Are Paid Surveys a Waste of Your Time?

Recently ,while visiting one of my favorite business forums, I ran across some interesting comments concerning paid surveys. The gyst of these comments was that taking online
surveys is a waste of time. Here is my answer to those comments...
.... Just because you didn't earn any money with surveys, that doesn't mean that they are a waste of time.
Like any other online opportunity, it takes time and effort to build an income with surveys. Many people who have failed, say the same thing about SFI, Goji, Empowerism, and
dozens of other online stay at home job opportunities. But, thousands of members of these same companies are making good money every month. Try to convince them that they are
wasting their time, and they will laugh at you. Meanwhile, their bank accounts just keep filling up with cash!
Survey takers can earn a solid second income. It may not be more than a few hundred dollars each month, but it's enough to pay the light bill or the phone bill, or maybe both. It
takes time to build up a steady stream of business, but the same thing applies regardless of what business you choose to pursue.
The biggest downfall that new survey takers face, is a lack of knowledge of the activity itself. Hopefully, the following will give you a good starting point.
To earn money with surveys, you consider doing the following:
1. Study. Don't expect things to be all rosy just because the ad looked good when you signed up. Take the time to learn the mechanics of the survey business. This will allow you to identify your particular niche.
2. Continually update your registrations as your survey company updates their data base. New marketing firms are looking to test their products all of the time, so the data  bases will constantly grow.
3. Create a seperate Email account just for survey business, and make sure that you turn off all of the spam filters for this account. Often, surveys will trigger a spam filter, and you will never even know that someone wanted you to take part.
4. When you fill out a questionaire for a potential survey, you might find out that you don't qualify for that particular survey. Send a thank you note and ask to be considered for future surveys.
The magic words, "Please and Thank You" never go out of style.
5. When you are offered surveys that result in points, coupons or drawings, fill them out! These are often used as qualifyers by different companies. By completing them, you  show that you are serious about participating, and as a result, you increase your chances of being contacted with cash offers.
6. Be truthful and give complete demographic information when applying. Don't pretend to be a 24 year old woman, when you are actually a 35 year old man. These companies have
junk filters too, and they can see through this nonsense in a New York Second.
7. Search for forums that concentrate on surveys. You will be pleasantly surprised by what you find. There are folks out there who are willing to share what they have learned.  Take advantage of that help to refine your survey skills.
One of the keys to running a successful stay at home job, is to establish multiple streams of income. Each of these streams might only provide a few dollars each month, but with enough different sources, you will find that you are able to earn a substantial second income. Paid Surveys can provide a terrific income stream, that will continue to grow as you become more knowledgable and experienced with them.
You may not get filthy stinking rich by completing surveys, but if you follow these seven steps, you stand a good chance of earning enough to pay a couple of extra bills each month.
Besides, its fun!