Is it okay to earn a few hundred dollars every month? Especially if your budget is limited? With Amazon Mechanical Turk
Wouldn't it be nice to earn a few hundred dollars every month? Especially if you are on a tight budget? Well, you can - and you can easily do it in your spare time.
The internet is full of money-making opportunities that many of us are not even aware of. One is Amazon Mechanical Turk System, a new concept developed by Amazon to help clean up the content on its website regarding product descriptions. Over time, Amazon Turk has grown into a giant subsidiary of the company that many companies rely on when it comes to accessing cheap labor.
Amazon Mechanical Turk (also known as MTurk) is a cloud platform system that brings together seekers and workers so that one can earn money by completing small tasks known as HITS and the other can be operated by a global workforce in a fast and convenient manner. In order to be accepted as a worker or applicant, you must complete a form to ensure that you are a legitimate business or legally permitted worker. Since you are a student looking to make money, we will focus this review on what is required of you as a worker.
Step 1: Sign up for an Amazon account
The first step involves setting up an Amazon account if you don't already have one. Simply register by following this link and filling in the required fields. Once you're done, you can head over to the Google search page and type "Amazon MTurk" so you can go directly to the Mechanical Mechanical homepage.
If you already have an Amazon student account, you're doing the right thing!
Step 2: Amazon Payments Account Details
Please note that you may be required to sign in to your Amazon account again if you do not have cookies stored in your browser. At any given time, there are hundreds of HITS you can complete, but not until you fill out the requirements for your Amazon Payments account. The Amazon Payments account makes it easy for the company to send money to you in the manner it sees fit in a way that is convenient for both parties. Please use the real information and follow the instructions closely so you don't have problems paying later. Remember that you will need to log in as a "worker" and not a "student" worker by clicking on the worker link at the top left of the Mechanical Turk homepage.
When filling out the Amazon Payments page that opens once you select the Agent link, you will be asked to enter your Social Security number. This is just a formality done for tax purposes as well as ensuring that only legal residents of America and neighboring territories apply to them. After this step, you are all set and ready to start exploring the work available to you.
time factor
The thing that most students like is the fact that it allows you to get a job without having to commit to a single employer or a crazy period of time for jobs. You can perform HITS while you wait for class to start, during lunch breaks, and whenever you have a few minutes to spare. Assignments pay from $0.01 to over $30 depending on what clients need. However, most of the tasks are quite simple and can be done in a few seconds. Please note that higher-paying assignments may require more skill and commitment than lower-paying assignments and that you will have to apply for admission to some course assignments.
The application to perform these HITS usually involves clicking a button at the top of the access block and seeking permission from the requester. Once you do that, you will be taken to a new page with information on how to complete the result. In some cases, you may have to click an agreement button before proceeding.
In addition, you are presented with the option to accept or decline the HIT at the top of the page. The first section of the HIT window contains the name of the applicant, the amount of time required to complete the HIT, the qualifications required, the reward or payment, and the available HITs. If you feel that you will not be able to complete the HIT exam within the required time frame, consider skipping it so that you are not taken off the entire project by the applicant.
Unfortunately, you cannot pause HIT and come back to it later due to a large number of workers at any given time looking for work.
Not enough HITs? Follow these tips!
Many people complain that there are not many HITs to work with to get started. This is due to the widespread popularity of the MTurk platform and the resulting competition. As a beginner, it may seem discouraging to log in every time only to find that there are no suitable tasks for you to complete. A great tactic to try would be to keep the MTurk homepage updated as soon as you sign in to get a new job. Additionally, you may want to consider not getting bad luck since the $0.02 HIT may actually add up over time. Another tactic that can help you gain the upper hand is to stay away from low-paying tasks because they have the ability to stifle your motivation which in turn will reflect on your work and make you more likely to quit before you gain some kind of traction.
Here is a list of some of the jobs you can get on Mechanical Turk:
Tasks that ask you to identify and sort porn from clean photos
Tasks that ask you to complete a survey if you qualify, usually determined by filling out a short survey before beginning
The tasks you need to search for information related to some real estate listings
Tasks that ask you to write short product descriptions
Tasks that ask you to translate text into foreign languages
Transcription tasks for things like medical-related conversations between doctors and patients
Choose relevant search results from a given phrase
...and so on.
If you want to qualify for the highest paying HITs, take some time to finish the qualifying exams any time you get 10-20 minutes for free. You can also send a note to the applicant detailing your qualifications (mentioning the course you are taking can give you a competitive advantage). Another way you can build a great reputation on MTurk usually involves choosing HITs that showcase your natural abilities. Your strengths can make it much easier to complete assignments in record time, making you a valuable asset to seekers who may choose to retain you for extended periods.
If you are looking to climb the ladders of success and become a high-ranking factor, look to reach some milestones in the shortest possible time without compromising on quality. This includes completing 1,000 HITs and 5,000 HITs. Additionally, you can be awarded Elite Status by Amazon if you have a certain level of accuracy and consistent quality over a period of time on certain types of HITs.
Texts are your best friend
Technology is on your side when it comes to completing and searching for tasks thanks to certain scripts that you can install on your web browser. For example, Turk Alert is an add-on that alerts you the moment your favorite applicants submit new requests. Another good feature that helps foster a culture of excellence and transparency is Turkopticon, which gives you the opportunity to evaluate a student after working with him. Head over to userscripts.org for more mechanic plugins and scripts to make working on the site easy, convenient, and fun.
Skip these HITs!
Here is a good guide on the types of HITs you should do to avoid:
Any hit requires you to test your zip code.
Any hit requires you to click on an external link
A HIT asks you to present your credit card, debit card, or bank
HITs that require you to download something
HITs that require you to send a text
HITs that require you to enter specific personal information
HITs that require you to post information on Craigslist
HITs that ask you to add a widget or button to your website or someone else's
Marketing HITs that ask you to send emails and invite people to solicit their business
HITs that ask you to comment on a blog post or share something on social networks
The above HITs are a violation of the Amazon Mechanical Turk terms of service and may affect your account as well as your computer. Amazon asks you to read its entire intent, but most people don't care and end up in trouble. We hope this short list gives you a rough idea of what isn't accepted on the platform. In general, if there is no right task, keep looking.
Advantages of Mturk
Here are some of the advantages of working on MTurk that stand out:
anonymity
Due to the transient nature of working on MTurk, requesters are not interested in getting to know you or entering into communication with you. They are usually interested in getting the work done in the shortest possible time. Additionally, not disclosing personal information can work to your advantage as you are less likely to fall victim to identity theft and phishing scams that are a dime a dozen these days online.
Getting to work
There is always work available on MTurk, so it is usually a good option for people who have a lot of time on their hands; For example, if you are a technical major, you may have a lot of free hours and days that you can put to good use by performing tasks on the platform.
Fast approval times
With MTurk, you can get instant feedback from requesters who have been on MTurk for a long time. This compared to working on other online jobs like working for content makers can help you become a more effective worker as well as help you make fewer mistakes, in the long run, helping you qualify for higher-paying assignments which ultimately increases your payout.
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