Earning Money Online

When personal computers and this newfound technology known as the "internet" first emerged in my household in the late 1990's, much like many of those before and after me, my first instinct was of the enterprising nature. I immediately pondered the tremendous income possibilities associated with having a vast network of millions of global users, and sought out to exploit such an opportunity. Over the past 8 years of my journey, I have experimented with a wide array of online business/income endeavours: some have yielded compelling results, some have had their losses chalked up and moved on. The internet can be a very intimidating place, however, for the first-time user's quest for earning opportunities, as the internet is filled with a colossal of scams that often take advantage of the unsuspecting user. In this article, I will address (and suggest) a handful of opportunities, however it should be realized that uniqueness and creativity are at the core of the entrepreneurial spirit and that fresh ideas are often the most successful in today's society, even on the internet.

Paid to Read and Click Programs: This "industry" has been around since the inception of the internet, and has experienced it's up and downs as a community. Essentially, visitors are incentivized to view advertisements either sent directly to their e-mail inbox or displayed on the site's homepage. These programs are very simplistic in nature, and thus don't necessarily yield the highest reward. You'll be hard pressed to find a legitimate (I.E. one that pays) program that pays a worthwhile amount for your time. The industry "norm" is between .0025-.01 per advertisement (typically with a 15-60 second required viewing time). Thus, you may be able to earn .50-$1 an hour (if you're viewing non-stop, with multiple program windows open and so forth), however you likely will not earn much more without the assistance of referrals.

The Verdict: These programs are only useful to produce pocket change and/or supplement other income opportunities.