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 Let's face it, an Internet work from home business seems like a natural next step in this world we live in. Why not? Clearly we are living in the information age. It's all around us everyday and at times it consumes our every though - so why not our work lives? It's ironic how the Internet can make our lives both overwhelmingly complex yet it helps us to simplify some of the more mundane tasks.
Every day, little packets of information are moving quickly through the wires at work or over the air in our homes. Our very own personal computers are talking to other computers in far away places. We can get an idea, research a product and then buy something without leaving our seats. If all this is possible today, then why not work over the Internet?
Internet Work and Business Environments
The majority of American families now have personal computers at home and the majority of these computers are connected to the Internet. In our area we are now able to get a high speed DSL connection for less than $30 / month. This makes things like video conferencing, and working from home a breeze. Let's face it; most of our business interactions at work involve emails, telephone calls and meetings. All three of these information channels are possible via electronic means today.
Many larger businesses have come to realize that they can squeeze additional productivity out of their employers by deploying connectivity equipment. Employees are now available "virtually on the job" all hours of the day, seven days a week and the Internet is the backbone for much of that connectivity.
Internet Work at Home Promise
Let's separate ourselves from these large employers and their connectivity networks and take a closer look at some of the other "Internet work at home job" promises. The current set of business opportunities consists of those that are very similar to the ones we talked about earlier in our article on Work from Home. The list includes opportunities such as medical record transcriptions, and a wide variety of vaguely described offerings that will let you in on the secret of success if you if you willing to make a commitment and pay a membership fee.
In fact, running one of these membership fee based websites is certainly an Internet work at home business opportunity that you might want to consider. All you need to do is find information that is available for free, and then charge people to join your exclusive club. Unfortunately, this is a typical work from home business opportunity that you will encounter.
Home Based Internet Work Realities
When we researched this article we discovered several work opportunities that involved filling out surveys or participating in other kinds of market research. Having experience in that area, we knew that paying a fee to participants is pretty common. In fact, there is a five dollar word for the fee paid - it is called an honorarium.
The unfortunately part is that some websites want you to pay a fee just to gain access to these surveys. But that is simply not necessary because there are many businesses that will pay you to work over the Internet by participating in surveys - and joining them is free.
Payment can come in the form of free products to evaluate, enrollment in monthly prize drawings and even honorariums. There are one time surveys that need to be completed and there are even survey panels that you can join. Panels are important to market research companies because these allow them to survey the same group of participant over a period of time and find out if their opinions change. Panel participants are usually compensated for the long term commitment they make to the research company.
Internet Business Opportunities
If you came here looking for Internet business opportunities that will let you quit your job, well those simply do not exist - at least we didn't find any in our research. The folks running those websites can quit their jobs because they charge fees for books or publications that tell you what you might already know down deep. There is no such thing as a free lunch and that includes running a business over the Internet.
Websites Offering Work at Home Opportunities
We can, however, direct you to a couple of websites that offer you the chance to participate in market research right from the comforts of your home and don't even charge you a fee for joining, that list includes:
- The American Consumer Opinion - free membership, panel surveys, monthly prize drawings, and incentives that rage from $4 - $50. As recruits for focus groups where incentives are usually in excess of $25.
- GlobalTestMarket - free membership, worldwide operation, uses MarketPoints as incentives (redeemable for cash), incentives based on urgency and length of the survey.
We don't run these sites, so we cannot guarantee anyone's satisfaction. If you know of another job type or opportunity, just let us know and we will add it to this list. The one thing that we can tell you is that you don't need to pay a fee to join. Once you've enrolled, then it is up to you to make sure these companies are fairly compensating you for your time.
About the Author - Internet Work from Home
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