Help

How do I access the members' area?

To access the members' area, click on 'Account' in the header area and there, you can find 'Your Details', 'Survey History' and your 'Reward History'.

If I leave the country, do I need to notify you?

If you move permanently, please cancel your membership by going to 'Preferences'. Note that you should redeem all your outstanding points first, as points are terminated once you cancel your account. We do not ask to be notified if you are going on vacations.

Can other members of my household also become Opinion Outpost members?

We always welcome new panel members! Your family and friends may simply visit our website and register. Please note that there can only be 2 people from the same household registered to the panel and each panel member will require a different e-mail address as our quality controls prevent multiple panel members from registering under one e-mail address. All registrations are also subject to our vigorous data quality controls.

How can my family and friends join Opinion Outpost?

In order to join they can go to the Opinion Outpost website and click on 'JOIN' to fill out their registration form.

Can I have more than one Opinion Outpost account?

Membership is restricted to one account per person - only one person per e-mail address. Only one member of the household can register using one e-mail address, each additional household member who registers will require a different e-mail address.

How do I cancel my Opinion Outpost membership?

If you wish to unsubscribe you can go to 'Preferences'. It could take up to a couple of days to remove your details, during which time you may be invited to take part in a survey - in this case please just ignore the invitation. Please note that when you unsubscribe all your existing points will be forfeited, therefore you must redeem your points before unsubscribing. Points are not transferable between accounts.

Why are surveys conducted?

Opinion Outpost conducts surveys because businesses, governments, public bodies, and similar organizations are interested in the views and attitudes of the people who use their products and services. The more they know about what customers and citizens think, the easier it is for them to improve and adapt what they supply.

How often will I be asked to take surveys?

We send out survey invitations on a regular basis, but cannot say who or when any member will receive invitations. This is because each survey is customized and based around the research goals for each individual client. Depending on your profile, we may ask you to complete surveys more or less often. For this reason, we ask you to keep your profile as up to date as possible. Please note some firewalls may prevent delivery of our survey invitations.

Will I be penalized if I do not complete a survey I am invited to participate in?

You won't be penalized if you do not complete a survey. You can complete as many or as few of the surveys you are invited to participate in. Your points grow the more surveys you complete.

I do not seem to be receiving many survey invitations, why is this?

There are a couple of different reasons why this may be the case, go to 'Your Details' and make sure that you have added an alternate e-mail address. Some firewalls may also prevent delivery of e-mail invitations. Also each of our surveys is customized and sent to a random selection of members most likely to qualify. If you elected not to answer some of the questions in your profile, this may reduce the number of surveys you are invited to participate in. In order to be available for as many surveys as possible, we advise you to keep your profile as up to date as possible.

I took a survey and was told I had already completed the survey, why?

If you see this message when trying to access the survey it is most likely that you have already completed the survey. This can either be by the original e-mail invite or the e-mail invite reminder. You can review the status of the surveys you have been invited to and participated in by visiting your survey history section.

I clicked the 'Take a Survey' button and nothing happened, why is this?

Most of our survey windows open using pop-ups. It is possible that the survey opened in the background - please check all the browser windows you have open to see if the survey loaded in one of them. However, if you have pop-up blocking software installed on your PC it may interfere with the proper functioning of the Opinion Outpost website. If the website does not respond after clicking the 'Start' button, enter the user settings for your blocking software and add the Opinion Outpost website to the list of sites which you will accept pop-up browser windows from.

The link to the survey does not work. What should I do?

1. In most e-mail programs a piece of text automatically becomes a link if it starts with 'http'. So if you are online & click on the link, you should go straight to the survey. If you are not online, that won't happen. If you are online but the link doesn't take you to the questionnaire, try copying the link and pasting it into the address bar on your browser. 2. Many people may be trying to complete the questionnaire at the same time, which temporarily overloads the server: you will probably succeed if you just try again later. 3. It is possible that the use of JavaScript is switched off in the settings of your browser, in which case the questionnaire will not work. Check the Internet options of your browser and change it if necessary. 4. Most of our surveys are tested on Internet Explorer & if you are using a different kind of browser you may have problems. Try opening the survey in Internet Explorer.

If I am away, can I get someone else to complete my surveys for me?

Unfortunately once you have personally registered with the Opinion Outpost panel only you can complete the surveys. Your family and friends are welcome to join the Opinion Outpost website. Please note that each panel member will require a different e-mail address as our quality controls prevent multiple panel members from registering under one e-mail address. All registrations are also subject to our vigorous data quality controls.

What do I do if I think my answers have not been sent successfully?

Each answer is stored as soon as you click on it. We can only use results from fully completed questionnaires, and you will know that the questionnaire is completed when you come to the final screen and see the message that you have completed the questionnaire. Once that appears, you know that your answers have been successfully sent.

How long does an average survey take to complete?

The number of questions varies from one survey to another. We try to keep surveys as short as possible, although we have to make sure the results are meaningful. In general a survey should take around 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

Can you mail the surveys to me or conduct them over the phone?

Unfortunately there is no other way to take part in these online surveys, you need to complete them over the Internet.

Is there any extra software I will need on my computer to do these surveys?

Some of our surveys require Adobe Flash Player. It should only take 2-3 minutes to download here or go to http://www.adobe.com and click on the 'download Flash Player' link. While it is not compulsory that you download Flash Player in advance, it will save you from having to do so when you attempt a survey that requires it.

Where can I view my points balance?

Your points balance is always present at the top Menu of the site, as well in your survey history, alternatively you can also visit the rewards section.

How can I see the total amount of points I have been rewarded?

From the 'My Survey History' section you will be able to see the total number of survey points you have collected.

Will my points expire?

Your points do not expire. Your points balance will only decrease after you redeemed your points for a reward. However, if you choose to leave Opinion Outpost, your points will be deleted along with your account. It is recommended that you redeem all remaining points before unsubscribing from the panel.

My account balance is low, why is this?

The points on your account are accumulated when you participate in a survey that carries points. The points are clearly shown in the survey invitation that you participate in. If you believe that you should have more points showing on your account, please forward the survey invitations and/or project numbers of the survey(s) that you took part in to helpdesk@opinionoutpost.com. We are then able to check your reward history and award you these points, so that you are able to redeem them.

If I become a member of Opinion Outpost, will I receive e-mails advertising other products and services?

No. We do not sell the personal information of our members and we will never try to sell you a product or service.

Who can I talk to if I have any privacy concerns?

Contact information is provided in our Privacy Policy, which is linked from the bottom of the pages on the Opinion Outpost website.

Why does Opinion Outpost need my personal information?

Generally, personal information is used: (i) to communicate with you regarding Opinion Outpost membership and survey participation; (ii) to tailor survey opportunities to you; (iii) to comply with legal obligations, including, without limitation, complying with taxation requirements; (iv) to administer and manage our incentive programs and fulfill your requests for incentives; (v) to facilitate your entry into our sweepstakes and communicate with you regarding sweepstakes entries; and (vi) to update our records.

Why did I get an e-mail with a link to join Opinion Outpost if I didn't apply myself?

It is possible that someone made a typing error and accidentally submitted your e-mail address while asking to become a member of Opinion Outpost. It's also possible that someone has used your e-mail address without your permission. If you don't want to join, simply ignore the e-mail and the reminder that will be sent. Your details will not be included on our members' list and you will not be contacted again.

How does it work?

Every month, we donate $10,000 to the American Red Cross in honor of the time you take to share your views.

You don't have to do anything other than continue taking surveys.

By sharing your opinion, you'll be helping people affected by countless crises around the world.

Does it cost me anything?

No. This donation is separate to your survey rewards and does not affect your points balance.

This does not constitute a donation on your behalf so is not tax deductible.

How do achievements work?

As you continue completing activities with Opinion Outpost, you’ll level up.

There are five levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and our highest level, Diamond.

At each level, there are key milestones required to complete your level.

How do I level up?

Your level is related to your membership, based on your actions like taking surveys and earning rewards.

You can level up by unlocking all the milestones available within your current level. For example, if you’re a Bronze member, you need to complete all the available Bronze activities to level up and become a Silver member.

You can also unlock achievements for levels above your current one. For example, if you complete 100% of your survey profile, you’ll get a Platinum status badge – but you cannot reach Platinum level until you’ve achieved all the necessary achievements.

What is a Bronze member?

Bronze members are just getting started. To reach Bronze status, all you have to do is sign up and activate your account.

What is a Silver member?

Silver is the first step on the ladder.

To reach Opinion Outpost Silver status, members must:

• Complete their first activity
• Complete 25% of their survey profile
• Complete one activity in the last week

What is a Gold member?

Gold members are regularly complete activities.

To reach Gold, members must:

• Complete 50% of their survey profile
• Take a survey in two consecutive weeks
• Complete 10 activities

What is a Platinum member?

Platinum members are active and regular members who have almost completed their profile.

To reach Platinum status, members must:

• Complete 75% of their survey profile
• Take a survey in three consecutive weeks
• Complete 25 activities

What is a Diamond member?

Diamond members have reached the top. They have a complete profile, completed fifty activities (or more) and maintain regular activity.

To reach Diamond status, members must:

• Complete 100% of their survey profile
• Take a survey in four consecutive weeks
• Complete 50 activities

How do I maintain my level?

It’s simple - keep sharing your opinions. We recommend taking activities at least once a week to maintain your current level.

If you don’t keep it up, you will eventually lose your achievement for consecutive activities and drop down a level.

Similarly, you’ll need to make sure your profile is kept up to date. Certain sections, like technology and automotive, will expire over time – so if your profile completion percentage has dropped since you last logged in, check back and complete any sections that are incomplete.

Where can I see the rewards I have earned from achievements?

The points earned from achievements can be found in your survey history page. This will show as 'community achievement'.

How can I view my achievements?

To see all the achievements you've earned, head to the ‘Achievements' tab.