I think a lot of Turkers spend a great deal of time searching for some illusory object that has long disappeared in the mist of time. That's probably even more noticeable at those electron parties where the few remaining "grizzled turkers" virtually flock to exchange war stories, those old enough to remember the good old days where HITs paid on average a hundred bucks each and showed up by the millions. Or at least that's what you'd believe listening to some. There is no doubt that the early days of this beta run were fat and turbulent. Contemporary levels may be healthier, though, because lack of sleep will eventually catch up with you.
Ask Spamgirl, whom I believe has not had a wink in about 10 months. How else could she win so many Great answer prizes? At least Nurker and Niko sleep a few hours every months or so. Honnit soit qui mal y pense - APART, if I must add. Sheesh... The only thing they share are their MTurk addiction and the first letter of their handles... This is no problem for me, though, because with age comes a great release from the need to catch some zzzzzs. If memory serves - and that too serves less and less with age - I tried sleeping back in 1977, and didn't like it much.
So the Grail, then, that elusive beast that we all seek. For a while it was the Great Answer sweepstake: I must equate it to a lottery, because you've got to have some real luck to be there when one pops up. In theory, all you would need is really, really good timing, or perhaps a good relationship with Numbers, who could design for you a customized heavy duty warning-and-search-engine script if he was so inclined. Answer 20 questions a week in five minutes or less each and make more money than the rest of us poor slobs gathering dollars a penny at a time for hours on end.
Then there is Casting Words. Some unwashed masses tried, for a time, to make that their Grail, and they did penetrate Nathan's defensive grid a few times, and got paid for NOT working at all. I think it was in everyone's best interest to see this technical loophole closed fast, and so it was. A few other things came and went, but we're still far from the early days of picture picking and hauling bags of money to the virtual ATM.
Are there to be any more Grails on MTurk? I believe so. New Requesters have come to play - or come back, as the case may be - and was log as we provide value to their business model, they will still come. The name of the game is simple: If they can make money with your labor, then you will make money. While some are happy to offer a few cents only for long jobs, it's a market like any other market, and you pay for what you get. If I will no longer pick penny HITs that last 20 minutes, others will. As long as the job is simple, and well explained, the result will be good.
However, other requesters make me feel appreciated by offering good pay for more complex jobs, and when those jobs fall within my field of expertise, the financial return on my time is far greater. So no, I don't expect to make a living on MTurk. However, it's sure is a convenient way to earn a few bucks and buy a few of those fine luxuries you would otherwise have to go without!
Posted by MTEQC.COM
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