£20 FOR TELLING IT HOW IT IS! (myvoice.co.uk)

Member Name: indigojade

Product:	myvoice.co.uk
Date:	09/07/02 (150 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to fill in polls and surveys, can see the results , results are actually used

Disadvantages: none found

www.myvoice.co.uk


What is it?

My voice is platform for finding out what people really think, by answering short polls and surveys. The members at MyVoice actually choose to sign up and answer the polls available. It is in that way that MyVoice get a good cross section of the community to answer some serious and some fun polls.

My voice actually began in 1999 in Japan and now has 60,000 members worldwide.

How does it work?

There is no advertising on the Myvoice.co.uk website, and they promise not to sell your personal data on to third parties. My voice do sell the results of the polls to councils, governments and companies, who want to find out what real people think about products or services. It is in this way that they can give away the vouchers and prizes. I have quite often seen the results of the polls published in newspapers and magazines and also on teletext.


It is free to join up and anyone over the age of 16 can sign up, members of the same household are allowed to sign up, as long as they fill in the questionnaires themselves, so you could have your husband/wife/partner/sister/brother/sons/daughters etc as members as long as they all have their own accounts, and are over 16.


Is there an incentive to join?

Yes, in short there is. For completing the polls you are rewarded with a number of 'points', anything from 0 - 50, the majority of polls are for around 10 points. You may also be asked to participate in market research, filling out a more detailed questionnaire, which will earn you more points - up to 500. In addition to the polls/points system there are prizes on offer at present you can win £1000 in cash and £1000 in Expedia.co.uk vouchers. Every time you take a poll you are entered into the prize draws for that month. You can also earn 25 points per person you refer.

What can I do with my points?

Firstly you have to be over 18 to cla
im your points, a little harsh I think, as they encourage people over 16 to sign up. You must have an address in the UK or Northern Ireland to claim also. You can also donate your points to charity.

Once you have 2000 points - it does sound a lot, but trust me it really does mount up quite quickly, you can request your vouchers to be sent to you. You will receive your £20 voucher within a few days, they arrive very swiftly too - mine arrived the next day.

There are a vast amount of vouchers to choose from, plus you can request that Myvoice add new ones. The vouchers you can currently choose are: Amazon, Marks & Spencer, Boots, Dixons, Virgin Megastore, WH Smiths, Tesco stores, Sainsbury stores, Choice vouchers (valid in Argos, Woolworths, HMV, Dolcis, Mothercare, BHS, JJB Sports, H. Samuel) and Leisure Vouchers (valid in Pizza Hut, TGI Friday's, Thresher, Victoria Wine Shops, Marriott Hotels, David Lloyd centres). As you can see there is definitely something for everyone there.

How do I keep a record of my points?

Easy it is all done for you, on your 'my account' page. Here you will see how many 'points' you have and how many prize draw entries you have.

How do I take a poll?

Simple, on the home page click on the poll you fancy taking and answer the questions. There are usually between 5 - 10 questions to answer, click on the circle, which is appropriate to you and on to the next question. Make sure you are logged in though, or your answers won't accrue you any points. If you mistakenly click on a poll you have already taken, a message will come up that you have already done that poll - so no chance for earning points over and over for the same poll!


Sometimes you will be asked to complete a more detailed survey about a product, in this case you will be emailed and invited to participate. I have only had one of these - a survey sent through the post on CD-ROM for which
I accrued 100 points. This survey took me about 15 minutes to complete and was quite interesting.


If you don't want to take a poll or survey, simple - don't, there is no pressure from Myvoice to answer anything.

What are the polls about?

There are a variety of polls, at present there are polls entitled 'Entitlement Card' Scheme', 'Who will get the vote for Archbishop of Canterbury?' and 'Carnivore, omnivore or vegetarian?'.

After you have taken the poll, you are able to see the results in graph form, of how other people have answered. In addition to seeing other people's ideas, you can visit the Myvoice forum, where you can share your ideas and thoughts with other people.

How often do new polls appear?

There are usually at least 2 polls running, more often than not more. There is generally a new poll each week, but it is wise to keep checking the site at least every couple of days. If you have already taken a poll - you will be advised of this.

How much personal information do they want?

On signing up they require your username, password, full name, location and postcode. Also your email address, gender, marital status, lifestage and date of birth. Once you have signed up with these details, you are officially registered and have already earned 50 points. You can then choose to fill in the 4 more in-depth areas about your life, which will earn you another 48 points. You can choose to answer all or none of the questions.

I have been a member of Myvoice for a year now, and in that time I have received only one communication from them by post - the above mentioned CD ROM. I have had no spam email from them whatsoever, in fact the only communication I have with them, was the welcome email when I registered.


Conclusion

Myvoice is a fun and interesting way of accruing points to gain on or offline vouchers, for very
little involvement. All it takes is a visit a day to check of there are any new polls. The website itself is fast to load and easy to navigate. The polls are interesting, especially looking at the results of them and how your answers fit in with those of others. The forum is a good place to air your views, although not many people seem to use it at present. I have seen the results of some of the polls in newspapers and on teletext services, which is rewarding to think that your views really do matter to 'them upstairs' as it were, and to think that they may take SOME notice of what the man in the street thinks!

So what are you waiting for - stop reading this and head on over there!!

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