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 endeavors: 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 in box 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.
Industry References: GetPaidForum.com
(The largest "get paid" industry-related community); BeenPaid.com
(A directory ran by a reputable and successful Get Paid to member who recommends several programs)
Paid to Play Game Programs: Much like the paid to read and click industry, these opportunities have been present for quite some time, with old programs dying off and new ones emerging to take it's place. You likely are going to reap little benefit, unless you win a rare jackpot prize (or something similar), but hey, you can't beat playing games for cash, right? Some of the programs offer cash prizes, while others offer point redemptions for gift certificates and so forth (which are essentially cash, as they can be sold to other people for the equivalent amount!)
The Verdict: These programs shouldn't be treated as serious income opportunities, but rather a fun, relaxing way to earn.
Industry References: Netwinner.com (An unlimited-play lotto site that gives away gift certificates, very lucrative), Kerclink.com (Paid to play games), Moola.com
Domain Names: You often see in the news of an average-joe internet user selling a prominent domain name (a website address, I.E. google.com is a domain), to a large corporation, politician, or other "end-user" buyer, turning an unsuspecting $6 investment into an astounding return on investment. While such actions still take place, they are a rarity, however it still is possible to earn a substantial amount within the domain industry. The domain name market is made up of two distinct groups: end-users (businesses or individuals that intend on developing a domain name into a functional online website) and speculators (other domain name investors who intend to "flip" the domains that they register and/or purchase). There is much money to be made by flipping domains to both end-users and other speculators, however it's necessary to have a thorough understanding/knowledge of the market before pursuing such opportunities. The fundamentals of the industry are rather simple to learn, and are much like any other market in the world: buy low, sell high. Included in the references section, are a few sites in which you can learn more about the industry and it's variables.
The Verdict: An informed domain speculator is able to reap huge rewards in this industry, however a committment to learning the fundamentals is necessary in order to be successful.
Industry References: DNForum.com
(A VERY good resource, a large domainer community; most, if not all successful domainers are a part of this forum), NamePros.com (Another forum with useful information), 3Character.com (A price guide for 3 character domains)
"Mini-site" Creation: Mini-sites are essentially self-explanatory in name, they are the creation of small, content-rich sites that are targetted towards a specific audience and/or topic. These are often 1-5 page sites that are layered with a variety of advertisements (I.E. Google Adsense) and at times contain affiliate links that sell products, these sites profit purely off of the monetization of generated traffic. While the thought of developing their own website may appear to be a daunting task to those who are computer illiterate or are not familiar with web site development, the production of these mini-sites is rather simplistic and only basic computer knowledge is necessary. A piece of software that I would strongly recommend purchasing if you go this route is Macromedia Dreamweaver, as it has a simple interface and is easy to use (you can find a free trial online by searching the internet for the Macromedia website), and you will surely recover your initial investment. The key thing to remember when dealing with mini-sites (in this man's opinion), is mass-production and quantity over quality. Quite frankly, the people that are visiting your mini-site aren't looking for an elaborate design layout, but rather useful and viable content that pertains to the subject they're interested in. My advice: crank out those sites left and right, don't worry about how the design looks so much, infact, you can even use templates! When using templates on similar-related sites, I was able to do a mini-site every 15 minutes, and once you develop a site once it's developed forever! Some common forms of mini-sites include: fan sites and medical related/informational sites.
The Verdict: This is the most lucrative online earning opportunity, in my opinion, as it requires limited computer knowledge and yields the highest potential reward.
