Legit Ways to Make Money on the Internet
The Internet provides several work-from-home opportunities for students, parents, the disabled or anyone who wants to make money from home. While legitimate opportunities to make money on the Internet exist, there are also plenty of scams online. Always research any money-making opportunities before you dive in. And never pay money to someone promising to find you a job online. Legitimate online work doesn't require money up front.
Writing
An Internet search under Online Writing Jobs produces dozens of legitimate hits for work writing short articles for Web sites and blogs. Most companies require writers to submit an application with samples of their work. You don't need to be a professional writer to work for these companies, though you should have good grammar and composition skills and be able to write clear, entertaining copy and follow each company's rules and formats. Online writing may pay on a per- piece rate, a per-project rate, or on the basis of the revenue your web posting or article generates. This latter method of payment is known as revenue share and can be lucrative, or not, depending on many factors.
Surveys
Survey companies pay from $1 to $25 and even more to find out your opinions on everything from food products to movie trailers. You can't make a living taking surveys, but they can be a source of extra income. If you're interested in making money this way you'll need to submit an application to the survey company. Some companies keep lists of surveys on their site and you can start taking surveys as soon as your application is approved. Others will contact you via email when they have a survey they feel fits your qualifications. You'll need to experiment to see which company's are worth your time and which are more trouble than they're worth.
Market Research
Market research companies conduct focus groups to gather consumers opinions on new products, existing products, ad campaigns and even political issues. While many of these focus groups are conducted in person, some are also conducted online via Internet chat and online bulletin boards. You'll need to submit an application to the market research companies and they will contact you when they have a study they feel fits with your information. Often, you'll be asked to take a screening survey to see if you qualify to participate. If you do, you'll be given the address of the bulletin board or chat room and a time to report. Market research may pay through cash or a gift card and you can earn from $25 to hundreds of dollars for your participation.
Blogging
Bloggers earn money by selling ads on their blogs, or by participating in revenue sharing agreements with companies that post ads on their blogs. The more hits an ad generates, the more income the blogger earns. You don't have to pay money up front to register with a pay-per-click ad company, though you may need to pay a fee for the domain name for your blog and for monthly web hosting. In his book "Career Success Without a Real Job," Ernie Zelinski advises that the best way to make money from a blog is to offer fresh, entertaining copy on a subject about which you're passionate. Readers who share that passion will return again and again, and they are more likely to click on ads pertaining to that passion.






