ALT-10 Making Money Online
There are many ways to make money on the Internet though many of the positions offered also have disadvantages. It is important to distinguish between those sites offering good solid reward and those who take advantage of your skills for their own benefit. This article is written by a writer who has made money on the Internet for the past ten years in various ways, and is my attempt to share those successes and failures with others who seek to gain reward for the time they spend on-line.
- Survey sites.*Sales.*Writing.*Competition.*Click sites.*Translation work.*Recreation
Survey sites.
Having been involved in surveys for a number of years, these really can make money relatively quickly. For example, if you register with sites like Ciao, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire which gives the survey company an idea of which surveys to send your way. If your interests are wide, this can be very advantageous, as those who fill in a very limited interest profile will get fewer paid surveys to complete than those who have an interest in many topics.
One of the nice things about Ciao is that the site sends you emails with links to surveys applicable to you. It will never earn you a fortune, although it will earn supplementary income which is worth considering for the limited amount of time you are asked to participate. From the email link, you will be taken to a questionnaire and asked to tick certain boxes, which reflect either your buying habits or your thoughts on new products. As a supplement to other activities, this is worthwhile.
Sales.
As soon as sites like eBay and Craigslist took off, people thought they could make their fortunes on the Internet selling items which were either surplus to requirement or especially produced for a market. Many have made fortunes, though it takes good marketing practice to be able to achieve this. Not only do you have to be professional in your presentation of items, but you really do have to keep an eye on the market and know that what you offer to potential customers is as good, if not better, than is being offered by competitors.
It is important to remember geographical differences between yourself and buyers, and if possible set up sales worldwide, since this reaps better reward. Also remember that your product should be easy to post as although the purchaser pays postage, this makes your item look expensive and often items get broken during transit, which may result in you getting bad feedback.
To fully take advantage of what is available to you as a market, check out similar items and look at the kind of prices they fetch, since this gives you a better idea of how to market and at what price. Remember also that categories vary for the same item. Often people place their items in categories which do not bring sufficient traffic to merit the price of placing the auction in the first place.
Writing.
My experience of writing on-line has been diverse, and makes up the majority of on-line earnings. Starting out with impersonal items such as product reviews, it because addictive to actually look at every item bought each week, with the view of writing a product review on it. You can get wrapped up in writing product reviews and enjoy it, although a certain standard needs to be adhered to, in order to make good money. Often sites such asEpinions,Ciao,Dooyoo, etc., offer reward for writing product reviews, though the rewards depend upon reads of your article, and it is wise to look if this means member reads or public reads, as there is a great difference.
The problem with writing reviews for products is that after the initial writing, there is little to gain, though you can post those reviews to several sites and maximize what you earn. Sites like Epinions became a little elitist and decided they did not want work from elsewhere, though there is no reason why your work on Ciao and Dooyoo cannot be posted elsewhere. The main thing to bear in mind when product review writing is the purpose of the review in the first place, which is to inform consumers from a user's viewpoint whether products lived up to expectations. People seeking to buy products will read them and will want comparison, price factors, solidity, guarantee information and all information relevant to the item, but this must be balanced by individual opinion of the product itself, which is the whole purpose of writing reviews.
Writing on lifestyles or topical interests can also pay money. Writing for Helium, for example, nets me around 1000 dollars a month which is not pocket money, though it takes patience and a good deal of work to get to this level of earnings. Armed with the same doubts as any other writer on the site, I stuck with it, and tried to produce quality work. With over 1600 articles, and heading for 2000 this year, that backlog of articles meant that I have income on a regular basis from ad revenue and also competitions. It is possible to make a very good living from sites like Helium if you are prepared to learn the art of magazine style, which seems the most natural style for me as a writer, and this is where money can really be made easily.
Competition.
It is possible to earn money from competition, though having tried many, the rewards are very limited, simply because demand is so high. If aiming for earnings from contests, write to contests which are of particular interest to you, and on sites where membership is expected. On a site without membership, your entry sits among millions of others and has a much less likely chance to win.
One of the bugbears I found with poetry writing was that even though sites promised the earth, most seemed to be in it for the money. What they do is to depend upon your vanity to sell you books, and although you get that wonderful email telling you that you have won, there is no prize money and it is a mistake to expect this from vanity sites. If you want to make money from poetry, join in more exclusive sites, and look carefully at guidelines. The pickings are sparse, although this is possible as a part time pleasure adventure rather than a speculation of income potential.
Click sites.
Many people swear by the income they get from click sites, though my experience of this is that it is relatively mindless and not enjoyable. If you have a lot of time on-line and time to spare, perhaps it is worth it, though to me, I found the experience limited.
Translation work.
If you want to make money from translation beware. There any sites which exploit those seeking employment who pay minimal wages per jobs on tight deadlines. This is exploitation of the worst kind, and if considering on-line translation and have the qualifications it takes to product first class translation, look deeper than the surface. There are sites which offer decent rates, though not many which stand out on the prime pages of search engine research. Dig deeply, and you find there are some treasures there which recognize your qualifications and are willing to pay a decent rate.
Read the small print and never be afraid to ask questions about what the page rate is, or word count payments are.
Recreation.
One of the sad facts with society today is that it exploits the little man. Whenever people are poor, and in this financial climate, there are many poor people, the media exploit them by using hope as a carrot to tempt them into gambling and bingo sites. The advertisements on the television promise reward. These sites can make you small amounts of money, though the trick is to realize how much the winnings actually cost you, and to know when to turn the site off.
Just like real life casinos, these sites are in it to make money. They are not there to supplement your income, and although your dreams may be what you are aiming for, it is unlikely you will fulfill them on sites such as this. If you gamble, only gamble what you can afford to lose. If you play and expect to walk away with millions, remember so do many other millions of people in the same situation as you.
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Conclusion.
There is decent money to be made on the Internet in a variety of ways. This article has given ideas which the individual can try in an attempt to make money. As in any other area of life, no money comes for little effort. If you are prepared to put time and energy into a project, you may be able to reap decent rewards. Remember also that on-line income is also taxable and that it should be registered with your tax office.
Working from home offers many advantages, though the minefield on-line also offers roads which lead nowhere. My favorite site for making money is Helium, and my work has been seen by publishers who have offered me jobs, which leads me to believe that there is a decent income to be made if you have the time and commitment to doing your best. The Internet gives an individual opportunities to work from home, and is for ever changing. Keep an eye on trends, and try your hand at making money because it is a real possibility.
