Earning Money Online

I know there are a lot of people looking for web-based jobs but it's so hard to distinguish between REAL opportunities and SCAMS that they give up and decide to just keep doing what they are doing, no matter how miserable it makes them.

I know that's how I was for years. I ran into so many scams I just gave up.  Then, one day I was directed to oDesk.com, an amazing website that pairs companies with workers online! It was so simple to start working on oDesk, I just signed up for an account, filled out my portfolio, and started applying for jobs as a freelance writer.

If you're not a writer, don't fret, there are plenty of different types of jobs on oDesk.  Companies are looking for computer programmers, bloggers, people to check and respond to e-mail, data entry, etc. So no matter your field of expertise, you can find someone who wants to hire you! Plus, you set your wages!

Another way to make money online is to start a blog, which can be about anything you enjoy.  Then you can sign up for AdSence, Amazon Associates, LinkShare, Pay Per Post, etc, which will help you monetize your blog and get you started towards earning a little money.  Most people will find that they can't make enough money through a blog to live off of (unless you have a massive amount of traffic), however it is a decent way to increase your income! There are tons of websites that host blogs for free.  Of course Blogger is the one I'm partial to, it is very simple to use and customize, and you can automatically link it to your AdSence account since they are both Google based! It's also very simple to place ads if you want to do it manually.

WordPress is another great, simple, free blog hosting site.  They have tons of themes and layouts, and make it simple to incorporate ads from various sites. Blog.com is a blog hosting site that uses WordPress layouts, so if you are comfortable with WordPress and the domain you want is taken, Blog.com is a simple solution. There are a ton of other blog hosting sites but they're all pretty much the same, choosing which one to use just comes down to your personal preference.

Also, there is a writer/ blogger community called HubPages that works much like a blog, in that you write about whatever you choose and have the option to monetize.  The primary difference with HubPages is the amazing community of people who blog/ write there, who are helpful, insightful, understanding, and eager to read others works and share their opinions. The downside is that they have regulations about how long posts have to be in relation to how many adds and pictures you put up. So if you're like me and enjoy having the freedom to write whatever you want and make your posts look however you want them to look, HubPages is probably not the thing for you. But if you are just getting started, desire a lot of input, and/or need guidance, HubPages is probably right up your alley.

Another thing you can do online, not necessarily to make money, but to save money, is join groups like BzzAgent, VocalPoint, Smiley360, ValuedOpinions, etc.  These sites send you free full sized samples of new products, pay you to take short surveys, and offer other rewards for active users. Doesn't get much easier that that!!!