CloudCrowd Review...

(For updates, please scroll down to the bottom)


CloudCrowd pays you to complete a number of tasks including:

- looking for email addresses and business profiles

- evaluating images

- editing and reviewing content

- translation work (usually German/French to English and vice versa)

- writing summaries

- singing songs (yep!)


Payments are made every business weekday via Paypal.



What You'll Need...

CloudCrowd doesn't work on a *Mac. You will need a PC (Windows platform). (*my bad - apparently you can use CloudCrowd on a Mac. To do edits/reviews, you'll need the Mac version of Word.)

You will also need a Firefox browser (preferably --- not sure it works on other browsers).

If you plan on doing any editing, writing, reviewing (and, I think, translation), you will also need Microsoft Word.



Credential Tests...

To do most tasks, you must first complete and pass a test (known as a Credential Test). The ones you have to sit an initial test for pay more (9 cents to $15.00 each). However, for a few other tasks, a test is not required (for now) and you can jump straight in (pays mostly 2 cents each).

You can only take a particular credential/translator test ONCE. CloudCrowd might change this in the future.


Pay-rate variance...

The pay isn't always the same on CloudCrowd; sometimes it changes every few days or so - it can go up or down.


Task availability...

Tasks and credential tests aren't always available. To know when they become available, you can either make frequent visits to the site or you can request that you be informed when they do become available.


Task checking...

Often, when you complete and submit a task, someone will look over your work to make sure you've done it properly. If you ever submit a task and its status is 'Awaiting Approval', then that's what's happening there.

Other times, when you submit a task, it's automatically approved. However, a reviewer can still go back and check it.

Upon checking, if he/she thinks you haven't done it well, your task will be rejected, you lose some *credibility (explained below) and you won't get paid for it.

If you feel it should have been approved, you can appeal it (exception: you can't appeal a credential test). The appeal process can take some time and you're only allowed to appeal one task at a time. Though that's the way to go, some members sometimes choose to forgo that and post a thread on the support forum instead. I've noticed a lot of the time, it gets dealt with. Though you can't appeal credential tests, I've seen a couple of people take the support-forum route.


Credibility...

What this means is how well you do each task. The credibility level starts from 30, I believe, and goes up to 100. The more tasks you do correctly, the more your credibility creeps up. However, if you do one task wrong, it can go down pretty quickly, so be careful. If it gets to a certain low, you can be put on probation. You can still do tasks, but it means that you're being monitored more closely until your tasks prove you're doing the job properly.

Credibility loss and probation periods happen to CloudCrowd workers frequently, so don't be too alarmed if it happens to you. It's happened to me a few times and is part of the learning process. Just be careful and do the job as thoroughly and attentively as you can.

Your credibility is important because it can often determine the tasks you're entitled to do. Also, if you dip to a certain level (beyond probation level), you can get suspended. It doesn't happen to a lot of people, but it has happened. If you read the rules thoroughly, make sure you understand what you're required to do, read the support forum and ask questions if you don't understand something, then you should be OK.


Some pointers...

- just to make it clear, you don't earn with Facebook, you earn with CloudCrowd. However, you need a Facebook account to join CloudCrowd as its application is Facebook-based.

- you need a VERIFIED Paypal account to receive payments from CloudCrowd

- before attempting your first task or taking a test, read CloudCrowd's rules as thoroughly as you can as well as the support forum.

- keep your credibility level healthy

- your tasks are checked by other CloudCrowd members. Who does it depends on their credential and credibility

- though CloudCrowd standards are quite high, rejections have been known to be wrong. If you're adamant your task shouldn't have been rejected, appeal it.

- when you get a task, it's up to you if you wanna do it or skip it. If you skip it, most of the time, a new task will appear (unless CloudCrowd runs out of tasks). If you get a task that you're unsure about, you might want to consider skipping it altogether rather than run the risk of attempting it, having it rejected and losing some of your credibility. It's up to you, though. Everyone works differently.



My Experience with CloudCrowd...

When I initially joined CloudCrowd, I wasn't really that active. I did a few of the low-paid tasks just to test things out and got paid overnight which was cool. After that, I didn't use it for a while.

About a month ago, I decided to revisit. I wanted to earn more and decided to take the editing credential test. I'd been putting it off for a while because I was nervous about it. The rules seemed overwhelming. But I guess on that day, I was feeling less fearful and more willing to just go for it without worrying about how it might pan out.

Few days later, I got an email informing me that I'd passed. I'd kinda forgotten I took the test. I think at the time I took it, it was more important that I conquered a fear.

However, saying that, the extra money is definitely appreciated. I tend to do more review work as I enjoy proofreading, but I've also done some editing work. I was nervous about doing the editing work too, but glad I gave it a go. It's not quite as daunting anymore.


If you see tasks on there that you feel you're skilled to do, try taking the test. The worst that could happen is that you don't get in. That's it.


Help...

If you have any questions, I don't consider myself to be a CloudCrowd guru, but I'm willing to help if I can with what I know. However, your first port of call should be the support forum.


Good luck...

If you plan on joining CloudCrowd, good luck. It's a site that's still in beta so it's not without its faults, but it has potential.


Update - 5th Sept:

There are currently two new translation tasks on CloudCrowd. They mightn't be new, but I haven't seen them in the time I've been a worker there. Anyway, they are:

- Spanish to English, and
- Chinese to English (actually, it says 'Chinese Simpl. to English'. Not sure what the 'Simpl.' means)

Payment's currently $5.00 per task to review the above translations. You have to take a translator test first.


Update - 28th Aug:

The credential test for English editing is currently available and has been since 14th Aug. I don't know how long it'll be up for. If you feel you'd be good at proofreading/editing, consider giving it a go. If you pass it, it means you'll be able to:

- edit documents (current rate: $2.00 per edit)
- review edited documents (current rate: $0.37-$0.62 per review)
- grade editor credential tests (current rate: $0.09 per grade)

...as well as other paid tasks.

What I've Been Up To...

img credit: striatic

When people ask me what I've been up to, I usually don't have a frikkin clue 'cos my mind draws a blank.

Does it happen to you too?

Anyway, I'm asking myself the same question, trying to think about what I've been up to, so I'll start from the most recent and try and work my way backwards (she says).

i) Mama's got a brand new blog

I set it up a few days ago: My Kooday Diary. Been hearing about a site called Kooday on the lips of many for a while. I was curious so I thought I'd check it out. The main premise of Kooday is that you make money by buying & selling keywords. There are a few other ways to earn too.

The site requires a minimum $5 investment to get started, so I paid up. I had no problem investing that amount. My curiosity was stronger than the worry that I might lose my investment. Plus, it's an amount I'm prepared to lose. However, I ain't investing any more than that.

Within 2 days, I'd made back my initial investment, plus a couple extra dollars. Well, in theory, I have. It's one thing to 'earn', it's another to actually receive the money in your Paypal account. I've requested payment, so we'll see if they pay up. I've seen a couple proofs of payment, but I wanna experience it myself to make sure.


ii) Actually, erm, Mama's got two brand new blogs...

The second one's How to Make $35 Online in a Week. I set it up after coming across a discussion on myLot. There was this guy who needed $60 in a week to pay for something. He already had $25 and needed $35. I gave him a couple of suggestions and ended up setting up a blog to demonstrate.

There are obviously other ways to make that amount, but I suggested ones I have personal experience of using.


iii) Packed in the research job...

Tried the gig for a month or so, but decided it wasn't for me. I'm glad I gave it a go. Worked for a really lovely client - was a great mentor, patient, cool, genuine, friendly. Would love to work with him again in the future. He's open to it too.


iv) Other stuff...

- CloudCrowd: So far this month, I've made over $50 on there. Last month, it was under $20. The reason for the jump this month is 'cos I stepped outside my comfort zone and started editing documents. Usually, I stick to reviewing edited documents and grading English Editor tests. It's what I generally prefer to do. However, now, sometimes I'll also edit a couple of documents. Those pay more.

I'm gonna post up a CloudCrowd review soon.


- Freelance writing: The writing's going OK. Written four pieces this month. Not as much as I planned to, but I should be less busy this coming week.



I like...

Having created the two new blogs, it's revived my interest in writing in that vane. I really like investigating stuff and feeding back on my findings (or setting myself a challenge and doing updates on it). I did it with Neobux where I tried the site out for a few months. I don't know why I get a kick out of it, but I do.

It can also be a great way to get referrals, but I tend not to insert referral links 'til I've seen a significant amount of proofs of payment and/or made some money myself.



Anyway, so that's what I've been up to. There's probably other little bits & pieces, but if they don't want to be remembered, ah well...


How about you? How's your online month been?

New Earning Opportunity: ToneADay...

(UPDATE - JAN 22ND 2011: ToneADay has changed its payment structure. It now only pays its top raters. Read my post Toneaday Changes for more info.)


I heard about ToneADay quite recently. I read mixed reviews about it - was sceptical but very curious, so I joined.

It's an unusual site. Owned by a company called Lymbix.


How it Works...

You're given a random word (or words) and, using slides, you have to choose how the word makes you feel. For each word you rate on, your account is credited with 2 cents. That's it in a nutshell, really, as I understand it so far.


100 words or so...

You're given around 100 words to start with (mine was 96).

For each word, you're asked how you feel about it. You choose however you feel about the word from a list (as below):

- Affection/Friendliness
- Enjoyment/Elation
- Amusement/Excitement
- Contentment/Gratitude
- Sadness/Grief
- Anger/Loathing
- Fear/Uneasiness
- Humiliation/Shame

So, for example, and this is just an example, if the word 'toothpick' appears, you have to choose how that word makes you feel. Does it make you feel affection, contentment, anger, fear or nothing at all?

Here's a screenshot:



There's a slide (a face) under each emotion. For any emotion you choose, you use the slide to indicate the level of your emotion. So, if the word toothpick makes you feel anger, you use the slide to indicate how angry it makes you feel. If it makes you feel anger AND fear, you use the corresponding slides for both.


Accessing the emotions & slides...

You have 3 options when you're given a word/words. You can either rate it, skip it all together or deem it as unrateable. If you choose to rate a word, choose the 'Rate This Phrase' Button. It will then give you access to the emotions/slides.


How long did it take me?

It didn't take too long for me to get through the batch of 96 words. I wasn't clock watching, but it didn't feel longer than 30-35mins at the most. It was interesting to find out how I felt about certain words.



So I rated the 100 or so words. Then what?

I requested payment ($2.00). First though, 10% of it was held as a charitable donation. I don't mind - think it's cool. There were two charities to choose from. You can also adjust the donation up if you want. I changed mine to 21 cents as I have a luck thing about the number 7 (21's divisible by 7). Don't ask. It's just a thing I do.

The remainder ($1.79) I requested via Paypal and got it instantly. No fees. Payment proof below:



UPDATE - 11th Aug: From what I've been reading on myLot, it seems payment is no longer made soon after you request it; it's now made after it's been reviewed and can take up to a week. I quote below:

"We've been notified of your checkout request, however to protect against fraud (no one likes spammy data) we need to verify your contributions. Once your request is approved you will be able to redeem your earnings.

Due to the high volume of user data being processed, it may take up to a week before your checkout request is approved. Please be patient as we work to improve our process."

Payout Thresholds...

There used to be five payout levels. There are now two. One is the $2 payout at the Qualifying level; kinda like a taster, a token payment so-to-speak.

You then go on to the next level where you can rate much more (up to 500 ratings a day // Sometimes there are no words to rate at all and you have to refresh the page after a few minutes or just come back later. There have been times when it's seemed like days before words have become available and when they have, it's been nowhere near the 500-word quota. However, there's definitely been a marked improvement this month (Oct)).


When are Payments Made?

Once a month. Via Paypal. I'm not sure if the same rule applies at the qualifying level.



Tips for Ya...

- Take your time, concentrate on each word. You'll enjoy it more and are less likely to notice how many you've gone through.

- Break the ratings up into manageable chunks over a period of time. It also stops monotony from sinking in.

- ToneADay has a support forum. Read it. Use it (if need be).

- They're also on Facebook.


Inevitably, there'll be those who'll try and buck the system by going on a hyper-clicking frenzy without paying much attention to the words. I say good luck to them.


I plan on using ToneADay as something to do when my mind needs a breather. I'm finding it interesting at the moment. But, knowing me, I'm likely to tire of it sooner or later.


UPDATE - 22nd Jan '11:

Toneaday has reopened its doors. However, it's now only paying its top raters. More info - read my post: Toneaday Changes.


UPDATE - November '10:

You now have to sit (and pass) an English competency test to continue rating at ToneADay. The test is set for 10 minutes. Very important: do not leave the test window while taking the test. If you do, you have to start the test afresh. You're given three chances to retest if you leave the test window or mistakenly refresh it. However, once you've completed the test, that's it, you don't get another go.

I took the test and found it relatively easy. Took me about 3 minutes. However, I appreciate that everyone's at different levels.

Tip: Read the words out to yourself if need be. Sometimes, your voice can catch what your eyes miss.


UPDATE - October '10:

ToneADay is currently not accepting new members. However, they do invite people to still register should positions become available in the future. Might be advisable to do so.


UPDATE - 31st Aug '10:

It's a bit of mess, y'all. There now seem to be as many people waiting for payment as there are those who've been paid. I don't think the company reckoned on just how many people would join the site.


UPDATE - 14th Aug '10:

Things seem to be moving now and people are starting to get paid. If you read through the following:

- ToneADay (Lymbix) on Facebook

- WAHM forum: (ToneADay) fun little job

...you'll notice some people have been confirming they've received payment.


UPDATE - 11th Aug '10: a few people have been waiting for their payment for a while, some for over a week, some pushing on 2 weeks.

Without anything official (like an FAQ) on the site to indicate just how long payments should take, and considering most people were paid at the initial level pretty quickly, people are naturally making the understandable assumption that the 2nd payment should follow a similar pattern. I think there needs to be something concrete on their site regarding payment turnaround times so everyone knows what's what.



Have a good week/end, y'all...

Miss E to the mother-choclating B.

July 2010: Online Earnings...

img credit: Niffty

I made nowhere near the $1000 I hoped to make. I'm not too disappointed, but I was hoping I'd surpass $500. In fact, I made less in July than I did the previous month.


So what happened, m'lady? Pray tell.

Well, everything was going great in the first week of July. I was actually skipping through the week thinking if things continue this way, then Donald frikkin Trump, you better watch out.

And then leading up to mid-month, things seemed to stall.

I was also extreeeemely busy offline one other week; I ran two workshops in a school. So there I was thinking I was Superwoman and could juggle the workshops with research work that week. Looked good on paper, but the reality was I was sooooo tired preparing for & doing the workshops that I just didn't have the physical or mind energy to then plough into online stuff. I mean, I could just about remember Denzel Washington used to be my man in a parallel world where everything's made outta chocolate.


Along with life throwing stones anyhow and any time it damn flippin well pleases, I managed to make $455.95.

Breakdown is as follows:

(any figures in pounds means I was originally paid in that currency)

- Research work: $248.66 (private client) (it's bloody hard work)

- Writing: $115.62 (private client)

- Surveys: $37.94 (£25.00) (Hi-epanel - £16.00; Pinecone Research - £9.00)

- Triviala - $22.80 (£15.00) (games/trivia site) (read review)

- CloudCrowd: $18.86 (pays for completion of tasks including searching, editing, translating & reviewing. Need a Facebook account. Pay varies from 1 cent to $5 per completed task. Pays every weekday via Paypal.)

- Proofreading: $6.52 (private clients)

- Swagbucks: $5.00 (I'm getting $5-$10 a mth for what doesn't feel like much work. I search a few times a day, do a poll, maybe do a survey every now & then and that's it. The more you do there, the more you earn, but I'm happy just doing the bare minimum. / To find out more about Swagbucks, read my review)

- QuickRewards Network: $0.55 (GPT site. read review)


TOTAL: $455.95



So, yeah, that's been my month...

It would be good to make $1000 this month, but I'm not gonna sweat it if I don't. However, it would be good to have one month this year in which I do. Means I have 5 times to give it a go before the year's out.


Anyway, I hope y'all have had a relatively good July online. Do share your achievements and misses if you want.



Here's to a wonderFULL August. Bite into it.


Ebele.