Here we go. (Don't get too excited.)
Besides the NDA, it's unusual to get subjects by saying "PM me". I would expect to see the name of the institution or company that's doing the research,
and a link to a site explaining their research needs, and how to volunteer for this. A legitimate researcher doesn't need to be secretive like this.
True. Presumably, OP is not part of the company.
Also, why "Post here so others see it works"? Is the OP getting paid for each person s/he gets to sign up?
That sounds right.
I was not asked, nor did I agree, to keep anything in confidence. so I feel free to post this.
OP sent me a link to a page reading as follows:
Productive Playhouse - Wiki Names Audio Collection Project Application
Participants will record politicians' names (sourced from Wikipedia), and a few other words to form a full sentence. For example, "Bai Juyi was a poet in Chinese history." The majority of names may be unfamiliar to the average English speaker, and that's okay! The point of this project is to try your best. The sentences will be short, no more than 10 words, and participants will record a total of approximately 200 sentences.
Applicants MUST meet the following criteria:
• 18+ years of age
• Reside in the US
• US English accent
• Comfortable with signing a participant contract and NDA with Productive Playhouse
The following are device requirements for this project:
• Android smartphone or Computer (iOS devices not permitted)
• Android devices are preferred and will receive priority when reaching out to applicants
Payment for this project is $55 via PayPal within 3 business days of successful completion and verification of deliverables.
[button: Start survey]
(OP's message included the detail that a prompt return of the NDA is rewarded with an additional $10.)
The survey read as follows:
Q.1
Contact email address *
[field:]Email
Q.2
First/Last Name *
A full name is needed for payment purposes.
[field:]First Name
[field:]Last Name
Q.3
Which age group do you fall into? *
[multiple choice:]
18-25
26-34
35-49
50+
Q.4
Gender *
[multiple choice:]
Male
Female
Non-binary
Q.5
PayPal Email Address *
Please include your PayPal email address for payment. Unfortunately, we cannot pay out for this via any other method.
[field:]Email
Q.6
Do you currently reside in the US? *
[multiple choice:]
Yes
No
Q.7
Do you have an Android smartphone? *
An Android smartphone is the preferred device for completing this project. You have a higher chance of being selected for the project if you can complete it using an Android smartphone.
[multiple choice:]
Yes
No
Q.8
If you do not have an Android smartphone, which of the following could you use to complete the project?
Please note that iOS devices are incompatible with the software needed to conduct this study.
[multiple choice:]
Windows PC
macOS
Other:
Q.9
Please enter the model of the device you intend to use to complete the project *
Examples include Google Pixel 3, Samsung Galaxy S10, Dell Inspiron 15 3000, MacBook Air, etc.
[blank field]
Q.10
Please read and indicate that you acknowledge the following: *
I understand and acknowledge that upon verification from project manager that ALL study deliverables have been verified and accepted, I am to be paid $55 via PayPal within 72 hours.
[single option:]
I acknowledge
Q.11
Please read and indicate that you acknowledge the following: *
I understand and acknowledge that if my application is accepted, I will need to sign a participant contract and NDA before I am able to participate in the project.
[single option:]
I acknowledge
Q.12
Accent Verification *
Please record yourself (using a voice memo app or external recording software) speaking the following paragraph. Then, upload the audio file here:
"The hero is a witch from Kansas who has a particular interest in breakfast. The nemesis is a wizard who uses too many plastic bags. The hero gets the upper hand and lives out life in a lush castle."
[upload button]
Q.13
Where did you hear about this project? *
[blank field]
[button to submit]
The post-survey page read:
Thank you for taking the time to fill out the survey! If your responses meet the criteria and slots are available,
a project manager will reach out to you with confirmation and further instructions within 1-2 weeks.
You may direct any questions you may have to janel.benisch@productiveplayhouse.com.
So, who are Productive Playhouse? They have a website.
From https://productiveplayhouse.com/services/creative-services/ :
Productive Playhouse is a full service production company founded by award-winning filmmakers Tamara Stern and Harry Ralston and advised by
leading professionals in all areas of child development. We bring twenty-five years of expert writing, directing, producing skill to our productions.
Our staff includes a diverse group of feature film, comedy television, and children’s educational writers and directors, along with two
of the industry’s top children’s songwriters, bringing together a team adept at fun, engaging and visually dynamic storytelling.
Creative services offered include:
Educational and entertainment series development, writing, directing and producing.
Children’s songwriting and music videos.
Curriculum implementation.
From https://productiveplayhouse.com/services/language-services/ :
^Productive Playhouse has a staff of Project Managers and trained transcribers in countries all over the world, Our team of transcribers, speech pathologists linguists and translators offers transcription, field data gathering, linguistic, morphological and phonological analysis, high-level translation services, and expertise in childrens’ speech. We service more that 200 languages with precise transcription and other services.
A cached version of a page from their website shows that Janel Benisch (remember, "janel.benisch") is part of their staff:
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:hxLto4qeF4EJ:https://productiveplayhouse.com/sandbox/about/team/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-b-1-d(Hmmm. Don't know if that link will work outside of Firefox...)
Googling some text from the first page led me to Reddit posts about this as a money-making opportunity,
and some of those posts were from the company itself:
https://www.reddit.com/user/ProductivePlayhouse/They've done this several times, with increasing compensation, and have also posted job openings at their company.
Here are some relevant-looking posts:
From https://www.reddit.com/r/beermoney/comments/m3tl8o/us_english_voice_data_collection_40_for_1_hour_of/gqt8ady :
Hello! Thank you for asking. This is a client requirement. They have specified that only Android smartphones are allowed for this particular project,
but we frequently have studies like this where different types of devices are required/allowed.
From https://www.reddit.com/r/beermoney/comments/m3tl8o/us_english_voice_data_collection_40_for_1_hour_of/gqteh3l/ :
Hello, thank you for asking! We ask for full name for invoicing and income tracking purposes only. If somebody does multiple projects
with us in a calendar year and makes $600+ we need to send out tax forms to that individual for the year.
If accepted into the study, you will be assigned a random user ID. Our client will not know any information about you whatsoever outside of the following
demographics: gender, age range, accent origin. Participants are also asked to sign a contract/NDA before being able to participate which goes over this information as well.
https://www.reddit.com/r/beermoney/comments/m3tl8o/us_english_voice_data_collection_40_for_1_hour_of/gqra1x2/
u/Beermoney_Mods [Moderator]:
We have confirmed that this user is part of Product Playhouse team, and their website was created back in 2008. This user has been posting in various subreddits
for the past year and a half. There doesn't seem to be any complaints, and two users confirmed they have completed the tasks and been paid.
While we can never be 100% sure of the legitimacy of a task, we're not seeing any red flags here.
Draw your own conclusions. If your filter blocks Reddit, I can post the link to the signup page.
OP's message to me included "In the 'Where did you hear about this project?', please put: [OP's first name and email]."
You can contact OP for that info if you decide you want to do this and credit him with telling you.
