Free good stuff from MS for taking a LOOOONG! survey

[bwass24]

OK...yesterday I get an e-mail from MS asking me if I want to take a 60 minute survey about usability. In return they will give me a choice of products like XP Pro, Office XP Developer, Visio Pro, and a bunch of others.

From the e-mail:
"The survey will take about an hour to complete. In appreciation for your
time and insight, you will be able to select a software gratuity from a
list of current products. The available software includes titles
such as Windows XP Professional, Office XP Developer, and Visio 2002
Professional, as well as games, XBOX software, home software, kids'
software, and Macintosh titles. Microsoft will send the
software at the completion of the study, at no expense to you."

I reply to the request and today they send me the info on how to take the survey. In addition the e-mail says:

If your friends wish to participate in similar activities, they can sign up at http://www.microsoft.com/usability/jump1.htm.

So, if you have some time to waste on line, go sign up and get some expensive software for free.

YES, this is my first decent Hot Deals post. My past ones have been pretty lame.

EDIT: I just finished my survey and it really did take about an hour. The list of software to choose from is huge and there are some VERY expensive titles available.

 

[emmpee]

i haven't signed up yet, but the frontpage seems to imply that this is NOT an online survey, but a "face to face" focus group, unless i'm missing something...

 

[ai42]

San Francisco bay area

usability research is conducted in our Mountain View campus facilities

 

[Oaf357]

Thanks. Hopefully Microshaft will get back with me and possibly hook me up.

 

[bwass24]

I didn't go to sign up at the web site. The survey info they sent me is completely on line.

Sorry if MS pulled a fast one.:Q

 

[explorer2k]

Linkified

 

[aldamon]

Wow, thanks for the link. I'm a marketing / technical writer and usability has always intrigued me. I hope I get selected for their national opportunities.

 

[ojai00]

Thanks. I just signed up...

 

[GetReal]

I can tell you from personal experience that this is a waste of time and MS is NOT the fulfillment company for the "promised" free MS gifts. I filled out the survey last February after attending a MS TS2 event in my local area. For four months all I received was followup emails from the company conducting the survey telling me I needed to complete another survery before they could send me the free MS product that I selected. After completing three additional surveys, I gave up and forward the request for the fouth survey to MS telling that they were defrauding customers by promising customers free gifts for their feeback and then never sending the promised gifts. I received a reply about a week later apologizing for the mixup and MS assured me that they had contacted the fulfillment company and my promised copy of Visos 2002 would arrive within a week. A week later I received an email fom the fullfillment company stating that the promotion was over and they did not have any of the MS promotional software titles available. I forwarded the email to MS, but to date have not received a response. This is not like MS as they usually run the best customer promos. None of the five other people in our firm who also filled out the initial survey have ever received their promised MS software selection as well.

 

[Ly2n]

Thanks, I just signed up. I really don't expect much to come of it. Lynn

 

[TheGizmo]

I just signed up too

 

[toadstool]

Unless I'm missing something, the survey I took was nowhere near 60 min. long.

Anyways, it'll be interesting to see what comes of this, if anything.

 

[TheCoop]

ditto

 

[joemamma]

we'll see what happens

 

[simonkao]

Thanks, just signed up. Gotta find something to kill my time.

 

[dlaw]

Will they pay for my plane tickets if I sign up? It's nice.

 

[bonk102]

just signed up, i'll see what happens

 

[OrlandoTiger]

simonkao if thats all you are doing since nothing will come of this survey,maybe think about volunteering at the local soup kitchen or salvation army,its a great way to kill a few hours and leave thankful for what youve got if you didnt go in that way.

 

[SgtZulu]

only thing i got out of this was a huge waste of time

 

[Quailbert]

*IMPORTANT*
The United State Senate,is currently considering a bill.
This bill the SSSCA, will make the following illegal:
* Assembling a home-built PC.
* Mp3 file trading
* Using a non-secure computer (built before the SSSCA) on a network.
* Widespread development of open-sourced software.
* Use of open-sourced software
OPPOSE THIS BLATANT DISREGARD OF 1ST ADMENDMENT RIGHTS!
http://www.petitiononline.com/SSSCA/petition.html
Info: http://www.stoppoliceware.org/

Holy crap is this really true? What kind of retard bill is this?

 

[Calibrator]

Using the link info above I get

Sorry, there is no Microsoft.com web page matching your request. It is possible you typed the address incorrectly, or that the page no longer exists. As an option, you may visit any of the pages below for information about Microsoft services and products.

Too good to be true.

 

[OrlandoTiger]

Sadly Quailbert its really a bill.I dont know exactly what the latest with it is but im suprised even on this board no one seems to care much...

 

[superdave76]

We also conduct Usability Field Studies in the Puget Sound region and across the United States whereby our product design and development teams go out into the field to meet with users, like you, in their own business or home environments.

I don't know about you, but I'm not letting ANYONE from Microsoft in my house...

 

[Yobbo]

sweeeet

bump

 

[ave]

Signed it up this morning but nothing happened now...

When will we receive the survey?