Need Feedback on Offers

[SunshineGirl]

For some time we have been putting up just about every offer that we can get our hands on. There are some pros and cons to that as far as I can tell:

Pros: We never know which offer is going to be really good until we put it up and some end up being diamonds in the rough. More money making opportunities for members. Money making opportunities for SR. More variety for people looking for lots of different things.

Cons: Some offers end up giving us no credits at all. Some only credit for a small percentage of people. Some end up getting your phone number switched to a paid service. Some of the companies cheat and sell your info even when they say that they won't. People get discouraged when things don't credit and end up not wanting to use SR at all. Offers can be confusing.

I'd like to get a wide variety of feedback from all of you....both people who have been here forever and people who are brand new.

Is it worth it for us to keep posting so many of these offers? Should we pull them faster if X% of people do not get credit within the first few hours? Should we pull any of them that are just trying to buy your information? Should we keep them in a kind of "locked" area that you can only get to once you have gotten the hang of surveys and shopping? What are your thoughts?

[Hedy]

Having been here for three years, I'm going to be perfectly honest and say that for the usual offers, I don't try them unless I see them posted on the automatic credit thread-I think I'm just in so many databases it's not worth trying. However, the more that are out there, the more highly the likelihood that one may credit.

[askomsky]

Honestly I dont' have time to try them anymore bc mainly I know the majority won't credit for me anyway. I've been around for over 2 yrs so I think I'm in their database.

That said you bring up a few key points. I think that there should be some "lock" that either 30 days a member before trying OR a certain amount of posts before your "unlocked" to try offers. I only say that bc some newbies (and I was one, nothing wrong just my observation) won't/don't read the stickies and then get very frustrated trying too many at one time. Maybe only 1 a day until they hit certain amount of posts (forcing them to read and participate more?) or certain amount of days of trying and understanding how it works. I think it would be less frustration?

A while back SR had mentioned only putting offers up like once a week so they could look for the quality offers etc. I'm not sure if that's the case or not, but I understand if we're not earning money your not making money.

Just my 2 cents.

[faithhope]

I think you have some great ideas in that post... as someone who has done a ton of offers I would hate to see them go away completely.

I think completing the offers is an acquired skill... so it might not be a bad idea to have a newbie earn a certain amount and/or read some disclaimer screens before being allowed to try offers.

I would like to see the bad ones pulled faster. It would be nice if it could be set up automatically so it doesn't impact the SR team too much. I'm not sure if it should be a time limit (pulled after 2 hours if less than 20% get credit)... but maybe also put a minimum number of tries in there too to make the number statistically valid (in case it is a slow day on SR)

I personally search the forum for the name of the offer, and if it doesn't show up in one of the many threads on offers...then I know it probably isn't worth my time. I love that people post which offers they get credit for (manual or fast)

It might also be nice to note if it is a fast or manual credit right in the offer listing. Then people would know what to expect and there wouldn't be so much false disappointment over not getting a fast credit from a manual credit.

Thanks for being willing to discuss the issue, and thanks for giving us many ways to earn money.

[marcymajor]

i have been a member of sr since January 2006. when i first started on sr i did the clicks and the emails. after a certain amount of time i started doing offers and surveys and then added shopping. now that i have been here for over 3 1/2 years i am probably in lots of databases because of all the offers i have done in the past so i have cut back on doing them. so far this month i have only done 5 and none of them have credited but that happens sometimes. last month i had 13 or 16 that credited for me and that was a good month (i even had a mid credit for me and that hasn't happened in a long time). right now i am concentrating more on surveys and shopping for christmas then i am on offers as i know which offers will credit for me and which ones won't. occassionally i will do the survey offers if i see that other people are getting credit but i don't do them as much as i used to. HTH.:sunshine:

[SunshineGirl]

I think I can probably have SG make a change to the offers page for each offer to note whether or not it is quick crediting. We already designate them as such in the database when we load them. So he would just need to put a little star next them.

Another thought is maybe separating out the "freebies" entirely and not even including them in the offers? That way, we can really explain on that page what people are getting into when they do them? It might also be possible for SG to show the percentage of people who have gotten credit versus the percentage that have either attempted the offer (put it into pending) or clicked on it. The only problem with that is that we still have people putting offers into pending just because they don't want to see them....not because they have actually tried them.

[bartleby1]

I think I can probably have SG make a change to the offers page for each offer to note whether or not it is quick crediting. We already designate them as such in the database when we load them. So he would just need to put a little star next them.

Another thought is maybe separating out the "freebies" entirely and not even including them in the offers? That way, we can really explain on that page what people are getting into when they do them? It might also be possible for SG to show the percentage of people who have gotten credit versus the percentage that have either attempted the offer (put it into pending) or clicked on it. The only problem with that is that we still have people putting offers into pending just because they don't want to see them....not because they have actually tried them.


I really like the idea of showing the percentage of people who have gotten credit. That way, before a member even attempts it, they could get an idea whether it is worth their time. Different people have a different view of what is considered "worth their time" and this would be a great bit of info to have ahead of time.

Also, would there be some way to add another button for those people who want to delete an offer from their list so they don't need to put it in pending? Just some way for them to put it in another category of "I don't want to do this offer"?

[athoods]

Been a member since 2007 and i try many offers. a few each day. I check the automatic credit thread to see what has credited for other members(Major Marcy and I have the same problem). There are some i don't try because i never get credit for them. If they have epath, modpath i can't seem to get them to credit so i have made a list of most offers that use these and i don't try them. Have tried usting mozilla and still these don't credit. But other do so i trye a few.

[AlternateEgo]

I really like the idea of showing the percentage of people who have gotten credit. That way, before a member even attempts it, they could get an idea whether it is worth their time. Different people have a different view of what is considered "worth their time" and this would be a great bit of info to have ahead of time.

Also, would there be some way to add another button for those people who want to delete an offer from their list so they don't need to put it in pending? Just some way for them to put it in another category of "I don't want to do this offer"?

A trash can sounds like a great idea :)

[~Kathie]

Honestly I dont' have time to try them anymore bc mainly I know the majority won't credit for me anyway. I've been around for over 2 yrs so I think I'm in their database.

I'm with April here. I have been active on SR for over 3 years and very few offers credit for me. I might try a few offers if I see they are crediting for others.....especially when there is a contest. But I really don't have the time.

I do like the recycle (trash can) idea as there are some offers I am not interested in and I think it would be easier to wade through the ones I might be interested in.

I was looking through offers last night. Many of them have corrupt links or took me to something totally different than was advertised. I've looked on the Tech thread and some of them have been reported.

Does someone check them out on a regular basis? Not being judgemental at all.....but it's frustrating to click on an offer to see what it's all about and get some smilie download page. :(

Thanks for caring about what we think and asking us to express our opinions.

[SunshineGirl]

The good news from SG is that we can make a couple of these changes fairly quickly:

1) Adding an icon or something that will show which offers are quick crediting. (may be added by this time tomorrow)
2) Moving the "freebie" offers out of the general offer stream so that new members will not get stung by the spammy stuff. (may be added as soon as tomorrow night)

Couple of things:

1) We can also work on the "percentage of people who got credit" thing and probably get it added within a week or so. (may be able to add this by Saturday)
2) What is a better name for the "freebie" offers that explains that you are actually getting paid to give them your information, which they will likely sell? It's not the same as just signing up and getting a free product for sure.
3) The delete thing will likely take quite a bit more time because we would have to change our database and every one of the offer pages. Not saying it can't be done. It would just have to be put on the list of things that get done after vacation.

[chipndale]

Just wanted to add my two cents. Having been a member since June 2008, I am sure that I am in a lot of the databases. I still try to do all a few offers every week. When I first started, I did the daily survey, paid click emails, the scratch off, and contests. I was too afraid to try shopping. Oh when I think about how much more money I could have made. Then, I got up the courage to try shopping and wow can your account grow! I eventually tried offers and have found out that some offers will usually credit for me and any modpath or elthpath offers just don't like me. I still try those offers because every once in a blue moon one will credit. :rotfl: I have been doing more surveys and offers and less shopping since DH has been laid off. I even have DH doing more surveys!

It would be really nice to have a place to put offers that we just are not interested in. As for as showing what percentage are receiving credit for an offer - that would be nice if it is not too much work for SR. But to be honest, I have tried offers that seemed to credit for everyone during crazy credits and did not receive credit and I have received credit for offers that no one was receiving credit for. So I guess I just try the offers (while I am watching TV) and if they credit that is just extra money in my account. As far as pulling offers - if an offer is not crediting for anyone than it should be pulled. But if it is crediting then I feel leave it up. Maybe that is where the percentages would help people decide if they want to try an offer.

I do think that a new member should have some kind of limitation placed on their account. I have seen newbies try to many offers in a day or just don't understand the mechanics of how to complete an offer. Maybe have a section for newbies of offers that are crediting well and they need to complete 1 offer a day for so many days before they can move to the next level.

[rumrunnergirl]

I mainly do offers/freebies here so I wouldn't want to see them pulled.

I pretty much stick with the ones in the "fast crediting" category - even if they don't always credit for me. I check the "automatic credits for me" thread also.

I hardly ever shop online because I don't work so I can't order for my job, and we're on a really tight budget 90% of the time.

The survey people don't like to hear from unemployed middle age white women with children under 13 - so I don't get a lot there either, LOL. (Plus I had dial-up until last week, so movie clips wouldn't play either).

So offers are how I earn at SR.

[jnorth1007]

Tricia,

Can we put together a tutuorial for the new members about how to do the freebie offers and maybe even include a quiz on the information we taught and they would need to complete the tutorial and pass the quiz before they would be given access to the freebie offers. This really would be a life saver for them so they don't have to search out the info and they would be ahead of the game in figuring out how SR works.

I don't get credit for a lot of the freebie offers because I have been around for so long but I remember as a new person that was how I made my money in the first 6 months. It can be very exciting to a new person to make their first $50 - $100 off of freebie offers that only require time and information.

[TxAggies]

The good news from SG is that we can make a couple of these changes fairly quickly:

1) Adding an icon or something that will show which offers are quick crediting. (may be added by this time tomorrow)
2) Moving the "freebie" offers out of the general offer stream so that new members will not get stung by the spammy stuff. (may be added as soon as tomorrow night)

Couple of things:

1) We can also work on the "percentage of people who got credit" thing and probably get it added within a week or so. (may be able to add this by Saturday)
2) What is a better name for the "freebie" offers that explains that you are actually getting paid to give them your information, which they will likely sell? It's not the same as just signing up and getting a free product for sure.
3) The delete thing will likely take quite a bit more time because we would have to change our database and every one of the offer pages. Not saying it can't be done. It would just have to be put on the list of things that get done after vacation.


Okay, I will weigh in here as someone who is relatively new, having been a member for about 6 months now. :) The proposed changes sound great, especially adding the icon for quick-crediting, so folks could see that at a glance. Also particularly helpful would be adding the percentage of people who got credit to the offer section itself. Right now, before I attempt an offer, I review the automatic credit thread in the forum to see what is crediting well, then base what I actually try on what I saw there. Having similar information on the offer pages would eliminate a step.

[marcymajor]

just did the myrewardsvault-$500 target gift card offer about 40 minutes ago, got the confirmation email, confirmed it and did not get get credit for it. this makes #6 for the month that did not credit. guess they also know me. it makes it a little frustrating when everyone around you gets credit for offers and i don't. that may be another reason why i have cut down on doing offers. this is not a criticism or a put down of the offers being presented - it is just what is happening to me so i hope i don't piss anyone off by my opinion.

[mmm611]

I've been around since Sept. 2007 and 95% of my earnings come from surveys and offers. The surveys go in spurts because I don't qualify for half of them, and I choose to not even attempt my SM survey so I can save the extra chance for tomorrow's DS.

I think it's a two way street with offers. It seems like there are a lot posted in a short amount of time. When that happens, I get a little overwhelmed and try to sort through which offers are more likely to credit for me and which are fast credits. I do those first, but limit myself to a couple a day. The problem with every relying on the auto credits thread is not everyone posts there. I've started trying to be a guinea pig on some of the offers that don't appear to have had much traffic yet and do try to post which ones worked for me.

I've also had problems with certain advertisers not creditting in the past and have learend that I just need to be patient and keep trying. I used to never get modpath offers, but have started getting those about half the time now. You can't tell for sure by the names, but some of them like MID I know are more likely to work for me. I think people just give up on the ones that are by their "bad" advertiser(s) and start ignoring them completely.

I was skeptical of how well it would work for SR to only add offers once every few weeks, but I haven't really seen that change at all yet. I think a limit on the number of noncreditting offers would be good, but at the same time people have to actually try them first to know if it's a bad offer or not. If nobody bothers to try them, we're back to square one.

[OhMari]

I think the Freebie thread name should be changed.
Yes, you can receive credit, after you do all the clicks of
yes/no and then looking at the ads.
After the yes/no, then you are asked to look at the silver/gold/platium and bonus.
I would stress to make sure you watch to make sure some of the ads open and not go to a corrupt site. If it asks you to look at 2 ads in the silver offers, make sure 2 offers open, and they say "done". I even will sign up if I like an offer, but not always. So, now I really am going to brainstorm to think of another name for the fast crediting offers. Maybe that would be a good name, "Fast Crediting offers" and "Manual Crediting offers".

I would really like to know, if anyone ever wins one of those big prizes for doing the credit offers.

[cglaura]

Maybe for the Deleting option there can be some sort of thing like Hide This Offer, or maybe Save For Later. Then we could have a link on the bottom of Member Zone (where the Trouble Tickets, etc are) "View Your Saved Offers" or some such wording.

I think this would be helpful for the older members who know something would probably not credit for them. Like, I know once Eversave has my email I don't get credit anymore. Which is understandable, because they all generally route to the same Eversave newsletters, so they don't need me to sign up again, even if it was for a diffent incentive. So it would nice to be able to move that so I can keep the list relevant to me.

[m 'n c]

I love the freebies. I don't always get credit but I do try them when I have a spare minute. I'm in a down spurt right now so I'm focusing on surveys and shopping until there is a contest or I think my info has been deleted from their databases.

I think a tutorial on how to do an offer would be great for newbies but I'm not sure if they are willing to sit through the video, take a test, and then be allowed to try. I know it was a suggestion looking out for the best for everyone but it could turn people off. JMO. Same thing with "unlocking" offers until after a certain time period. It could really drive people to other sites rather than hanging out here with us.

[secretmoney]

Although I've been a member for about 6 months now, I'm still very confused about how to complete offers. I've read all of the stickies many times. A tutorial would be great. It would also be great if we could tell up front which ones just want an e-mail address and which want more personal info. I'm not comfortable giving out my phone number. I like surveys and would like to participate more in offers. Thanks again for ALL of the help everyone has given me. I love it here!

[SunshineGirl]

You should be starting to see some of these changes we have been talking about. Don't panic that the freebies are being pulled out. We're going to put up a specific page just for them and then figure out later how to deal with making sure that people understand them before they do them.

[SunshineGuy]

I think I can probably have SG make a change to the offers page for each offer to note whether or not it is quick crediting. We already designate them as such in the database when we load them. So he would just need to put a little star next them.

Another thought is maybe separating out the "freebies" entirely and not even including them in the offers? That way, we can really explain on that page what people are getting into when they do them? It might also be possible for SG to show the percentage of people who have gotten credit versus the percentage that have either attempted the offer (put it into pending) or clicked on it. The only problem with that is that we still have people putting offers into pending just because they don't want to see them....not because they have actually tried them.
OK....things I did tonight....
1.)Each fast crediting offer should now have a notation telling you that.
2.)the "Freebie" offers have been removed from the regular offers. Tricia is working on a new page where these offers will show up.

still working on the "percentage" display for the offers .... maybe tomorrow.

[chipndale]

Thanks Sunshine Guy! You have been very busy.

[m 'n c]

Thanks Kevin! You are awesome.

[faithhope]

Thank you for all the changes... I especially like the fast crediting notation.

[athoods]

Great ideas and thanks so much for all that do!!

[Blessing and Miracle]

Kinda late on my feedback....but whatever you guys decided is fine with me. I don't try them as much as I use to but it's not because of them not crediting or etc. It's mainly due to my health/time. Occassionally I will try a couple and if they credit, that's great and if they don't, I understand that as well. I know that it's a chance either way!

As far as information being sold, that's not good, but I think as long as we are consumers of ANYTHING, our information is going to be shared!! Junk mail - I throw it in the trash, phone calls - can't identify the number, I don't answer.

I like to see my balance grow with an occassional offer's credit!

Keep up the good work, Sunshine and thanks for wanting our imput.:)

[SunshineGirl]

We've now pulled out the "freebie" offers from the rest. You can still find them all here at:

http://www.sunshinerewards.com/freebie-offers.php

I'll work on getting them added to a menu somewhere so that you don't have to remember this address. I'm still thinking on what to do to keep the newer members from getting into these if they don't want their information distributed. We get a lot of complaints from people who join SR and complete a few "offers" and then start getting spam. They threaten to sue US because they think that we are giving out their information. We just can't have that.

[Blessing and Miracle]

We get a lot of complaints from people who join SR and complete a few "offers" and then start getting spam. They threaten to sue US because they think that we are giving out their information. We just can't have that.


Oh, wow!!! :confused::(

[Magical JenK]

We've now pulled out the "freebie" offers from the rest. You can still find them all here at:

http://www.sunshinerewards.com/freebie-offers.php

I'll work on getting them added to a menu somewhere so that you don't have to remember this address. I'm still thinking on what to do to keep the newer members from getting into these if they don't want their information distributed. We get a lot of complaints from people who join SR and complete a few "offers" and then start getting spam. They threaten to sue US because they think that we are giving out their information. We just can't have that.

Tricia-I thought of something last night. What if you put a big ol' pop up that says "WARNING...when doing these "freebie offers" you are basically selling your information to the marketing companies. Not all freebie offers will credit, SR is no way affilliated with these offers, you WILL get lots of spam emails, phone calls, junk mail, etc. Do these freebies at your own risk."

Then maybe "To accept these terms, please click here." Or something...so it really calls it out to those that don't understand what they're doing. I've been on SR for a few years now & like everyone else, it was a work in process to first get started...however, I did figure it out w/the help of other members & trial & error...

I get that you need to cover your butt, but seriously, what do these people who threaten to sue SR think they're doing for the possibility of earning $0.50?

[SunshineGirl]

That's not a bad idea about putting a pop-up on that screen. Just to be sure that people get it. I think where the confusion lies is in the difference between something like GoRVing.com and "Coke or Pepsi: Win a $25 Gift Card." People who don't have experience with rewards sites see them both as the same. But GoRVing only sells your info vis a vis renting an RV. So if you sign up, you had better be interested in renting an RV. The "Coke or Pepsi" offer sells every piece of your information to anyone who will buy it...even signing you up for things automatically. I tested one of those offers the other day and got a confirmation email from a rival rewards site!!! Now, I KNOW I did not sign up for any other rewards site...even in the registration path. They do tricky things like that all the time in those offers. We're all used to it. But for new members, it can be a nightmare if you use your work email address for something like that unknowingly.

[mmm611]

Thanks for the changes made so far. As long as I can access the freebies somehow, it doesn't matter too much how the rest of it works.

One thing I'm wondering...eventually, will the freebies show up on the drop down offer list again or even on a separate list? It looks like there may have been a few new ones added today. The list is helpful for offers you need to redo after 30 days. If others are saying they're getting credit, it helps to be able to find them a bit easier.

[SunshineGirl]

Thanks for the changes made so far. As long as I can access the freebies somehow, it doesn't matter too much how the rest of it works.

One thing I'm wondering...eventually, will the freebies show up on the drop down offer list again or even on a separate list? It looks like there may have been a few new ones added today. The list is helpful for offers you need to redo after 30 days. If others are saying they're getting credit, it helps to be able to find them a bit easier.

We won't be adding them into the main drop down list anymore. But I would think that SG could add a dropdown to that freebie page just for the freebie offers.

[jnorth1007]

Personally I like them being seperated now. I got two offers worth 1.00 each that I wouldn't have even seen because they were all mixed in with the .30 freebies. I couldn't get caught up on those and only 1 out of every 6 would credit for me anyways because I have been around so long. Now I can put my energy in to the offers that credit better and are worth more. I can also go to the freebie page on slow days and try a few for credits. It just seems much easier to navigate and understand now.

[faithhope]

I love the freebie offers and usually skip the "big money" buy something offers...so thanks for separating them out.

[SunshineGirl]

There's now a link from the menu to the freebies. It's under Offers/Contests and says "Freebie Offers." Sorry I forgot to have SG put the pull down list on there for you. I'll send him an email to see if we can't get it done tonight. We're fairly close on getting the little signals to tell you how often the offers are crediting for people. Then we'll take a break for our vacation and work on the option of hiding offers you don't want. :)

[SunshineGuy]

ok...time for anyone who is bored on a Wednesday night to tell me what you think.

I just added some "colored balls" to the offers. These balls tell you how well an offer is crediting. Red = not well. Yellow = medium. Green = credits very well. blue = too new to tell.


still working on the sizing and layout. but tell me what you think.

[m 'n c]

Hey Kevin where can we see the "red light"? I'm on the freebies offer page and I see fast crediting but no lights.

[m 'n c]

Nevermind I see it under all offers.

[chipndale]

There's now a link from the menu to the freebies. It's under Offers/Contests and says "Freebie Offers." Sorry I forgot to have SG put the pull down list on there for you. I'll send him an email to see if we can't get it done tonight. We're fairly close on getting the little signals to tell you how often the offers are crediting for people. Then we'll take a break for our vacation and work on the option of hiding offers you don't want. :)

OK I must be blind because I can't find it!

[chipndale]

Never mind - I wasn't looking in the right place. It was right in front of my face. :rotfl:

[faithhope]

The colored dots look good...they are fine... I love how they are top and center and easy to see.

here are my picky suggestions...
- make them a little smaller... maybe a nice 3D smooth sphere/ball gif to make it look a little more professional - it could be my bad monitor (I need a new one - no doubt) but the circle looks jaggy.

- a color code chart/guide will need to be put somewhere.

- please include the color coded dots in the freebie offers section as well

Thanks for all that you do SunshineGuy

[SunshineGuy]

it should be under "All offers" and when you look for offers under categories. I am will working on the freebies offer page to add it there too.

i had another idea. what if it was more like a stoplight and there were gray buttons too.... take a look now - is it more confusing?


i need to make them smaller too i think.

[faithhope]

it should be under "All offers" and when you look for offers under categories. I am will working on the freebies offer page to add it there too.

i had another idea. what if it was more like a stoplight and there were gray buttons too.... take a look now - is it more confusing?


i need to make them smaller too i think.

I think smaller would be good. I don't think it matters either way... single dot or 4 dots/one colored.....my personal choice is the single dot... less clutter... but it is just personal opinion.

[chipndale]

I like the stoplight look but I argree that it could be smaller. It kinda jumps out at you.

[m 'n c]

I like the stoplight but I think it's a tad small. I'd bump it a little bigger but not as big as the original dots.

[chipndale]

Not sure what everyone else thinks but I think you could go a tad bigger. It is hard for my old eyes to see that. Also, they are not very clear. Mine are showing up as a circle with a halo effect.

[SunshineGuy]

ok....slightly bigger.....

adding to the freebie pages now.

[m 'n c]

Ok I just refreshed the all offers page and I like the size I just saw. Definitely big enough for people to see.

[chipndale]

Perfect size and location! It looks great.

[faithhope]

good size :-)

[SunshineGuy]

now with tooltips....hover over the lit light and it will explain what that color means!

[faithhope]

Student Loan Survey [ID: 3856]
Has blue and green light on.

fixed

[chipndale]

now with tooltips....hover over the lit light and it will explain what that color means!

Very Cool!

[Leslie]

now with tooltips....hover over the lit light and it will explain what that color means!

This is really cool! Thanks!

[SunshineGirl]

Kind of interesting to see them by category now with their little lights. The surveys category of offers is almost all green.

[askomsky]

Kind of interesting to see them by category now with their little lights. The surveys category of offers is almost all green.

That's what I was coming to post! LOL first time i had to check it out.

LOVE IT!
Thanks Kevin you rock!

[fanofree]

Wow!!! you go on vacation for a week and come back to a "new" SR. As soon as I get the laundry put away, some errands done and catch up on my mail - I'm off to check this out!