Will it cost me anything to join panelbase.net?

No. Unlike some research panels, it is free to join panelbase.net AND we reward you for completing the registration process. As soon as you have successfully registered and your account has been verified, we automatically credit your panelbase.net account with £3.00 to get you started. We then pay you for every survey that you successfully complete.

Who can join panelbase.net?

Anyone aged 16 years or older with access to the Internet, a land line or mobile phone can join the panelbase.net research community. As we conduct research in a variety of ways (via the Internet, telephone, SMS, product testing, focus groups or postal) you can participate in a range of surveys that are not solely reliant upon you having access to the Internet.

panelbase.net is primarily a UK-based community however our continued growth will extend research opportunities in to new territories (e.g. USA, Canada, Europe) in the future.

How do I register with panelbase.net?

To register with panelbase.net simply complete the short registration pages using the 'register' tab above. Upon completion you will be sent an activation email to your registered email address. The activation email will contain a unique validation link that you must click on in order to finalise the creation of your panelbase.net account. As soon as you have validated your account we will send you a second email welcoming you as a new member and confirming that you are able to log in to the website.

Can I start the registration process but complete it at a later time?

We have created a simple registration process but if you find that you cannot complete this process in one sitting, you can simply pick up from where you left off. If you have partially completed your registration and wish to complete it, just follow the link on the panelbase.net homepage, to resume your incomplete registration .

Can I create more than one panelbase.net account to earn more money?

No. The continued success of the panelbase.net research community relies upon the honesty of all members. Anyone who attempts to create multiple accounts risks having all of their accounts deleted and forfeiting any rewards associated with such accounts. Naturally, we take fraudulent activity very seriously and will investigate all suspicious registration and survey participation attempts. We actively prevent multiple participation in our surveys and screen all data before allocating rewards, so as to protect the integrity of the research community and the data that we collect.

What am I agreeing to when registering with panelbase.net?

Most of our surveys are completed online, but we also invite members to take part in telephone, SMS and postal surveys, focus groups and product testing. As an active member of panelbase.net you are agreeing to receive invitations only to those types of surveys you have selected during the registration process. You can choose one, or you can choose them all - it's up to you which survey types you would like to receive. The more types of surveys you agree to, the greater the potential rewards and opportunity to influence the development of a wide range of products and services in a fun and simple way.

Will I receive emails from third parties?

No. We can assure you that you will never receive spam as a result of joining panelbase.net. Your personal details will only be used by panelbase.net for genuine research purposes and will never be passed on to third parties.

How do I cancel my membership with panelbase.net?

You are free to deactivate your account at any time. You will find an unsubscribe link in the footer of every survey invitation that you receive. If you wish to unsubscribe now, please visit the unsubscribe page. Please note that any rewards that you may have accrued in your panelbase.net account will be forfeited at the time that you deactivate your account. As this process is not reversible, these rewards will not be retrievable should you choose to rejoin the panelbase.net research community at a later date.

What types of surveys does panelbase.net offer?

We conduct many different types of surveys. Most of our surveys are completed online but we offer an increasing number of panelbase.net members the opportunity to take part in research surveys via telephone, SMS (using a standard mobile phone), focus groups, postal and product testing. The subject matter of our surveys varies from project to project. Some recent examples include: newspapers, radio stations, magazines, handbags, business issues, fast food, 'green' issues, politics, and computer games.

How do I receive surveys?

We will contact you primarily by email but, depending on the types of research you have chosen to participate in, we may occasionally contact you by telephone, SMS or post. To find out how you may receive invitations to different types of surveys please refer to the table below.

SURVEY TYPE	CONTACT TYPE
	Email	Phone	SMS	Post
Internet		-		-
Telephone	-		-	-
SMS	-	-		-
Focus Groups			-
Postal	-	-	-
Product Testing			-

Please note that there are no costs involved with taking part in any of our surveys - we pay you a nominal reward for successfully completing each survey.

How much time on average will I spend on each survey?

Most panelbase.net surveys last between five and ten minutes however we do sometimes conduct longer surveys, which offer greater rewards. The length of each survey varies but we will always give you an estimate of the duration within the survey invitation or introduction. This will also confirm the reward offered for successful completion of the survey.

How can I receive more survey invitations?

We usually pre-select members for surveys using the information provided during the registration process and stored within the 'my details' section of each panelbase.net member account. The more questions you answer within this section, the greater the likelihood that we are able to invite you to surveys that are relevant to you. A complete and up-to-date profile increases your chances of receiving survey invitations.

Will I need to participate in every survey I am invited to?

Not at all! We recognise that your time is valuable and that you may not be able to participate in some surveys. We would however urge you to respond to all survey invitations in order to maximise the opportunity of being invited to future surveys.

As we continually monitor the activity of our members in order to help grow the panelbase.net research community, it's important that members remain as active as possible.

Don't worry; we won't automatically assume that you are no longer interested in taking part in surveys if we don't hear from you for a while. We will however send you emails periodically prompting you to log in to the website.

What will I be rewarded for completing a panelbase.net survey?

Rewards range from £0.25 - £10.00 for a successfully completed survey, but some surveys have cash rewards of up to £50.00 (depending on survey duration and complexity). The reward for each survey will always be stated in the survey invitation. In addition to receiving cash, some surveys may include entry in to one of our many prize draws where you could win anything from a case of wine to a huge plasma TV!

When will my reward be paid into my panelbase.net account?

Rewards are added directly to your panelbase.net account immediately after you successfully complete a survey and are shown with a 'pending' status until the survey has been closed and all results are verified. Normally this process is completed within just 7 days of the survey being closed (not necessarily 7 days from your participation in the survey), at which time the status changes from 'pending' to 'complete'.

If you are screened out of a survey due to not matching the required profile, your participation in the survey will be recorded in your account with an entry of 'DNQ' (Did Not Qualify) and you will not receive the reward offered for completion of that survey. You will instead receive one free entry in to the current month's prize draw for £50 cash.

How will panelbase.net pay me my rewards?

Once you have reached the redemption threshold of £10 you will be able to withdraw your rewards. We have provided 4 options for UK members to withdraw rewards from their account. (Non-UK members will be offered suitable withdrawal mechanisms for their territory):

• BACS (paid directly into your bank account)
• Cheque (sent to your registered address)
• High-street vouchers (sent to your registered address)
• Charitable donations (World Wildlife Fund, British Red Cross or Oxfam)

Alternatively you may choose to save your rewards for a rainy day and redeem them whenever you like. You can decide how to withdraw your rewards using any of the methods above by simply visiting the 'my credits' page and clicking on the appropriate withdrawal link.

Will I always be rewarded for participating in a survey?

Every survey that we send you will offer a financial reward for successful completion. Occasionally you may be unable to complete a survey because you do not fit the profile of respondent required for that particular survey. When you are screened out of a survey you will not receive the reward on offer for successful completion of that survey. However, panelbase.net provides every member with one entry in to the monthly prize draw for each survey that they respond to but are screened out of as a result of not matching the required profile. The lucky winner receives £50 in to their panelbase.net account so even by responding to a survey and being screened out, you still have a chance of being rewarded.

How will I know if I have won a prize draw?

We always contact prize draw winners directly to congratulate them and arrange for delivery of their prize. We also publish this information on the panelbase.net website in the winners section.

Can I invite my friends to join panelbase.net?

Absolutely! Unlike other companies, we will actually reward you for inviting your friends. Please visit the 'recommend' page within your panelbase.net account to send your friends a secure email directly from this website telling them about panelbase.net and inviting them to join.
For every person who you refer, and who then successfully signs up, you receive £0.20 in your panelbase.net account. You can invite as many people as you like, and earn rewards for every one of them who signs up. It's that easy!

What information is gathered about me and why?

In order to invite you to participate in surveys, we require certain basic information about you (e.g. age, gender, postal town and postcode). Some surveys require us to target specific profiles of people (e.g. males, aged 25 - 44, who live in Manchester, and drive a Ford Focus). Therefore it is important for both you as a member, and us as the provider of research opportunities to you, that you complete as much of the 'my details' section of the website as possible. How much information you provide to us is entirely up to you, however the more information you supply, the greater the likelihood of us being able to send you surveys that are relevant to you.

Can I trust panelbase.net with my personal details?

Absolutely. We take great care when handling all personal and survey data, and are required to do so by law. Dipsticks Research Ltd (the parent company and operator of panelbase.net) is a registered Data Controller with the Information Commissioner's Office and abides by the Data Protection Act 1998. We are also a Market Research Society Company Partner and abide by the MRS Code of Conduct. This underpins our commitment to upholding industry standards.

At panelbase.net we are committed to protecting your privacy. We will never share, lend or sell your personal details to third parties. Only authorised panelbase.net personnel will have access to your details, and only in accordance with their roles and our business practices.

Does panelbase.net provide a secure connection?

Yes. The panelbase.net website uses industry-leading encryption technology to ensure that your personal details are handled securely. All data provided via the website is encrypted using Extended Validation SSL (EV SSL) in the same way as you would expect from your online banking provider. We have been independently verified by Thawte whose EV SSL seal can be found in the bottom-right hand corner of the website. If you are using Internet Explorer version 7 or higher, or Firefox version 3 then you should also see that the web address bar in your browser turns green, confirming that EV SSL is being used.

What happens to the information I provide through surveys?

Participation in our surveys is always anonymous. Results from surveys and research discussions are not linked to the individual identity of respondents without the informed consent of those respondents. We will never allow your personal data to be used for any purpose other than genuine market research and only ever in aggregated form to protect your personal privacy.

I have forgotten my password - what do I do?

Please visit the password reminder page to retrieve your login details (also accessible via the 'Need help signing in?' link on the www.panelbase.net home page.

Where can I view my recent transactions?

By logging in to your panelbase.net account and visiting the 'my credits' page you can view all previous survey participation, associated rewards and withdrawals since your registration date.