Looking for information about the top mystery shopping companies, or how to find mystery shopper jobs in your city or state? Whether you are a newbie looking for information on becoming a mystery shopper, or want to know how to find more legitimate mystery shopper jobs, a good message board can help you learn what you need to know.

The Mystery Shopping Providers Association has a free mystery shopping message board in the shopper area of their Web site at http://www.mysteryshop.org/shoppers

When posting to a public message board, please keep in mind that as mystery shoppers we agree to maintain the confidentiality of proprietary information. Proprietary information includes the names of mystery shopping clients, fees, questions on report forms, etc. That means you should not post questions such as, "Who shops Olive Garden?," or "How much does Mystery Shopping Company X pay for their high end restaurant mystery shop?" And you do not want to answer questions such as these, either.

You can look for other shoppers in your area by posting questions such as, "Is anyone else mystery shopping in Hawaii?" Or ask, "What is it like to do video mystery shopping?"

Of course, keep in mind that not everything you read will be completely accurate. One shopper complaining about a company does not mean the company is unreliable. However, dozens of shoppers with similar complaints should alert you to the fact there may be a problem.

Even if you never post to a message board, searching and reading a mystery shopping message board can educate you about the mystery shopping industry and help you network with others.

Confidentiality and mystery shopper forums are covered in The Mystery Shopper's Manual.