out that the more people
are paid, the less honest they tend to be,鈥 he says.