WILTON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toluna, the global leader in online surveys, today unveiled the new Toluna.com, the market research industry?s first and best social voting community. The new site makes it even easier it for members to connect with others in new and different ways, giving them many different reasons to return to Toluna.com and to participate in surveys. Most other companies that manage opt-in or access panels reward respondents solely with direct monetary payments, a model that may promote a variety of undesirable within-survey behaviors, such as (a) random responding, (b) illogical and inconsistent responding, (c) overuse of item non-response (e.g., ?Don?t Know?), and (d) speeding (i.e., completing surveys too quickly).

?Many people want more than just money for completing surveys?

?Many people want more than just money for completing surveys,? said Toluna founder and CEO Frédéric-Charles Petit. ?They also want to experience the emotional benefits that come from participating in a thriving community ? one in which it is safe to ask other people questions that truly matter. We?ve invested millions of dollars to enhance the emotional benefits we provide for our respondents, because we know this improves the quality and accuracy of the responses they offer through survey research.?

"No one thinks as deeply about the connection between respondent rewards and survey results as Toluna does," said MSW Research Senior VP Ellen Melzer. ?That's one of the reasons we work only with Toluna. This upgrade implements the features that seem to us most likely to improve accuracy even further, and we look forward to reaping the benefits."

In addition to making it easier for respondents to share related content on Facebook and Twitter, Toluna.com has added a social-media community site that enables members to:

• follow content posted by other panelists
• review posts by other members based on recommendations from others, and
• mark content as a ?favorite? ? thus recommending it to others.

Moreover, the site introduces a feature wholly unique to Toluna.com: the ability to earn Gifties. Gifties are virtual goods that members can buy with points they earn for completing surveys. Some of the Gifties can become real, through a type of instant lottery; for example, a virtual ice cream cone may become real, where a member will receive ice cream delivered to his or her home. They can also send Gifties to friends and colleagues, which is a great way to recruit new members for Toluna.com.

?A survey is only as strong and trustworthy as its respondents,? said Toluna President, North America and Group Strategy Officer George Terhanian. ?By enhancing the experience of Toluna.com?s diverse members, we?re building loyalty, trust and engagement without causing any form of bias. The benefit to our clients is high-quality, affordable survey information they can depend on to make even better decisions.?

In addition, market researchers may now easily post survey invitations prominently, so respondents will see them first.

About Toluna

Toluna is the world?s leading independent online panel and survey technology provider to market research agencies, communications agencies and brands, operating from 17 offices in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Toluna has a unique online community approach to the management of its panels. In 2003, the company created the world?s first social voting community site ? toluna.com ? which focuses on maximizing panelist engagement and increasing survey responsiveness and data reliability, delivered via web-based 2.0 technology.

Toluna?s community of four million active, highly engaged and responsive panelists produces more than a million poll votes and opinions a day across 42 countries, enabling its clients to gain reliable customer insight quickly and inexpensively. Panelists are encouraged to interact by generating their own polls and discussions, which they can post to blogs and social networking sites. This not only increases engagement and response rates, but reduces project turnaround times and provides clients with better quality data. It also introduces a wider pool of respondents to Toluna and encourages people to join an online panel.

In addition to its online sample capabilities, Toluna develops innovative world-class technology to enable its clients to create surveys, manage panels and build online communities. Toluna?s core products include:

• QuickSurveys, a self-service survey engine
• PanelPortal, an easy-to-use platform that enables clients to build and manage online panel communities
• Toluna Analytics, a web-based, easy-to-use tabulation tool that combines automation of repetitive tasks with real-time, sophisticated data presentation

For further information, please visit www.toluna-group.com.