You’ve heard of Nielsen before. They’re the globally-known market research powerhouses who have been researching entertainment trends for decades. Listen to the news or read a magazine, and you’re sure to see a poll or study by Nielsen, telling us what television shows are the most popular. Most people don’t know, though, that the folks at Nielsen also study consumer trends.

Nielsen studies television viewing by asking households across the country to keep viewing diaries or to attach data-collecting boxes to their family televisions. They study consumers in the same way. Nielsen supplies some families across the country with home scanners — hand-held devices that allow the study participants to scan the bar codes of the items they buy (everything from generic canned peas to plasma televisions).

What does Nielsen do with the data they collect from Homescan studies? They report back to manufacturers, and the data ultimately influences what products are made and sold.

They can’t do this alone, however.  Nielsen needs participants for this program. Registration is completely free. What’s in it for you? Well, Nielsen doesn’t pay in the form of cash. BUT if you are an active participant in the program, Nielsen will reward you with points that you can redeem for electronics, jewelry, household items, toys, and a lot more. In my opinion, that’s just as good as cash, because you can earn free things that you can give away as gifts (which takes that burden off of your wallet). Influence the products made and sold.  Join Nielsen’s Homescan Consumer Panel. Click Here to learn more!!

Many, many of you have written to ask that I list more freelance writing opportunities.  I’ve found another company that accepts pieces from all registered members.  Bukisa is a newish site, accepting all sorts of creative work from creative people: they accept articles, slides, videos, and audio submissions.  If you desire to work at home, you might want to give Bukisa a look over.  As with most of these residual income sites, this is not get rich quick… but it will allow you to build a strong, passive income if you contribute regularly and stick with it.

Purex — the laundry soap company — has a great offer for my readers, since most of you are parents of young children. They are offering my readers a full year of Parents Magazine for $4. That’s 12 issues for just $0.33 each! Get your ridiculously cheap Parents Magazine subscription here. Enter promo code PX1962 (you won’t get the discount without it). Let your friends and family know about this offer!

Hurry, because it’s for a very limited time.

I know you’ve seen online ads and commercials promising to help you make  money fast online. With a small investment, you can be making upwards of $10,000 to $30,000 per month! I have been at this for a long time, and I am here to tell you that yes, you can make money online. But those ads are full of nothing but lies. If you fall for one of those ads, the only people who will make money fast online are the advertisers. They will make up to $1000 within the few seconds that it takes you to give them your credit card number.

I have people contact me often, asking how they can use the internet to make fast cash online. I have researched this for a while, and there are a few options that I have come up with.

How to Make Fast Cash Online within a Week

Sell unwanted or unneeded items on craigslist or eBay. If you need the cash fast, and don’t want to pay a payment processing company (like PayPal) a percentage of your earnings, go with craigslist.  In some cases, you can list an item for sale and have cash in hand within a couple of hours.

How to Make Fast Cash Online within a Month

Visit GPT sites, like Cash Crate to earn money within a month. Some people have reported income of over $1,000 per month with cash crate.