I don't think anyone would turn down the opportunity to make a little extra money by spending a couple hours a week behind the computer. It's actually something that appeals to a lot of people but not a lot of people seem to be able to pull it off. Home based businesses are great and can make you a lot of money if you know what your doing. Keep reading to find out more.
The main component behind a successful home based business is knowing what to do. Just like any other job, there is a learning curve that one must go through before you start making thousands a day. That doesn't mean that you cannot make any money at all in the mean time!
It is quite possible to spend just a few hours a week and put an extra couple hundred dollars per week into your bank account. If you have the time to spare then I would highly recommend you doing it.
All it takes to get started is a computer and a desire to learn. The rest can be laid out for you and all you have to do is follow it. Once you get into the rhythm and pattern of what to do, you can pretty much kiss your day job good bye!
I know most people think that being able to work from home is some sort of myth, but the truth is there are thousands of people who do it everyday. They work when they want, sleep when they want and go where they want when they want. You can have a successful home based business just like they do if your willing to try. Or you can just keep punching the 9-5 time clock and hope you don't get laid off anytime soon.
Make Money on the Internet: Part 2
A few of you may remember our October 2006 post regarding the multiple ways of 40 making money on the internet.
We've recently come across several more ways to make a little coin online. We've used the same rules as qualifiers that I will recap here:
What's NOT included: Taking Surveys, Get Paid to Surf the Internet, MLM, Programs with a ton of negative user experiences (based on researching forums, googling them, etc.), Contest Sites, "Buy my DVD, CD, Audiobook", etc.
What IS included: Things you can use to legitimately make money online. Everything from product reviews to writing code, creating videos.
So with that, here we go:
- ReviewMe - In order to participate, you must have a blog and it has to be active. Companies go to ReviewMe to advertise a product and ReviewMe asks their members to write a review of the product in exchange for cash.
In regards to ethics, ReviewMe mandates that the blogger/site owner indicate that they are being compensated to write the review AND the advertiser cannot insist on a positive review. This is the opposite of other similar services that don't mandate trustworthy behavior. Ultimately the goal is to spread the word honestly.
You can expect to earn $20 - $200 per review that you write. - Revver - I have no idea how I missed this on the first list. You basically upload your video to Revver and they attach an ad to it. You get 50% of what the ad makes. If any of you have been on YouTube or other video sites, you can easily understand that some videos, even bad ones at times, go viral and thousands of people see it, and your ad! If you want to see a sample of this, here is a link to Revver's 'most watched' page.
- Vizu - I really like the sound of this one and may try it on Dumb Little Man. Instead of putting ads on your site, you insert polls. You get paid based on the CPM (cost per thousand) that you set. The better positioning on your site, the better you will do. The nice part of this is that everything is embedded into your site allowing visitors to participate without leaving. That is key. PS - I learned about this site today from Digital Inspiration.
- Break.com - Upload your videos and pictures all day. If they like them and place them on their homepage, they will pay you $400 for original videos (you know, snowboarding off a house onto a trampoline and breaking your arm, etc) and up to $2000 for short films. They also have other random contests that pay out $50 a picture.
- CelltradeUSA: Refer your visitors to CelltradeUSA. I wrote about them recently, but they offer an affiliate program now. In short, if people need to get out of a cell phone contract, cell trade helps them by matching them with someone that wants to enter into a phone contact without all the fees.
- Bitwine - If you are an expert or even mildly knowledgeable on something, Bitwine provides a way for you to set a per minute rate and charge people to talk to you in a private meeting space. Bitwine is currently in "beta" so they are waiving fees which at some point will most likely be a % of your earnings. This sounds similar to Ether, which is a service we discussed in July.
- Clickbooth - Clickbooth is a site that blog owners or site owners can join to place Cost Per Action ads on their site. It has a good base of advertisers and is similar to Commission Junction or Linkshare.
- LoudLaunch - This service has not officially launched yet but it's something to watch. I first learned about this on Micro Persuasion and the consensus seems to be that it is similar to Review Me (which is on this list).
- Rent-A-Coder: As I type this, there are 2,299 requests on this site. These requests are opportunities for coders to earn money. Take on a project, get it done and get paid. I like this concept because Rent-A-Coders doesn't get paid a thing until you do therefore it is in their best interest to keep you busy.
- Shopping.com - Add widgets to your site that display products based on keywords. For the ultra-skilled, you can even customize the entire user experience by tapping into their API. I guarantee you've seen sites with this installed and you never realized it.
4 Tips To Increase Your Blog Readership Fast!
Aside from being a fun hobby what is the point of having a blog? The answer is to draw readers. Whether you are selling advertising a product or just your own set of ideas you want as large a readership as possible with most blogs. So if that is the case then it is important to know how to draw readers to your blog. There are a number of ways to increase the readership of your blog. Here are four tips that will help you to increase your blog readership that are easy to do and will definitely pay off for you.
First of all to increase readership you would want to increase the number of pages each reader is seeing. You don’t want to be judged only on your last post but rather on the whole of your work. To that end try highlighting related posts within your blog. At the end of an article highlight posts that may be of interest to those who like the current post. Most blog platforms are fitted with plug-ins that will help you with this but if they are not then go ahead and at least list the links to other pages manually. Another similar idea is to highlight the related posts within the content of your post. If you are talking about a subject you have discussed before link off of one of the keywords into the past post that is related. This will also help a past post to maintain its freshness.
A second tip for increasing your blog readership is to think about doing a series. A series is a great way to keep a reader coming back again and again. In addition if you are linking back you can get readers looking at multiple posts even after you are done with the series. Be careful when doing a series because you do not want to frustrate readers. However if you have a topic you genuinely think you should handle over a period of time then a series can really help your overall readership. If you are curious as to whether or not a series is working for your blog then check posts. See if readers are posting through the series to see if they are following you. If they are then your series is a success and you are only helping your blog readership.
Another way to increase readership is a little more “controversial” if you will. You can try putting excerpts on the front page of your blog from certain posts. Many people claim it is just a way to get more hits on your site. The truth is that extra hits are a little side benefit of it but the real value is that it can make your site more engaging. By adding excerpts to the front page you can manage the front and keep it fresh while also teasing those who get that far into reading more than just your most recent blog post. This will encourage a prospective reader to explore your blog site a little more than they may have normally. Again you want to be judged by the whole of your work or at least by a larger piece of your work than just one post and this will do that. If your writing is up to par then you will see a rise in your readership.
Finally if you really want to build and increase readership you have to have good quality content. It should be useful original and interesting to your target audience as well as keeping them wanting more of the same. The more you raise the quality of your blog’s content the more you will see your membership readership and page hits go up without even having to use any other “tricks.” People know what they like and they like quality for the most part. Giving the readers what they are after is probably the best way possible to increase your blog readership.
Having a blog can not only be fun but if you are doing it right it can also be profitable. Either way though you want to maintain and increase a following or readership. There are as many tips out there to increase blog readership as there are blogs but to really get things going consider using these four tips. Follow them and you will see your readership grow.
First of all to increase readership you would want to increase the number of pages each reader is seeing. You don’t want to be judged only on your last post but rather on the whole of your work. To that end try highlighting related posts within your blog. At the end of an article highlight posts that may be of interest to those who like the current post. Most blog platforms are fitted with plug-ins that will help you with this but if they are not then go ahead and at least list the links to other pages manually. Another similar idea is to highlight the related posts within the content of your post. If you are talking about a subject you have discussed before link off of one of the keywords into the past post that is related. This will also help a past post to maintain its freshness.
A second tip for increasing your blog readership is to think about doing a series. A series is a great way to keep a reader coming back again and again. In addition if you are linking back you can get readers looking at multiple posts even after you are done with the series. Be careful when doing a series because you do not want to frustrate readers. However if you have a topic you genuinely think you should handle over a period of time then a series can really help your overall readership. If you are curious as to whether or not a series is working for your blog then check posts. See if readers are posting through the series to see if they are following you. If they are then your series is a success and you are only helping your blog readership.
Another way to increase readership is a little more “controversial” if you will. You can try putting excerpts on the front page of your blog from certain posts. Many people claim it is just a way to get more hits on your site. The truth is that extra hits are a little side benefit of it but the real value is that it can make your site more engaging. By adding excerpts to the front page you can manage the front and keep it fresh while also teasing those who get that far into reading more than just your most recent blog post. This will encourage a prospective reader to explore your blog site a little more than they may have normally. Again you want to be judged by the whole of your work or at least by a larger piece of your work than just one post and this will do that. If your writing is up to par then you will see a rise in your readership.
Finally if you really want to build and increase readership you have to have good quality content. It should be useful original and interesting to your target audience as well as keeping them wanting more of the same. The more you raise the quality of your blog’s content the more you will see your membership readership and page hits go up without even having to use any other “tricks.” People know what they like and they like quality for the most part. Giving the readers what they are after is probably the best way possible to increase your blog readership.
Having a blog can not only be fun but if you are doing it right it can also be profitable. Either way though you want to maintain and increase a following or readership. There are as many tips out there to increase blog readership as there are blogs but to really get things going consider using these four tips. Follow them and you will see your readership grow.
40 Ways to Make Money on the Internet
I did a little bookmark scrub this morning and thought I would share the remaining content of my "Online Money" folder. To warn you, there are certain things that I don't like and never bookmark so:
What's NOT included: Taking Paid Surveys, Getting Paid to Surf the Internet, MLM, Contest Sites, "Buy my DVD, CD, Audiobook", etc.
What is included: Things you can use to legitimately make money online - Everything from Getting Paid to review software to good ole' Adsense.
What's NOT included: Taking Paid Surveys, Getting Paid to Surf the Internet, MLM, Contest Sites, "Buy my DVD, CD, Audiobook", etc.
What is included: Things you can use to legitimately make money online - Everything from Getting Paid to review software to good ole' Adsense.
- Adbrite - Sell space on your site for text ads
- Amazon Affiliate Program
- Easily create a store or shopping section on your site instead of sending your visitors to Amazon. Amazon handles the shopping cart and fulfillment.
- Amazon Seller
- Sell your stuff on Amazon
- Associated Content - If you write a story, how-to, rant, etc. you can submit it to them and they will pay you $3-$20 per article if they like it
- Azoogleads - Another ad program. They do have some decent companies lined up as advertisers. You provide space, they'll provide an ad.
- BidVertiser - PPC (pay per click) program with a low $10 payout amount.
- Build a Niche Store - This is a simple store / website development platform which enables you to create content based sites that generate income through the eBay affiliate programs. Pretty darn simple.
- Blog - Start a blog and consistently write excellent content. With good ad placement, you may make some money. I detail my process here: Simply Said, How to Blog.
- Business Opportunities Blog - I am adding this because I am a subscriber to their site and I see ideas everyday that could result in making money. A lot of the ideas pertain to online businesses. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, it's a good reference.
- Cafepress
- You provide a design, they'll toss it on a T-Shirt, Hat, etc. No upfront costs. Get a free online shop and promote your products on your website.
- Chitika - Their eMiniMalls service has shown great results for many Bloggers and site owners. You choose a keyword and they show relevant products on your site using a pretty unique interface.
- Clickbank - Quickly becoming my favorite affiliate program. They have thousands of things for you to advertise on your site.
- ClicknWork - Get paid $5-$150 per hour for basically doing freelance work on a per-assignment basis. You have to pass a pretty tough test to get in.
- Clicksor - These are the guys that generate contextual ads on sites that show up when you hover over a double-underlined word.
- Commission Junction - If you have a site, you can join Commission Junction. Once enrolled for free, you can choose companies whose ads are pertinent to your site. Companies have the ultimate say on working with you. There are easily over 1,000 companies to choose from here.
- CreamAid - For blogs only, advertisers provide you with a topic and you write about it on your site. To do this, you have to install a flash widget into your blog post. The more people you bring into the conversation through the widget, the more you get paid. It's difficult to explain.
- eefoof - Think of it as YouTube + Flickr + Music. You add original content and they pay you based on the visitors you attract.
- Ether - If you are an expert on something, Ether provides a way for people to pay you to talk about it in a one-on-one setting. If you want to charge $250/hr, that's fine. You have to do all the advertising so you should have a blog or site already established.
- eBay- Come on, you know what this is. Gather your junk and sell it!
- eBay Stores - If you have a real store and want to sell your stuff online, this is a decent option to get you started.
- ELance - Name gives it away. Programmers, Codes, Web Designers, Writers, Editors, can look for freelance opportunities.
- Feedvertising - This is an arm of Text Link Ads and is currently only good for Wordpress 2.0 Users. This does me no good currently, but as you can guess, they place ads in your feed(s).
- Feedburner / Google - Not only are they the best place to house your feeds, they will also add ads to your feed and website. You get paid per impression and if you implement Google Adsense to your feed, you are paid per click.
- Google Adsense - Come on, you don't need an explanation; these ads are all over the place. Google displays relevant ads based on your site's content
- Google Adwords - Create simple text ads and choose keywords that determine when they are displayed. This is where the Adsense Content comes from. You do not need a site for this.
- H3.com - Get paid to fill jobs. Commissions range from $50-$5,000. It all depends on how tough the job is to fill and how desperate the hiring company is. This is another one that's tough to explain.
- Indeed.com - Add their job board to your site. They then post jobs based on the geographic location of visitors and the position types you pre-select. I tried it and I they continually report that I sent 0 visitors and I know that's not right. Nevertheless, I may have an isolated problem so they make the list.
- InnerSell - If you have a customer that wants to buy something you cannot sell, you can sell the lead here.
- Jellyfish - This is a shopping site that pays you a percentage of the purchases made by people you refer. They are not part of a wider affiliate program so you do it direct.
- Jigsaw - It's a pretty flaky model but if you have a Rolodex full of good contacts, you can sell them here. I can't make sense of it but it looks like you get $0.10 per profile.
- KarmaOne - They are basically a recruiting website. If you fill one of their jobs by finding a good candidate, you'll get paid anywhere from $50-$12,000. It all depends on how desperate the hiring company is.
- LinkShare.com
- If you have a site, you can join Linkshare. Once enrolled for free, you can choose companies whose ads are pertinent to your site. Companies have the ultimate say on working with you. Like Commission Junction, there are a ton of companies waiting to evaluate your site.
- Microsoft Adcenter - Bid on keywords and Microsoft places your created ads then they are searched for. This is similar to Google Adwords. You do not need a site for this.
- Overstock.com - Sell your stuff on Overstock.com
- Pageflakes - This is a company that developed a user-defined Ajax homepage to show feeds, flickr photos, and a ton of other things. Think of it as a replacement for your Google Homepage. Anyway - they'll pay you $1 per referral that you send over. They are not part of a wider affiliate program so you do it direct. This one is pretty simple.
- Pay Per Post - I don't agree with this model entirely but they have advertisers that will pay you to write about their products on your blog.
- Pheedo - If you have an RSS feed, run it through Pheedo. Like Feedburner, they can include ads into your feed and if you really become large, advertisers will pay a premium for you to show their ads.
- Shareasale.com - I've never really worked with them but I do have an account. They are similar to Commission Junction and Linkshare however they seem to have lower tiered companies with advertising offers.
- Shoemoney - This is a blog that can teach you a ton on making money online. I've spent hours reading his old stuff.
- Software Judge - They will pay you up to $50 to review software.
- Text Link Ads - I have never made a dime here but I know people that have. You can earn by sending advertisers to them or by selling spots on your site. You must have a real site or blog to do this - nothing on a shared domain (i.e. /blogspot).
- Vibrant Media - Don't bother unless your site has 500,000 page views of text based content a month. If you have that readership, these are the guys that display bubble box ads to underlined words on your site.
- West Work At Home Agent - Not entirely online but this is worth a mention because it's won awards and is very legitimate. If you are an at-home Mom or free-lancer without work, you should check this out.
- Yahoo! Merchant Solutions
- This is a pretty simple and cheap way to create an online store.
Sell Ebooks and Make Money
Yes, you can make money online by selling ebooks. And although it sounds like a more active procedure compared to simply making money fast via AdSense, it holds the potential of being your largest source of online revenues. Here's a quick overview of how you can get started creating and marketing your own ebooks or infoproducts, and how you can accept online credit card payments.
Okay, let's get rid of the scary notion that you have to do a lot of writing. While it is true that a typical value-for-money ebook contains around 20 pages of text (assuming a reasonable font-size of Arial 12 and margins all around of not more than 1.5 inches), it does not mean you have to be a writer to sell downloadable products on the web.
Ebooks fall under the general category of electronic infoproducts. Any file that can be downloaded (yes, even a JPG image file) can serve as an e-product. You can sell photos, for example. Or even an MP3 audio recording of an interview. Or perhaps a video of a screen tutorial, if you're too shy to show your face.
That's the power of the internet: people are searching for information and solutions, and the web makes it easy to get that information in the form of a downloadable file no matter where they are in the world. You can be in the United States and your customer is in Europe, but you won't have to deal with shipping charges since your product is an electronic file.
How do you create an ebook? You can use MS Word or even OpenOffice and save your document as a PDF file. Some people don't even bother to create a PDF file, because there are cases where the paying customer wants the product in the form of an editable Word .doc file (as in the case of PLR ebooks, or books with Private Label Rights).
How do you create an audio book? That's just a fancy way of saying "audio recording." You can use software such as Audacity to record yourself answering the Top 10 Questions Newbies Ask About [your area of expertise or personal experience].
What? You think you're not an expert? You're think you have nothing to share? Nonsense. You have lots of things to share. And lots of people need your help.
Let's assume you spend your day walking along Roxas Blvd in Manila, Philippines (when you're not typing in front of your computer). Why not record a walking tour? That's right... Just walk at a leisurely place and record yourself talking about the things you see. Describe the popular tourist spots, or duck into a corner and talk about the places not often explored. Wouldn't a tourist want to buy your audio recording, load it into their MP3 player, and then personally take a walking tour themselves, with you as virtual tourist guide in their ear?
How do you create a video? You can use a videocam, or a Flip video, or even your cell phone. It's similar to the previous paragraph about audios, only this time you can show your customers where you are or what you're doing. And if you prefer to display only the contents of your computer screen (as when you are performing some task on the computer), then you can record screencasts or video tutorials using Camtasia or the more affordable CamStudio.
The thing is, you can end up with a file (AVI, MPEG, MOV) and sell that online. Think knowledge transfer. Think virtual one-on-one coaching. Think mentoring. Now, do you see the picture?
So you create your product. In different versions, if you wish: a short trial version, and the full-blown one. Offer the trial version in your blog (at the bottom of every post, if you like), and see if people are interested. It will probably take you one whole day to create a simple audio or video recording, which is definitely much faster than blogging for at least six months in hopes of making money with AdSense, right?
Now, you might be wondering "How exactly do I make money online?" Well, you will need to find a way to accept online payments.
And the great thing about this is you can have another company handle the online order-taking, and automatically deliver your electronic file to the paid customer. The payment then gets remitted to you via your Paypal account. Yes, you can get them to work for you for free... up to your first $100 in total sales.
This is a wonderful way to test the waters because you don't pay anything (until the first $100). After your e-product takes off and you make several online sales, the online credit card payment processor will charge you a certain percentage of your total sales. In addition, they will also provide a way for other people to promote your product via an affiliate program.
You can find the details in Payloadz.
TIP: Try the Basic Account (free trial) and you will see how this simply works!
Yes, there is something in you that people are willing to give you money for: your knowledge, your stories, your insights, your experiences. All you need to do is package it, and make it easy for people to pay you for that file. Thanks to the internet, this is now a viable and profitable reality for you.
Remember, making money online isn't all about AdSense and advertising. It's about giving people what they want. So get ready to sell your own ebooks and make money today!
Earn Money with your Website or Blog
| BidVertiser | Place the BidVertiser text ads on your website and make money online by getting paid for every click. |
| Earn money through Custom Builds | A 'custom build' of a program is a special edition you can offer for download on your site, and which has your affiliate information built into it. This means that when the user clicks 'register' or 'purchase' in that edition of the program, he/she will go directly to the order page using your unique affiliate ID, making sure you receive the commission for the sale this user generates |
| Google Adsense | Earn money while displaying advertisements on your Website. When visitors click on these ads, Google pays you. Along with targeted advertising for your content pages, you can add a Google search box to your site and show targeted ads on search results pages. |
| MIVA Website Monetization | Customised solutions to monetise website traffic, such as: pay-per-click advertising, add a Web search engine to your site and earn revenue from every click, earn revenue from users leaving your site. |
| RevenuePilot.com | You receive 60% of what advertisers pay RevenuePilot per click. A variety of linking methods is available, including text links, banners, search boxes, javascript feed, dynamic banners, etc. |
1. Social networking
It might seem like nothing more than a pipe dream but making money as you trawl through profiles of friends, prospective and ex boyfriends and girlfriends is actually a reality. Yuwie, an upstart social networking enterprise, offers to pay its users as they increase the page impressions of their public profiles, upload photos to share and refer others to join in the fun. All of this is achieved by a proportionate payment structure that sees around half of the website’s advertising revenue – its chief source of income - distributed directly to its user base.
Admittedly it’s still early days but with around half a million registrations to date and no shortage of testimonials, Yuwie looks like the real deal.
2. Blogging
There are two ways to make cash through blogging: either by earning commission from advertising banners placed alongside a blog of your own or by engaging in the (slightly dubious) practice of “sponsored” blogging. An array of third party tools is available in the case of the former option; Google’s AdSense remains one of the more popular solutions. Just establish yourself a decent blog, configure the ads and see what happens. Sponsored blogging on the other hand is an altogether more calculated affair, with specialists such as Blogitive and PayPerPost providing a platform through which companies essentially contract bloggers to post favourable content about their products in exchange for cash. Unethical, granted, though nonetheless undoubtedly fruitful for those subtle enough to get away with it.
3. Message boards
Every message board - both small-time niche operation and gargantuan general interest community alike - relies on posts from its members in order to sustain user interest. Newly-created forums are particularly dependent on regular contributions in order to encourage conversations and attract the registration of new members. This, of course, is where you come in. In exchange for a nominal fee of anywhere between £0.01 and £0.10 per post, message board administrators frequently advertise externally for “ringers” to sign up to their endeavours and get the ball rolling. Popular recruiting grounds include webmaster-talk and Digital Point.
4. Stock photography
If you’ve a keen eye for an impressive frame, or even just some half-decent camera kit at your disposal, selling pictures to any one of the plethora of stock photography agencies scattered across the web represents a sure-fire method of generating an income online. The likes of iStockPhoto and Fotolia offer budding photographers the incentive of earning potentially significant sums for their snaps on a per-download basis in exchange for their other royalty payment rights. Predictably, the most sought-after depictions are of a fairly mundane nature – think three-quarter view angles of pretty women dressed in suits – though equally inevitable is the high demand in some quarters for photographs of an altogether more risqué nature…
5. Surveys
As inglorious a means of making money online as you’re ever likely to find, completing market research surveys for cash is time-consuming, invasive and very, very dull. It also happens to be very effective. Opportunities in this field are virtually endless too, with literally thousands of research groups vying for your time and attention. Perhaps the most well known of these is YouGov, whose methodology involves obtaining responses from an invited group of internet users at prices ranging from £0.50 to £2.00 per survey completed. Registration is free and relatively painless, though if you are planning on going down this route, you would do well to create another email account solely for the purpose of survey completion – your personal details are going to be getting bandied around an awful lot.
6. Games
Believe it or not, it is possible to make money simply by playing computer games. Second Life, one of a range of so-called massively multi-player online games, allows users to both buy in-game currency called Linden dollars (a name derived from its creator, Linden Labs) and later exchange any amount amassed within the game back into real-world funds. Ailin Graef made the headlines in 2006 having claimed that her in-game avatar, Anshe Chung, had generated enough resources to allow her to be classified as a millionaire in reality. Other prospects include Moola, which claims to pay players over five million pounds for the straightforward task of winning thirty of its games in a row. Perhaps tellingly, the grand prize is yet to be claimed.
7. Freelancing
If you have a talent – be it for writing, graphic design or even programming - online freelancing will allow you to exploit it for a handsome profit. Services such as Elance and oDesk advertise outsourced remote working opportunities on behalf of thousands of companies and allow members to sign up to assignments according to their desired criteria. Naturally, there’s a catch - said services also take a cut of up to 15 per cent of your potential earnings. Depending on your skills and availability though, there is a lot of money to be made in this fashion, with the fastest-growing fields - like document translation - paying the best rates.
8. Poker
Likely the most controversial inclusion in this list, the online poker world is awash with sob stories of empty wallets and broken dreams from people of all walks of life who just didn’t know when to quit. If you feel like having a go at making some big bucks through gambling, extreme caution is urged. Quite apart from the fact that players need a fair degree of skill in the game to get anywhere, starting small is crucial – only bet what you can afford to lose with a smile. If you are skilled - and lucky - the potential rewards are vast, with some players regularly earning in excess of £1,000 per day. But, remember, the pitfalls are even greater. Texas Hold ‘Em is by far the most popular variant of the game – get some free practice via MSN Games.
9. Selling
A method as old as the internet itself, hawking wares through virtual auctions and shops provides a quick income boost for many students, enabling unwanted Christmas to be disposed of with ease. The obvious starting points are eBay and Amazon Marketplace , though classifieds websites such as Ad Trader are proving increasingly popular. Those of you looking to secure revenue on a more long-term basis will need to source in-demand products and be able to sell them at a mark-up on the price that you yourself paid. One example is “vintage” clothing – cheap clothes with retro appeal are available in abundance at charity shops and can easily be sold to other fashionable students online at a higher price.
10. Doing something crazy
Most truly spectacular success stories of making money online don’t involve any of the aforementioned routes at all. Instead, they showcase brazen opportunism that flies in the face of all logic and reason. Take Alex Tew’s MillionDollarHomepage from 2005 for instance – a website set up with the sole intention of selling pixels at one US dollar apiece to advertisers in order to fund its proprietor’s university degree. On paper it was a ludicrous concept – of course it was - but a 21 year-old Tew soon found himself a certified millionaire. So too did the founders of Doggles, an internet business devoted to selling goggles… for dogs. The point is that, just as in the “real” world, originality paired with good business acumen may potentially reap far greater rewards than any supposedly tried-and-true method of generating cash that you might care to mention. So be creative.
It might seem like nothing more than a pipe dream but making money as you trawl through profiles of friends, prospective and ex boyfriends and girlfriends is actually a reality. Yuwie, an upstart social networking enterprise, offers to pay its users as they increase the page impressions of their public profiles, upload photos to share and refer others to join in the fun. All of this is achieved by a proportionate payment structure that sees around half of the website’s advertising revenue – its chief source of income - distributed directly to its user base.
Admittedly it’s still early days but with around half a million registrations to date and no shortage of testimonials, Yuwie looks like the real deal.
2. Blogging
There are two ways to make cash through blogging: either by earning commission from advertising banners placed alongside a blog of your own or by engaging in the (slightly dubious) practice of “sponsored” blogging. An array of third party tools is available in the case of the former option; Google’s AdSense remains one of the more popular solutions. Just establish yourself a decent blog, configure the ads and see what happens. Sponsored blogging on the other hand is an altogether more calculated affair, with specialists such as Blogitive and PayPerPost providing a platform through which companies essentially contract bloggers to post favourable content about their products in exchange for cash. Unethical, granted, though nonetheless undoubtedly fruitful for those subtle enough to get away with it.
3. Message boards
Every message board - both small-time niche operation and gargantuan general interest community alike - relies on posts from its members in order to sustain user interest. Newly-created forums are particularly dependent on regular contributions in order to encourage conversations and attract the registration of new members. This, of course, is where you come in. In exchange for a nominal fee of anywhere between £0.01 and £0.10 per post, message board administrators frequently advertise externally for “ringers” to sign up to their endeavours and get the ball rolling. Popular recruiting grounds include webmaster-talk and Digital Point.
4. Stock photography
If you’ve a keen eye for an impressive frame, or even just some half-decent camera kit at your disposal, selling pictures to any one of the plethora of stock photography agencies scattered across the web represents a sure-fire method of generating an income online. The likes of iStockPhoto and Fotolia offer budding photographers the incentive of earning potentially significant sums for their snaps on a per-download basis in exchange for their other royalty payment rights. Predictably, the most sought-after depictions are of a fairly mundane nature – think three-quarter view angles of pretty women dressed in suits – though equally inevitable is the high demand in some quarters for photographs of an altogether more risqué nature…
5. Surveys
As inglorious a means of making money online as you’re ever likely to find, completing market research surveys for cash is time-consuming, invasive and very, very dull. It also happens to be very effective. Opportunities in this field are virtually endless too, with literally thousands of research groups vying for your time and attention. Perhaps the most well known of these is YouGov, whose methodology involves obtaining responses from an invited group of internet users at prices ranging from £0.50 to £2.00 per survey completed. Registration is free and relatively painless, though if you are planning on going down this route, you would do well to create another email account solely for the purpose of survey completion – your personal details are going to be getting bandied around an awful lot.
6. Games
Believe it or not, it is possible to make money simply by playing computer games. Second Life, one of a range of so-called massively multi-player online games, allows users to both buy in-game currency called Linden dollars (a name derived from its creator, Linden Labs) and later exchange any amount amassed within the game back into real-world funds. Ailin Graef made the headlines in 2006 having claimed that her in-game avatar, Anshe Chung, had generated enough resources to allow her to be classified as a millionaire in reality. Other prospects include Moola, which claims to pay players over five million pounds for the straightforward task of winning thirty of its games in a row. Perhaps tellingly, the grand prize is yet to be claimed.
7. Freelancing
If you have a talent – be it for writing, graphic design or even programming - online freelancing will allow you to exploit it for a handsome profit. Services such as Elance and oDesk advertise outsourced remote working opportunities on behalf of thousands of companies and allow members to sign up to assignments according to their desired criteria. Naturally, there’s a catch - said services also take a cut of up to 15 per cent of your potential earnings. Depending on your skills and availability though, there is a lot of money to be made in this fashion, with the fastest-growing fields - like document translation - paying the best rates.
8. Poker
Likely the most controversial inclusion in this list, the online poker world is awash with sob stories of empty wallets and broken dreams from people of all walks of life who just didn’t know when to quit. If you feel like having a go at making some big bucks through gambling, extreme caution is urged. Quite apart from the fact that players need a fair degree of skill in the game to get anywhere, starting small is crucial – only bet what you can afford to lose with a smile. If you are skilled - and lucky - the potential rewards are vast, with some players regularly earning in excess of £1,000 per day. But, remember, the pitfalls are even greater. Texas Hold ‘Em is by far the most popular variant of the game – get some free practice via MSN Games.
9. Selling
A method as old as the internet itself, hawking wares through virtual auctions and shops provides a quick income boost for many students, enabling unwanted Christmas to be disposed of with ease. The obvious starting points are eBay and Amazon Marketplace , though classifieds websites such as Ad Trader are proving increasingly popular. Those of you looking to secure revenue on a more long-term basis will need to source in-demand products and be able to sell them at a mark-up on the price that you yourself paid. One example is “vintage” clothing – cheap clothes with retro appeal are available in abundance at charity shops and can easily be sold to other fashionable students online at a higher price.
10. Doing something crazy
Most truly spectacular success stories of making money online don’t involve any of the aforementioned routes at all. Instead, they showcase brazen opportunism that flies in the face of all logic and reason. Take Alex Tew’s MillionDollarHomepage from 2005 for instance – a website set up with the sole intention of selling pixels at one US dollar apiece to advertisers in order to fund its proprietor’s university degree. On paper it was a ludicrous concept – of course it was - but a 21 year-old Tew soon found himself a certified millionaire. So too did the founders of Doggles, an internet business devoted to selling goggles… for dogs. The point is that, just as in the “real” world, originality paired with good business acumen may potentially reap far greater rewards than any supposedly tried-and-true method of generating cash that you might care to mention. So be creative.
The Top 25 Home-Based Business Ideas
1. Personal trainer. If you are fitness-minded, you can start your own career as a personal trainer. Check out the National Federation of Professional Trainers for information about the certification process.
2. Yoga instructor. Begin sharing your expertise with others by teaching yoga classes. There are a number of online resources, depending on the school of yoga that you practice. The Yoga Alliance Web site provides information on yoga schools, certification, insurance, and so on.
3. Tutoring. You can start a business tutoring students by advertising at schools, the local YMCA, and other places frequented by families. If you have children, talk to their teachers and determine the needs of your school district.
4. Business coaching. Have experience with management or some other specialized business skill? Share it with others by becoming a business coach. The International Coach Federation provides certification and a coach referral service for its members.
5. Consulting. If you are an expert in your industry, such as finance, marketing, or mediation, consider beginning your own consulting business.
6. Medical and legal transcription. If you have transcription skills and the necessary equipment, you can easily work from home for a variety of different companies. Check local community colleges or online for transcription training courses.
7. Medical claims billing. This industry is one of the most popular work-from-home businesses -- so much so that suspect companies have been popping up on the Internet and in classified advertisements. ELearners.com can help you locate transcription training courses online.
8. Accounting. There are many franchises and opportunities available for certified public accountants. If you are interested in getting certified, take a look at the Web site of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for information on specific state requirements.
9. Web design. If you can design quality Web sites, consider turning your skills into a home-based business. Although the software and hardware costs can be steep, good Web designers tend to be well-compensated for their efforts.
10. Desktop publishing. Do you have a creative flair for putting together brochures and newsletters? You can offer your own desktop publishing services to other small businesses. Software can be expensive, so make sure to give applications a trial run or take a course before investing in one.
11. Photography. If you are skilled with a camera, you can open your own photography studio in your home. Keep in mind that you will need space to shoot the pictures as well as a light-free space for a darkroom if you decide to process your film and print your photographs yourself.
12. Home inspection. The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors Web site provides information on becoming certified to inspect homes.
13. Remodeling. If you are a gifted carpenter or contractor, you can turn your passion into your own business. The SBA provides loans to experienced contractors looking to renovate homes or businesses in order to sell them.
14. Interior design. If you have a flair for the creative, consider interior design. The American Society of Interior Designers Web site provides resources for aspiring interior designers, including a list of each state's requirements for licensing.
15. Catering or personal chef. Consider starting your own catering or personal chef business from your own kitchen. You can set yourself apart from competitors by providing specialized services such as low-carb or vegetarian menus.
16. Gift baskets. Gift basket creation is a popular and creative home-based business. Target both individuals and businesses to increase potential sales.
17. Wedding planner. If you are an ace at organizing important events and have a Rolodex full of contacts, consider becoming a wedding planner. There are numerous online certification courses online, including one from Weddings Beautiful.
18. Personal shopper. If you are a great shopper with an eye for people's personal styles, you can offer your services to those less inclined. In addition, consider providing a gift shopping service for those too busy to shop themselves.
19. Concierge. If you have a lot of energy, a love for the mundane, and the ability to juggle multiple tasks, consider providing a personal concierge to busy business people or parents.
20. Custom jewelry creation. Designing your own custom design jewelry can be a lucrative pastime. Make sure to wear your own creations as a way to drum up business.
21. Computer repair. Are you the person everyone calls when they have a computer problem? Turn this into a business and start getting paid for fixing fatal errors. Check out Geeks on Call America and Rescuecom if you are interested in franchise opportunities.
22. Cleaning service. If you are good at cleaning, consider offering your services to others. One way to go is with a franchise. CleanNet-USA and JaniKing are two of the largest franchisers in the cleaning market.
23. Carpet cleaning service. There are many popular franchises that allow you to start your own carpet cleaning business and receive the equipment and training you need. ServiceMaster Clean and ChemDry are two of the bigger ones.
24. A riding school. If you own your own barn, land, and horses, you can open your own riding school. Equisearch.com offers resources, including some useful articles on liability issues.
25. Child-care services. Turn your expertise with children into one of the most popular home-based business opportunities.
2. Yoga instructor. Begin sharing your expertise with others by teaching yoga classes. There are a number of online resources, depending on the school of yoga that you practice. The Yoga Alliance Web site provides information on yoga schools, certification, insurance, and so on.
3. Tutoring. You can start a business tutoring students by advertising at schools, the local YMCA, and other places frequented by families. If you have children, talk to their teachers and determine the needs of your school district.
4. Business coaching. Have experience with management or some other specialized business skill? Share it with others by becoming a business coach. The International Coach Federation provides certification and a coach referral service for its members.
5. Consulting. If you are an expert in your industry, such as finance, marketing, or mediation, consider beginning your own consulting business.
6. Medical and legal transcription. If you have transcription skills and the necessary equipment, you can easily work from home for a variety of different companies. Check local community colleges or online for transcription training courses.
7. Medical claims billing. This industry is one of the most popular work-from-home businesses -- so much so that suspect companies have been popping up on the Internet and in classified advertisements. ELearners.com can help you locate transcription training courses online.
8. Accounting. There are many franchises and opportunities available for certified public accountants. If you are interested in getting certified, take a look at the Web site of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for information on specific state requirements.
9. Web design. If you can design quality Web sites, consider turning your skills into a home-based business. Although the software and hardware costs can be steep, good Web designers tend to be well-compensated for their efforts.
10. Desktop publishing. Do you have a creative flair for putting together brochures and newsletters? You can offer your own desktop publishing services to other small businesses. Software can be expensive, so make sure to give applications a trial run or take a course before investing in one.
11. Photography. If you are skilled with a camera, you can open your own photography studio in your home. Keep in mind that you will need space to shoot the pictures as well as a light-free space for a darkroom if you decide to process your film and print your photographs yourself.
12. Home inspection. The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors Web site provides information on becoming certified to inspect homes.
13. Remodeling. If you are a gifted carpenter or contractor, you can turn your passion into your own business. The SBA provides loans to experienced contractors looking to renovate homes or businesses in order to sell them.
14. Interior design. If you have a flair for the creative, consider interior design. The American Society of Interior Designers Web site provides resources for aspiring interior designers, including a list of each state's requirements for licensing.
15. Catering or personal chef. Consider starting your own catering or personal chef business from your own kitchen. You can set yourself apart from competitors by providing specialized services such as low-carb or vegetarian menus.
16. Gift baskets. Gift basket creation is a popular and creative home-based business. Target both individuals and businesses to increase potential sales.
17. Wedding planner. If you are an ace at organizing important events and have a Rolodex full of contacts, consider becoming a wedding planner. There are numerous online certification courses online, including one from Weddings Beautiful.
18. Personal shopper. If you are a great shopper with an eye for people's personal styles, you can offer your services to those less inclined. In addition, consider providing a gift shopping service for those too busy to shop themselves.
19. Concierge. If you have a lot of energy, a love for the mundane, and the ability to juggle multiple tasks, consider providing a personal concierge to busy business people or parents.
20. Custom jewelry creation. Designing your own custom design jewelry can be a lucrative pastime. Make sure to wear your own creations as a way to drum up business.
21. Computer repair. Are you the person everyone calls when they have a computer problem? Turn this into a business and start getting paid for fixing fatal errors. Check out Geeks on Call America and Rescuecom if you are interested in franchise opportunities.
22. Cleaning service. If you are good at cleaning, consider offering your services to others. One way to go is with a franchise. CleanNet-USA and JaniKing are two of the largest franchisers in the cleaning market.
23. Carpet cleaning service. There are many popular franchises that allow you to start your own carpet cleaning business and receive the equipment and training you need. ServiceMaster Clean and ChemDry are two of the bigger ones.
24. A riding school. If you own your own barn, land, and horses, you can open your own riding school. Equisearch.com offers resources, including some useful articles on liability issues.
25. Child-care services. Turn your expertise with children into one of the most popular home-based business opportunities.
How to Get draw Traffic to your site or blog
11 Tips for DIY Search Engine Optimization
Despite lots of hype by SEO consultants, the basics of SEO are actually pretty straightforward. In fact, I recommend against hiring SEO consultants until you have tried this article's DIY strategies for improving search engine ranking yourself. This will save you money and make you a smarter web marketer. Read ....
12 Keys to Successful Forum Marketing
Participating in forums is a great way to market your online business. Forum users are generally net savvy and open to making online purchases. Many forum users are also respected experts and bloggers in the specific topics covered by the forum. Making a good impression in front of this influential audience can help you make sales and generate critical buzz for your online business. Read ...
Using RSS Feeds for Marketing
How to effectively use RSS feeds to market your business. Read ...
Using Email Marketing Successfully
Comprehensive overview of how email marketing can fit into your overall online marketing strategy. Read ...
Using Online Social Networks to Market Your Business
About Entrepreneurs guide Scott Allen offer pointers on how to use online social networks to generate new business. Read ...
Despite lots of hype by SEO consultants, the basics of SEO are actually pretty straightforward. In fact, I recommend against hiring SEO consultants until you have tried this article's DIY strategies for improving search engine ranking yourself. This will save you money and make you a smarter web marketer. Read ....
12 Keys to Successful Forum Marketing
Participating in forums is a great way to market your online business. Forum users are generally net savvy and open to making online purchases. Many forum users are also respected experts and bloggers in the specific topics covered by the forum. Making a good impression in front of this influential audience can help you make sales and generate critical buzz for your online business. Read ...
Using RSS Feeds for Marketing
How to effectively use RSS feeds to market your business. Read ...
Using Email Marketing Successfully
Comprehensive overview of how email marketing can fit into your overall online marketing strategy. Read ...
Using Online Social Networks to Market Your Business
About Entrepreneurs guide Scott Allen offer pointers on how to use online social networks to generate new business. Read ...
How to Use Online Networks for Marketing
Here are some of the ways that you can use social networks to market your company and you:
Research your market. You have two ears and one mouth; listen more than you talk. Through participation in these communities, companies can learn about consumer interests and reactions with a candor rarely found in focus groups and surveys.
Create Competence. If becoming an expert in your field is part of your marketing strategy, social networks give you a much more accessible outlet than the media. You can speak up in a mailing list, discussion forum, or blog, and reach hundreds or thousands of people. Say something useful, original, and profound, and you will get quoted and linked to, reaching even more people.
Build and reinforce your brand. Every signature in an e-mail or on the Web, and every profile online, is an opportunity to reinforce your brand.
Unveil a human voice. Networked markets demand openness from the companies who want to sell into those markets. Organizations should have more people participating virtually than just professional marketers. A happy employee is a more powerful brand evangelist than almost anyone in Marketing. This is one reason why Microsoft has approximately 1,200 bloggers out of 55,000 employees.
Associate yourself with a not-for-profit cause. People are much more willing to gather around a cause than a company.
Microtarget. If you have identified a particular narrowly-defined groups to target, the odds are good that you can identify a virtual community where they are already gathered. Are you selling consulting services to independent bookstores? If it doesn't already exist, just create a virtual community for your target pool, seed it with your closest relationships, and watch it grow.
Ignite word-of-mouth buzz. If you have a new product or service, word-of-mouth—satisfied customers talking about you—is one of the most effective ways to establish your Competence. Word-of-mouth flows through social networks; Leaders of networks are excellent lighthouse customers. If the most prominent blogger in your field likes what you sell, you will create a powerful evangelist.
Research your market. You have two ears and one mouth; listen more than you talk. Through participation in these communities, companies can learn about consumer interests and reactions with a candor rarely found in focus groups and surveys.
Create Competence. If becoming an expert in your field is part of your marketing strategy, social networks give you a much more accessible outlet than the media. You can speak up in a mailing list, discussion forum, or blog, and reach hundreds or thousands of people. Say something useful, original, and profound, and you will get quoted and linked to, reaching even more people.
Build and reinforce your brand. Every signature in an e-mail or on the Web, and every profile online, is an opportunity to reinforce your brand.
Unveil a human voice. Networked markets demand openness from the companies who want to sell into those markets. Organizations should have more people participating virtually than just professional marketers. A happy employee is a more powerful brand evangelist than almost anyone in Marketing. This is one reason why Microsoft has approximately 1,200 bloggers out of 55,000 employees.
Associate yourself with a not-for-profit cause. People are much more willing to gather around a cause than a company.
Microtarget. If you have identified a particular narrowly-defined groups to target, the odds are good that you can identify a virtual community where they are already gathered. Are you selling consulting services to independent bookstores? If it doesn't already exist, just create a virtual community for your target pool, seed it with your closest relationships, and watch it grow.
Ignite word-of-mouth buzz. If you have a new product or service, word-of-mouth—satisfied customers talking about you—is one of the most effective ways to establish your Competence. Word-of-mouth flows through social networks; Leaders of networks are excellent lighthouse customers. If the most prominent blogger in your field likes what you sell, you will create a powerful evangelist.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)