What is the Talk Online Panel?
In a nutshell, Talk is a community platform where members get invited to take surveys on everything from lifestyle habits and financial choices to social issues and purchasing preferences. The surveys could be commissioned by media outlets, research agencies or the marketing departments of companies – and depending on the questionnaire, would apply either to the general population or only to a specific target group. Each completed survey is rewarded with a number of points, usually depending on the length and complexity of the questionnaire: the points can then be exchanged for cash, vouchers in online or offline partner retailers, magazine subscriptions or charity donations.
How does membership in the Talk Online Panel work?
Here are some key facts about Talk online panel membership:
- Registering for membership is free.
- You must register in the country of your main residence at the time-- you do not need to be a citizen as long as you are legally allowed to live there. If you move countries, you can notify us to move your account.
- If you no longer wish to be a member, you can at any point delete your account – although then you’d be also forfeiting any points you have collected.
- Member data is strictly confidential and kept in a secure, encrypted database. When you login and perform any actions on the Talk website, the connection to our server is further encrypted using SSL (Security Socket Layer) technology. SSL is an encryption protocol that secures the communication channel and enables the identification of the server -- this technology is considered one of the safest currently available. We never sell or otherwise pass on your personal or contact details to third parties, so you won’t have to worry about spam.
- Your answers to any survey are always anonymized – we only connect it to demographic data for research purposes.
- If you have no time or do not wish to take part in a survey, you just ignore the invitation – participation is always optional.
- Points collected for answering surveys have a set monetary value and can be cashed in at certain milestones, i.e. from a certain points total and upwards. You can continue collecting to reach a higher milestone, but points need to be used up within two years or they expire. Don’t worry, we’ll notify you before that happens!
- Depending on the legislation of your country, points can be cashed in as vouchers, cash, charity donations or magazine subscriptions – you can see the specific rewards here. Unfortunately legislation is still quite different even among EU member states, so we cannot offer cash payments in all countries -- it would need to be taxed and added to your income declaration.
Why do you need so many details about me?
Depending on the requirements of a questionnaire and the specifications of the commissioning client, we need a specific target group for each survey. For example, a survey on cars would only make sense for car owners, a survey on cigarette flavors for smokers, and a survey on pet grooming for dog or cat owners. Some surveys need only men or only women, or people who live in a particular region or are in a particular age range -- so the more details we have about your demographic profile, the more likely you are to be invited to surveys that are relevant to you, and collect more points!
I am not getting any surveys - why not?
We invite panelists based on the requirements of each survey, which are often very detailed and particular -- so it helps to know enough about each panelist to decide if they fit into that group (e.g. female 30-39, smoker, car owner). To make sure that you are invited to a survey where your opinions would be relevant, please make sure your profile is up to date and you have taken the basic profile surveys : you can find them in the page Collect Points page.
Why do I get kicked out from some surveys?
You might get kicked out from a survey because:
- You filled out the questionnaire too quickly, without reading the questions precisely
- Your answers were inconsistent
- You did not fit to the survey’s target group. Even if we have variety of profile surveys, sometimes our clients need a very specific target group. In that case, we might invite you to surveys on speculation - maybe you fit that very specific target group, maybe you don't
- Your target group quota is already full. Sometimes it can happen that a target group fills quickly, and is then closed. For this reason it is always recommended that you participate in the survey as soon as possible
- Someone from the same IP address has already taken part in this survey
How is it possible that someone from the same IP has already taken part in some surveys?
Often it is a special request from our clients that only one person from the same IP address may participate in some of our surveys. This means you might on occasion be kicked out from a survey because:
- People who live in the same household or work in the same company, share the same IP
- Internet/mobile providers change user IPs frequently and someone from the same IP has already participated in the survey
- You are registered in another panel and have already participated in the survey (the system remembers your IP and prevents you from participating again)
We regret the inconvenience, but unfortunately this is a technical issue and there is not much we can do.
What can I do when I cannot access the survey?
It’s generally recommended for you to take part in surveys as soon as possible when you receive the invitation e-mail for the survey – so that you will be able to take part before the survey ends. Sometimes we need your participation rather quickly but we will give you always an estimated time until when they survey is open. If you have problems viewing the survey, please first try to copy the link from the invitation e-mail and paste it to your usual browser, and maybe one other browser. If it doesn’t work, please contact us including the specific link you received, so we can trace the issue quickly.
How can i collect more points?
You get points for the following actions:
- Registering and confirming your account (100 points)
- Inviting friends to join the panel (100 points for each friend who confirms registration and completes a real survey they are invited to apart from profile surveys)
and of course
- Completing surveys you are invited to (points depending on survey duration)
Please note that you are allowed to invite up to 50 people at a time to join the panel, up to a maximum of 100 people, or 10,000 points, per year. You can invite others once your own profile is created, i.e. once you have confirmed your registration. However, the points from invited friends will be credited to your account as soon as each invited friend has completed one survey they were invited to, excluding profile surveys which are available automatically. We appreciate this might mean a short delay of maybe a few weeks, however this is necessary measure we decided on to prevent scamming with fake email accounts and to protect the integrity of the panel.
When will i receive the friend invitation points?
The points will be credited to your account as soon as your friend registers and participates in one survey they were invited to, excluding profile surveys which are available automatically. Please note - the friend that you invited should register through the link from the invitation email, not by going to the homepage on their own.
How long does it take for points to be credited?
Usually the points are added to your account shortly after you finish the survey. However, in the case of surveys from a partner panel, this could take a bit longer, sometimes up to 24 hours.
How does cashing in the points work?
When you have selected your reward, go ahead and complete the ordering process on the website. Depending on what it is, the procedure is slightly different for each reward, as below:
- Cash transfers to your account are done at the end of the calendar month in which the reward was ordered.
- Vouchers are sent electronically or by post at at the end of the calendar month in which the reward was ordered.
- Magazine subscription orders are passed on to the publisher at the end of the calendar month in which the reward was ordered.
- Charity donations are transferred to the organization, along with your name and email address as donors, at the end of the calendar month in which the reward was ordered.
I forgot my password and can't log in!
At the top left of our homepage, next to the login button, you can find the “Forgot password” link. You have to enter your registered e-mail to receive the reset your existing password.
Anything else you want help with, don't hesitate to ask!