Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Turkopticon Toolbar and Making Money with Mechanical Turk (MTurk)

I have raved about the Turkopticon Toolbar more than once in passing in my posts about Amazon MTurk (Mechanical Turk) but I love this device so much, I wanted to dedicate an entire blog post to it.  It really is the most wonderful aid for Mechanical Turk workers (also known as turkers) and a must for everyone trying to make money with Mechanical Turk.  As well as the Turkopticon Toolbar itself, there is also an online community of turkers associated with it, who can provide an invaluable source of information for anyone who is trying to make money online using MTurk.


How much does it cost?

The Turkopticon Toolbar costs nothing to download and install, that’s right, it’s free! 


How do I install it?*

There are two versions, one for Firefox and one for Google Chrome.  Provided you get the right version, installation is simple.  There is no version for Internet Explorer, but if you use MTurk regularly to make money online, then I would recommend that you download Firefox, just for the Turkopticon Toolbar, you can always just carry on using Internet Explorer for everyday use and click on Firefox when you use Mechanical Turk.


How does the Turkopticon Toolbar work?

Basically, Turkopticon is letting you know how other turkers have got on before with specific MTurk HIT requesters.  It does this by placing little button arrows next to the requesters when you are on the Amazon MTurk HITs page.  By clicking on the arrow, you see how previous turkers have rated that MTurk requester.  They are graded according to how quickly they pay, how fair they are at assessing HITs etc.  Turkers also write reviews in some cases.

Source:

This means that with the Turkopticon Toolbar you can avoid the worst MTurk requesters by looking at the reviews before you do a HIT.  You can also write a review after you complete a HIT and get paid and let other turkers know how you got on with that MTurk requester.


Are there any problems associated with the Turkopticon Toolbar?

I personally have not encountered any.  The program is also very small, so I’ve not noticed it slowing my browser in any noticeable way.

I know this probably sounds like a glowing endorsement, but as far as the Turkopticon Toolbar goes, I struggle to think of any negatives.  It really is a must if you want to make money with Mechanical Turk.

Oh, I nearly forgot to give you the download link, you can get the toolbar HERE!

*UPDATE: At the time of writing, the Turkopticon Toolbar isn’t working with Firefox 5, so I have gone back to Firefox 4 in order to use it!  I’ve had similar problems with other Firefox add-ons too recently, the root cause being that Firefox rushed out version 5 only a few months after they brought out version 4 and the add-on developers haven’t had enough time to react.  Hopefully this issue will be resolved soon.  FURTHER UPDATE: THIS MATTER IS NOW RESOLVED!

14 comments:

  1. According to the Turker Nation this is now working with firefox. I can also attest that this is working CometBird. Thanks for the info

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  2. Thanks for the update MommaB! :-)

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  3. Thank you for that information. When I get fed up with Google I keep going back to MTurk. It's not residual, but at least it's money. On a good day I can earn more there than with Google.

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  4. Oh, I just noticed you have a Bukowski fansite. One of our children has a "sometimes you just have to pee in the sink" shirt. :)

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  5. Interesting information, thanks a lot for sharing with us, Paul :)

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  6. @Tina I've been doing more with Turk recently, sometimes I like it and other times it can really anoy me!

    @Erin Yes, I love the "Pee in the sink" shirt! :-)

    @cornelia The Turkopticon toolbar is great!

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  7. sir plz tell me easy task in mturk keywork and requster

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  8. Hi sir,

    i am sujitha ganeshan from coimbatore, india. i need mturk a/c create and send me user name and password am change here other profiles.

    Thank you.

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  9. Thank you so much. I've only been turking for 3 days and have $25 (about as much pending too)
    Well wishes!

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  10. sujitha ganeshan U NEED A US ID

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    Replies
    1. yes i need US id give your details at kanna13058988@gmail.com

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  11. Its nice but how to use the turkopticon toolbar.

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