If you need some extra cash (although it’s not much) and you still trust Facebook with some of your data, you will now be able to monetize your survey answering with Facebook Viewpoints. The stand-alone app is what the social media giant is now using to gather information about its users to be able to improve the apps within its ecosystem. It uses a points system and when you reach a certain level, you’ll get money sent directly to your connected PayPal account.
Facebook Viewpoints is basically a survey app that will reward you with points every time you participate in one. They didn’t really specify what kind of survey they’ll be asking you to answer except to say that the insights they’ll get from the various surveys they will be running will improve their products like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Portal, and Oculus. They say your information will not be shared with any third parties but will just be used for their own products.
For example, the first program is all about how social media affects people’s well-being. It will help them “build better products” so that it will be more beneficial than harmful for those who use it. They didn’t really specify how many points you’ll get for this one but some screenshots from the app show that it’s a 15-minute survey with 83 questions and you’ll get 1,000 points for it. You will then get $5 after reaching that milestone. Obviously it’s not a lot but it’s still $5.
After you’ve finished setting up an account through Facebook log-in, you’ll then see the programs you can join. They will explain things like what information they will collect, how they will use this info and of course, how many points you’ll get. Every time you achieve a milestone in terms of points, they will send you the money directly to PayPal. Initially they will get your name, email address, country of residence, date of birth and gender but later on you may be asked for things like location to qualify for a program.
So if you live in the U.S and you have no qualms about how Facebook handles your data and privacy, you can download the app from the Google Play Store for free. They plan to expand to more countries by next year.
