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Yeahimadork

2008-12-13 - 8:34 p.m.

Great Idea

I was working on some Amazon Mechanical Turk tasks tonight to raise some extra money.

Yes, the tasks are mundane and pay is for shit (usually only pennies per task), but I avoid any tasks that are too time-consuming or ridiculously complicated. I have certain quick ones I look for and do them in my spare time while at work, or while I'm sitting around with the TV on at home.

Since I started doing this in October, I've made nearly $200, so to me, it's been worth it.

At any rate, one of my more preferable tasks is called "Ask a Question." Once you accept the task, a screen shows an article, usually news related, and you have to ask an "interesting" question about the content, using at least 3 keywords they give you. You have to use more than 50 characters, but less than 120. I've done so many of these I've become quite a whiz at it.

Only problem, they seem to be favored by every other MTurker, so they go very fast. Sometimes I can tell that no one has noticed a new batch of them has been posted yet, and I greedily snag one after the other. Within minutes though, the number of tasks drops faster than I'm submitting them, and I know there is another MTurker (or several) snapping them up. INTERLOPERS! Then I get all antsy and do mine even faster and make a bit of a race out of it.

Every now and again, I get an odd piece of content to ask a question on. For example, a Google screen with someone's search words and the results of that search. I've seen some searches of a personal nature like "Learn to be happy", "Create a 5 year plan", "Get to know my in-laws better." One search that was rather alarming was "how to take care of my babys [sic]."

YIPES! First, get off the goddamned computer and FEED THEM. Note: Beer and crack DO NOT COUNT.

I've seen a few funny ones (i.e. someone typed in "nothing"), but tonight I found one that absolutely took the cake. I'm paraphrasing here, but the search string was something like:

"Run through a mall with tattered clothes and fake blood all over me screaming THE ZOMBIES ARE COMING!"

I laughed my ass off at that, and then realized I suddenly had an urge to DO IT. Seriously. That would be so goddamn funny.

How 'bout you try it out this Christmas season and let me know how it goes? I'll do it next year, when I can afford to bail myself outta jail.

Deal?