FYI: Money Online

The 10 Best (and Real) Work at Home Careers

2009-09-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

If you are still looking for the right work at home career opportunity, perhaps the information below from an article that appeared on Yahoo Finance can help. Did you know that for every one legitimate work from home opportunity there are 50 scams! No wonder why so many of us have been scammed, or are afraid of being scammed.
Franchise Owners of businesses in the health and wellness industry, which is what Ameriplan is, is considered to be one of the top 10 Best (and Real) Work-at-Home opportunities as stated by Yahoo Finance.

Yahoo Finance Top 10 Work At Home Careers:

10. Virtual Assistant - You must have experience in this field
9. Medical Transcriptionist - Beware of those offering Medical Transcriptionist courses for a fee, most are not legitimate. Also add extra caution; This home career makes the top 10 legit work at home list as well as the top 10 work at home scam list!!!
8. Translator - Those with fluency in more than one language translate audio files or documents.
7. Web Developer/Designer - You must have experience in this field
6. Call Center Representative - You would need to have a constant quiet environment to place or receive calls from
5. Tech Support Specialist - Some call centers also hire technical support specialists to work remotely.
4. Travel Agent - Be Careful as Scams abound in the travel industry. However some business many hire experienced Travel Agents to work from home.
3. Teacher - From post secondary education to elementary schools, there are opportunities for students to learn virtually. Along with that, come opportunities to teach (and tutor) virtually. Experience, a degree and proper state certifications and course requirements will be necessary for this home career.
2. Writer/Editor

And the NUMBER ONE Legitimate home career is.....

1. Franchise Owner
It's a no-brainer: Owning a business can be the road to at-home work. For an initial small investment, sometimes as low as $50-$100, franchises may offer a ready-made business with brand awareness and a proven system already in place. Leslie Truex, founder of a Work At Home Web Site advises us that considering businesses that target the over-50 crowd or the self-employed, businesses that involve health and wellness plans, or Businesses that relate to the "green" movement are most successful!

Work at Home Companies

2009-08-16T21:12:00.001-07:00

I do my best to stay on top of companies hiring home workers.There has been a huge surge in those looking for call center jobs, catalog order taker, and customer service type at home jobs. Be sure to get your application in with all companies - don't just hope for a job at the one company you're really gunning for.
Typically these companies have certain criteria. Read over any qualifications before applying. If you don't have the necessary skills or equipment - it's doubtful you'll be given a second look.
Try to stay current on any training. That always looks good on a resume and when interviewing.
There are many online schools and programs. Many are accredited - so they are just like on-site attended classes as far as how they are gauged. Penn Foster is a fabulous career training center with many online classes. They offer a totally free career catalog. Telecommuting and hiring virtual workers is becoming more and more popular.
It saves the employer money. At first the general consensus was that if you let an employee "work at home", they won't get anything done.
This has been proven to be a huge falsehood. Allowing employees to work at home has actually proven to be a more productive way to work. You cut out all the stress of the commute - which includes in climate weather, traffic jams and other delays. It also saves mileage on the employees car! And think of how much more time the employee can spend actually "working" when they aren't bogged down with office gossip, having to get ready for work, driving to work, pointless meetings and other office distractions.
Now granted....if there are kids at home....it can be hard to work at home. But many folks have kids in school all day or the child is so small....they sleep a large portion of the day. Some kids are in pre-school too. So it doesn't mean that having kids means absolutely no working at home. It just means that you have to be realistic about working at home if you have kids. Employers don't want you dealing with clients or being constantly taken off task by screaming, whining kids.
It is VERY hard.....and I know this from experience - to get it through your family's head - especially small kids (even my 8 year old has trouble with this) that MOM works at home. Mom is AT work - please do not disturb.
Sometimes I'll be in the middle of writing an article like this and my WIFE will pop in my office and start yakking. It's like she thinks I'm typing an email to my sister or something.?! Hello - I'm WORKIN' IN HERE!And while we're on the topic of family bugging you while you're trying to work....understand that working at home is not what you think.
It's not easy, breezy.....sipping coffee....watching Fox News in the morning...time to read the paper....sleeping in....blah blah blah. For example....I get up in the morning, fix the kids' lunches, throw in some laundry, fold some laundry....after the kids leave I get on the treadmill for an hour. After that I have to shower.
I still have not had coffee, breakfast - let alone read the paper or watch the news. After my shower I go threw gobs of emails, make some coffee, normally fix some oatmeal.....I start writing, researching, returning calls...I do my own bookkeeping, my own SEO, my own site maintenance....before I know it - it's 2:00PM and it's time for me to leave to pick up my 8 year old from school. She gets out of school at 2:30 and my older one gets out at 3:00....so I don't get back home til around 3:30PM - I try to work a little bit - MAYBE and hour...til say 4:30 and then it's time to get dinner started, eat, clean up everything.
I don't make it back to my computer til around 9:00PM and I work til sometimes 11:00PM...sometimes 1:00AM!So it's not all...."Oh yes....Soooooooo flexible.....so wonderful. Half the time....I forget to have lunch!So keep this in mind.
Work is....well, work. It's not a party, it's not lounging around, it's not pretending, it's not talking on the phone with friends, instant messaging, twittering, updating your facebook page - none of those things.I know....I'm a Joy-Kill. Sorry.But - if and when you do start working at home...you'll be mentally ready now! Ha Ha!Make sure your home office is ready too!

Jobs Online Taking Surveys

2009-08-16T21:01:00.001-07:00

Can You Get Paid for Online Surveys?

I would have to say that the question of whether or not you can get paid to fill out a survey ranks right up there in the top ten most asked questions here at MoneyMakingMommy.com.You'll find a lot of people out there that say yes, and a lot of people that say no. Not what you wanted to hear I suspect. So, I'm just going to give you my opinion on the matter. Or actually - my own personal experience with online surveys.
But let me start by saying.....YES, I have gotten checks from companies for taking surveys, watching DVDs and watching commercials. There are many survey membership sites out there these days. Two to three years ago - there were hardly any and the whole surveys for rewards and cash craze wasn't like it is today. So I opted in for one of the paid membership sites.

It helped me immensely by doing the survey hunting for me. I still have my membership with Survey Scout today - but typically I hunt around for my own surveys. I don't recommend paying for a list if you've got the time to hunt yourself. Why pay a dime, when you truly can find these companies free.And now....speaking of free....These are the companies I am currently earning the most from.

They are all FREE to sign up. Do not sell yourself short and just sign up for one company. That's silly!! Sign up for all of them - that way you have more than one check coming in and more than one way to earn! This is the key to working at home and having total control over your hours. Just get a free email address and use it as your survey account.

This can be Yahoo, Gmail or Hotmail.Armed with your notebook and your free email account set aside just for your survey work - you'll be on your way to CASH and Rewards!Just today I took a survey from ePoll. I was paid $10 for answering questions all about the TV show The View. I watch it, so I was able to answer their questions.

I have completed over 75 surveys for them over the last few years. And it's been worth it. I've cashed in my points for a $30 gift card Red Lobster, a $25 Best Buy gift card, several $25 Blockbuster gift cards, tickets to movies and several $10 Starbucks cards! I just cashed in some points today for a $25 Target gift card and a $10 Target gift card, so that I can get a new bedspread!! These rewards all for answering questions about TV shows, movies and commercials. Not hard at ALL!! Fusion Cash is another great opportunity.

It's been around for 2 years and has a very good reputation. I equate Fusion Cash with an awesome data entry job that I can do right from home! They offer some of the highest payouts I have ever seen for filling out forms! Incredible - you just have to be able to have basic typing skills! You can be paid anywhere form .50 to $25 or more for just filling out forms for trial offers. The KEY to doing this type of work - buy a cheapy notebook and write down every offer you fill out. When you filled it out, how long the trial offer is for etc.

Do not make this harder than it is. You're being paid BIG money to try products and offers. This will be another nice monthly check for you. Project Payday is a good one. I kept seeing ads for it, so I thought I'd check it out. Similar to Fusion Cash, this site pays in a timely fashion and I've earned cold hard cash from them.

Also - if you decide to do any of the offers that require shipping and handling be paid, the Project Payday rebates them double the fee within 24 hours via PayPal or check.

In this case the user actually makes anywhere from $2 to $10 profit just for signing up. Incredible! This one is a no-brainer for me. Find out more about Project Payday.

You can start to see where signing up for all of these starts to add up into real cash. Just make the decision to sign up and These are three other sites that I definitely recommend. Survey Adventure is a new site that I just love. It was brought to my attention by a MoneyMakingMommy long time visitor.

I must say - I'm impressed! And it's totally FREE!! SurveySavvy sends me surveys frequently. Not as many surveys, but the are listed with the BBB and in good standing. Be sure to fill out your profile FULLY! It will determine how many surveys you get. UPDATE: I earned a total of $1586 for 2007 with SurveySavvy!!!

This site is totally legit and worth the time to join and fill out your profile. I took eight surveys one month - and got paid $62 for taking them. Keep your profile updated and refer others. It does pay off! See actual proof of my earning with SurveySavvy - Kelly's Survey Savvvy Account.

Whatever you decide about surveys, I can honestly say - there is $$ to be made. I get checks every month from work like this, and I have for over 6 years! Sure...some companies come and go - but there are so many out there.

That's why a program like Survey Scout is good for the beginner. But I've heard a lot of good buzz about Express Paid Surveys. They have a very low refund rate - which tells me they must offer something pretty legit. Get cash for Surveys has the largest collection of paid surveys online! they show you how to make $8 in 8 minutes over and over again.

They've been in business for over 5 years, see proof of how it is possible!Over 450 paid survey opportunities. Just be a grown up about what offers you're filling out, where you're going online - just like you do all the time when you're on the internet. There is truly some serious cash to be made by doing surveys and signing up for trial offers.

The other night, my son and I watched a Nickelodeon TV movie on DVD for a survey company! I actually earned $20 for watching it with my 12 year old and then having him fill out the survey. He and I split the $20 and went to Atlanta Bread Company for lunch and smoothies!! (And we got to spend time together!)

Don't sell this type of earning online short! You'll only cheat yourself!

TAKE THE TIME! Just think how much time you waste on the internet right now! Why not spend it signing up with a few survey companies?

Entrepreneurs who make it work -- at home

2009-08-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

Millions dream of starting their own businesses at home. StartupNation looks at 100 of the best -- the most financially successful, the most innovative, the most adventurous and the downright wacky.

Entrepreneurs are known for turning dreams into reality, and we're proud to recognize their accomplishments by publishing the first-ever StartupNation Home-Based 100.
The survey, which ranks and categorizes the nation's top-performing home-based entrepreneurs, is the first of its kind. While larger companies have been tracked by Fortune and other publications for years, no one, until now, has focused the spotlight on the millions of Americans who call home "the office."
At StartupNation, we decided to change that. We set about creating an annual ranking competition that focuses strictly on the first frontier -- and, for many, the preferred frontier -- for entrepreneurs.
According to a recent study by research firm Access Markets International Partners, some 16.5 million home-based businesses exist in the United States today -- an all-time high. According to the Small Business Administration, home-based companies contribute more than $530 billion to the U.S. economy and represent 50% of all businesses registered in the United States. No matter how you slice the stats, it's a huge chunk of the American economy, and growing fast.
Talk back: Would you chuck your job to create your own business at home?
And it's no surprise. After all, recent FedEx and Yahoo studies reveal that more than two-thirds of Americans have considered starting their own businesses, and nearly half have taken initial steps in that direction.

And it's no surprise. After all, recent FedEx and Yahoo studies reveal that more than two-thirds of Americans have considered starting their own businesses, and nearly half have taken initial steps in that direction.

Themes and variations

StartupNation organized the Home-Based 100 as a series of 10 Top Ten categories, each with a unique theme. To reflect the true nature of home-based businesses and the entrepreneurs behind them, we ranked companies on qualities that go beyond financial data. Playing to emerging trends, we created categories to highlight the "greenest" and worldliest businesses, as well as those run by baby boomers. For fun, we also share the wackiest and most slacker-friendly.
Above and beyond our categories, one theme dominated the submissions: passion.

We're talking bleeding passion. The work of these entrepreneurs is literally and figuratively close to home. We learned that home-based entrepreneurs don't separate who they are from what they do. Instead, they see their enterprise as part of their identity. They live for the triumphs and plug away at the challenges with incredible tenacity. At stake? Their name, their vision, their lifestyle.

Imagination, technology, outsourcing

The 2007 field of entrants had other, more tangible things in common.
Many were baby boomers who had worked for years, successfully, at large corporations and decided for whatever reason that it was time for a change. Some people had great ideas or goals that they were never able to implement because of their demanding work schedules. Others were interested in choosing a career that allows them to spend more time with their families. Some found they could make a lucrative, fulfilling living without leaving their homes.

Gone fishin'

Larry Murphy, operator of Murphy Outdoors of Gladstone, Mo., and the winner in our Boomers Back in Business category, took it one step further. He incorporated his love for fishing into a tour business after retiring from a software company at age 47.
In fact, some of the most financially successful home-based businesses in this year's ranking actually made a conscious, strategic decision to transition from a traditional office environment to a home-based operation. They did this for efficiency. They traded in commutes and corporate cubicles for home-brewed coffee, bluejeans and high-bandwidth Internet connections.
Across the board, technology fueled the exodus from the office to the home. The Internet, where you can hang a shingle almost instantly, has combined with communications advances such as Internet-enabled cell phones featuring "Star Trek"-like capabilities to enable "home-preneurs" to operate more viably than ever before.

Observations from the Home-Based 100 Best Financial Perfomers include the rise of "virtualization," whereby entire teams of people are home-based, banded together by communications and data-sharing technologies. The winner of the Best Financial Performers category, nurse-staffing company Medical Solutions International of Tempe, Ariz., and the runner-up, Surefire Marketing of Potomac, Md., are both virtual operations that rely heavily, if not completely, on technology.
This trend redefines home-based businesses, really, by adding employees to what was once a largely go-it-alone business sector. And these companies are generating millions of dollars in revenue.

Outsourcing also looms large as a business practice used by the best financial performers in our ranking. It seems like almost anything can be contracted out these days, making a home-based enterprise a more sane and elegant operation that can be run effectively from an extra bedroom. Accounting services, manufacturing, telephone answering, Web site design and maintenance -- even lunch, outsourced to the local pizza parlor and provided to you by express delivery, are all candidates.

Surprises, surprises

Besides these common threads, the 2007 submissions offered plenty share of surprises and exposed vast differences within the individual Top Ten categories.
If there were a word wackier than "wacky," it very well might have described some of the outrageous contenders in this category, which proved the most difficult for our judges to pick a winner in.
At StartupNation, we labored over whether the world's largest water bottle or a service that lets you enjoy happy hour with your dog should win. Of course, a "tech-gear" entrepreneur, with a whole new level of pocket-protector geek fashion, was also worthy, pitted against an accessories line inspired by an evil-eye talisman (don't ask). And then there was the home-based entrepreneur who sells 10-foot-long drill bits made for routing wires from an attic to a crawl space, and the one who converted a disabled-student school bus into a mobile workout gym that pulls up in front of your house.

If you've ever questioned whether American innovation is alive and kicking, you'll take heart in the finalists of the Wackiest category. Eventually we selected Nashville Lappy Hour, a Nashville, Tenn., event company that allows folks to share cocktails with their canines.

Greens, grungies and guardians

That's not to say that it was easy to choose winners in the other Top Ten categories. Submissions for the greenest were aplenty. We selected a company called Sweet Onion Creations of Bozeman, Mont., which makes environmentally friendly building models for architectural firms.
Our Grugiest selection also qualified as a green business, but since Northwest Redworms of Camas, Wash., deals with worms and compost, we had to place it in the former category. The Most-Slacker Friendly was a little easier. We picked Snoloha, a Traverse City, Mich., clothing company inspired by Jimmy Buffett.

For the Most Innovative, our challenge was making a clear case for one company over another -- the vast majority of entries were innovative to their core. To overcome this challenge, we awarded a company that was not only innovative but important to families. Our judges selected Child Shield USA, of Tucson, Ariz., which offers a service aiming to educate people and protect children and families from child predators.

Basking in the spotlight

Perhaps the most surprising takeaway from the submissions was that almost no one wanted to boast about how much money his or her company makes. Getting those stats was next to impossible. As with the bragging-right revenue stats you find in other rankings, we figured that giving home-based entrepreneurs the opportunity to flaunt their success would be a huge hit.
However, that was the last thing they wanted published. Releasing that information publicly is often OK, even encouraged, in traditional business circles. But for home-based entrepreneurs, this treads on the personal and private. There are limits to what they're comfortable allowing the public to know about them financially. Respecting the finalists' privacy, we publicly released the financial performance of only the winner and runner-up in the Best Financial Performer catergory.
So why did these businesses enter the Home-Based 100 competition in the first place? Because they want a piece of the spotlight. In any way other than financially, home-based entrepreneurs flooded us with their attributes and tales of their exploits -- things they were thrilled to brag about, such as their achievements, their breakthroughs, their environmentally sustainable practices or the screaming needs they address.

Finally, on a promising note for entrepreneurs based at home, we were surprised by the amount of support this first ranking of home-based businesses received from major corporations. For years, the big companies made other big companies their sole priority. But no longer. They've woken up to the fact that huge growth potential exists in serving the relatively untapped market of small business and the millions of home-based businesses within that sector.
Nameplate brands such as Microsoft Office Live Small Business, Dell and Southwest Airlines all jumped on board to encourage participation and support the ranking (Microsoft publishes MSN Money). It shows that these corporations now see home-based entrepreneurs as a priority. That means more solutions, more products and more services are being made available to home-based businesses today -- and even more options will be available in the future.

See a penny? Pick it up!

2009-08-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

I'm superannuated enough to remember penny candy. Finding a cent was cause for celebration, because it would buy Squirrel Nut Zippers (the candy, not the band), Smarties, Pixy Stix or a host of other treats.
I still pick up pennies. Also nickels, dimes and any other American paper or specie I see on sidewalks, in parking lots or pooled in the rejected-change bin of those Coinstar change-counting machines.
All "found" money goes into a vase my daughter gave me when she was about 8 years old. (She got the vase from the "free" box at a yard sale. That's my girl!) Each December, I donate my finds. This year, $24.14 will go to PetSmart Charities.
Ain't too proud to bendSome of you are probably thinking, "Eeewww, pick up dirty coins off a dirty street? Who'd do a thing like that?" A whole lot of Smart Spending message board readers, that's who.
In a thread called "Do you pick up pennies?," readers wrote about how and where they find funds. Some real hot spots: near parking meters, in vending machines, under fast-food drive-through windows and in parking lots (especially tavern parking lots, the morning after). Also check college campuses, amusement parks and the area around the self-service vacuum at car washes.
A reader posting as "retireddad" scores paper money in a brambly lot near an ATM: "The most I have found at one time is three twenties." He gets free blackberries there, too. (Note, however, that some states have laws requiring those who find more than $10 or $20 to advertise the lost cash or turn it over to the police.)
"Sunset Hiker" has fond childhood memories of the ball-crawl play area at Chuck E. Cheese. "The bottom was always loaded with money ... a few dollars' worth of change and several bills every time."
"Thrifty in ATL" and her boyfriend look for coins while they walk their dog. They're trying to train the pooch to become the pecuniary equivalent of a truffle hound. "If successful," she writes, "we would have three sets of eyes and one nose searching (for coins) on our walks."
And yeah, some families and friends are completely embarrassed by such behavior. "Suzeeque" says her teens consider coin retrieval as more proof "that their mother is an embarrassing dork."
But "drkonijn" did the math -- one second to pick up a penny -- and now has a snappy comeback. "I tell them I make $36 an hour picking up pennies. Since there are a lot of people who would jump at $36 an hour, why not bend down for it?"
What they do with what they findMany readers give it away: school "penny drives," donation jars, organized charities. Reader "Toy Maker" lets the kids pick the charity; in addition, the family matches whatever is found that year.
Some set up funds for their kids or other young relatives. "Waslostnowfound," saving since the birth of a now 13-year-old son, has accumulated nearly $1,600 "for his first car." Reader "decayschampion" calls spare change a "college fund" for a couple of nephews.
Others save it for themselves. "Sangria" opened an investment account just for found money; after five years, the account is worth nearly $650. "Johnny Walker" and his wife call dropped coins their "retirement fund," even though they’re already retired.
And some people spend the money outright. "ItsEasyOnceYouStart" will put nearly $50 toward this year's Christmas presents. "Ponophob" uses it for movies or other entertainment, "things that I wouldn't have done had it not been for the extra money." And "PensionPete" dines out on free cash.
As a struggling single mother, "Emilysmom128" once dined in on found funds. At a financial low point, that's how she paid for a jar of cheap spaghetti sauce and some noodles, which stretched for several days. "Thank God for dropped (coins)," she writes. "Every penny matters!"
Take the dropped-coin challengeMaybe these stories will encourage you not to walk by that nickel in the parking lot.
Or maybe you're more like "flygrl7112003," who claims to have passed at least a dozen $1 bills in the past year. "My motto is, 'If it's less than $5, I won't waste my time on it'," she writes, adding that "maybe when I get older, I might consider picking up a dollar."
I'm already older, and I won't pass up even a penny. That’s just how I roll, so to speak. And I'd like to propose a challenge to those of you who aren’t germphobic or proud: Start picking up any money you find.
Save it in a coffee can or a mayonnaise jar, and count it every few months. Put it against credit card debt, if you have any, and in your emergency fund if you don't.
So what if it's only $5 or $10? Baby steps, people, baby steps.
Hint: Don’t forget to look under the couch cushions.

18 ways to earn $100 a month

2009-08-05T22:23:00.000-07:00

It's tough out there, but readers are still finding creative ways to moonlight -- and some of these sidelines didn't even exist a few years ago.

A couple of years ago, I asked posters on the Your Money message board what they did to bring in extra cash to make ends meet. The answers, which ranged from online auction selling to pooper scooping, became a column, "20 ways to make $ 100 more a month."
With a recession on and unemployment high, I thought people might be finding it harder to land those outside gigs. If it is, you couldn't tell it by the message board posts.
Not only were people doing many of the jobs mentioned in the previous column, but they mentioned a whole slew of new ways to generate cash -- some of which didn't even exist a few years ago.

As before, to make the cut the jobs had to be:
Real -- something the posters were actually doing or had done recently.
Flexible -- something people could do before or after a regular workday.
Available -- something that people in most areas can find.
Not speculative -- something that doesn't require a big upfront investment or have a high probability of failure. Day trading and multilevel marketing schemes were out.
Obviously, not every idea will work for everyone, but you should find at least a few options that could work for you or at least get you thinking about the possibilities.

1. Artist

Poster "Joylein1" paints murals for children's rooms, while "Adrian Black" draws cartoons and caricatures.
"It's not very steady, but when someone wants me to do something for them, I make $50 and upward per drawing," Black wrote.
Theme parks and other tourist attractions often employ caricaturists. As an alternative, you could set up a booth at a community fair to get started.

2. Bartending

This time-honored way to garner tips and new best friends somehow missed our last list.
Poster "Fedupwithitalready" tends bar on Saturdays and calls it "a part-time job sent from heaven. Great money, and in these times socializing and alcohol are a good escape."

3. Blackjack dealer

Casinos are a source of off-hours employment in many areas. Poster "STL1976" attended a free, six-week course offered by a local casino to learn how to be a blackjack dealer, then accepted a weekend job there.
"It was tiring since I had to work 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. (especially on Fridays after working till 5 p.m., and then doing this) but it was good money," STL1976 wrote. "With tips it was around $17 to $18 an hour."

4. Bookseller

Selling stuff on eBay or Craigslist is a moneymaker for many, but some specialize in reselling one thing: books. There are a number of sites that facilitate used-book sales, including Amazon.com, Half.com and Cash4Books.net. Some folks haunt yard or library surplus sales, but poster "elizabethann" gets books for free at her job.
"We get brand new books at work," elizabethann wrote. "I take them and sell them to (Cash4Books.net). I have a box of books near my desk that they will pay me $22 for. They even pay the shipping and handling."

5. Coach

Shaping young athletes can be a profitable sideline for someone with flexible hours and coaching skills, wrote poster "IrishSeanPatrick," who coaches high school track and field.
"I am self-employed so I have the flexibility to be at practice at 3:30 every day," IrishSeanPatrick wrote. "I am also considering coaching basketball in the winter for one of the local schools as well. Total compensation for these two seasons would be $4,000 to $5,000 per year, depending on the school. (Private schools usually pay less for coaching than a public school does, at least in my area.)"

6. Crafting

A number of Your Money posters have turned crafting hobbies into profitable sidelines.
Poster "PaladinHG" spent less than $40 to get a computer program that turns scanned photos into cross-stitch patterns.
"People will pay decent money to get a cross-stitched picture of their kids or pets," PaladinHG wrote. "It takes a lot of time, but it's something I enjoy anyway."
Several crafters sell their wares on Etsy.com, a site that connects artists and crafters with a sizable audience of buyers. Poster "cymablines halo" makes hand-painted scarves to sell on the site.
"I make anywhere from $20 to $120 a month, depending on the season," cymablines halo wrote. "It's not big money, certainly, and it'll never make me rich or famous, but it's nice to have a little something coming in."

7. Freelance writer

The previous column mentioned writing for magazines and newspapers, but breaking into the print realm can sometimes be tough. Some skilled writers have found it easier to find jobs through sites such as Elance, which allows scribes to bid on article-writing projects.
Poster "NancyinFL" used the site to find a client.
"I am working with a woman in Las Vegas (I am in Florida), writing articles, helping her come up with ideas for books and also doing research," NancyinFL wrote. "She liked what I did so much, she recommended me to a blogger she knows, and now I write for him, too."

8. Music lessons

Poster "ILTransplantInWI" wrote that her husband teaches trumpet and guitar to kids to earn extra cash.
"He charges $15 a lesson (which is usually a half-hour, once a week) and holds his lessons in the morning during the summer, but obviously during the school year they are all done after school," she wrote. "He also plays trumpet, guitar or sings for weddings and funerals . . . (He) doesn't have a set rate for playing at weddings/funerals, but he's never come home with less than $100."

9. Odd jobs

Craigslist is connecting people with handyman skills -- or who are just willing to work hard -- with folks who need help.
Poster "Angel D" said her husband posts ads on Craigslist "for labor work for $10 an hour."
"He has built a few fences, helped people move, done landscaping, cleaned out houses, etc.," Angel D wrote. "(He) brings in a couple hundred a month depending on how many jobs he takes."
Poster "kelli120" and her husband both work full time but find nearly two dozen other ways to make money on the side.

"We are the Ultimate Hustlers . . . in a good way," kelli120 wrote. "We sell industrial scrap metal (up to $300+ a month), mow lawns, haul landscaping materials, deliver and remove furniture, deliver appliances, replace window screens, change locksets, clean storage sheds/garages, pick up decent furniture on the street and sell to college kids, sell other curbside finds on Craigslist, buy, sell and trade video games, repair/upgrade computers, assemble patio furniture, assemble/tear down swing sets, rake leaves, write resumes, fix old bikes for resale, clean gutters, repair fences, install toilets, whatever."
Poster "Poharry34" mows lawns but says he could earn more if he had the time.
"Currently I only have two (clients) but that nets me $190 a month from about mid-March thru October. Half the money goes to purchasing football (tickets) and the other half is for Christmas money," Poharry34 wrote. "If I had more time (already work a full-time job and part-time job) I would wash windows and clean gutters. There is good money to be made doing those things.

10. Organizers

Among many other odd jobs, poster "TexTaxpayer" once "organized 20 years of poorly kept financial records for the executor of a large estate."
Helping others declutter and organize their homes and offices is a full-time profession for many (for more information on this career field, visit the National Association of Professional Organizers). Many get started working for friends or neighbors, but you can also contact professionals such as accountants, attorneys and conservators to see whether their clients may need help.

11. Referee

Another way to employ sports skills is by playing umpire or referee. Poster "GW in TN" and his wife work for the local parks department one night a week.
"I umpire, and she is the scorekeeper," he wrote. "We make $32 per game and work three to four games each week. $96 to $128 per week is $400 per month!"
Poster "iaalaughlin" referees soccer games and says it's a sideline to consider for those who are "good with children, relatively fit and confident."
"You can start by going to your local soccer club and asking if they need a referee, and if they offer a club certified referee class," iaalaughlin wrote. "Otherwise, you have to get FIFA certified, (which) costs less than $100, and you are good to go."

12. Pet sitter

Several posters look after other people's animals for extra cash.
Poster "mdwilson" tends two golden retrievers for a couple who are often out of town on business.
"We average about 110 bucks a month doing this, the dogs are happy, we like having them, and the owners save a bunch of money on boarding them," mdwilson wrote. "Also we get the fun of having dogs but none of the expense. Win-win."
Rather than make jobs harder to find, the recession seems to have improved business, wrote poster "973ias beach bum," who charges $2 per dog for three walks a day, which includes feeding and watering.
"So it is only $12 a day (for two dogs) but it also only takes about 30 minutes (and for me $12 is a half a tank of gas if money were tight!)," 973ias beach bum wrote. "People are also wanting it more as boarding is expensive -- at least $15 a day for one dog."

13. Seamstress

Those who sew reported making several hundred dollars a month with their skills.
Poster "Kanoeka" taught sewing and sewed for others while her kids were growing up and recently started sewing again "because of the rising costs of everything."
"This time I'm doing slipcovers and recovering cushions for people that have furniture that is the loose-cushion style," wrote Kanoeka, a resident of Hawaii. "I easily make $600 a month on a slow month just from doing the cushions."

"Retouche" drums up business by dropping into stores in outlet malls and asking whether there are any clothes in need of repair.
"There always are. I look them over with the manager, jot down what's required to bring them up to snuff, giving a quote for the work," Retouche wrote. "I take them home with me and bring them back in a few days' time. It's unusual that one sweep through the malls doesn't net a couple hundred bucks."

14. Survey taker

This one's a bit of a stretch, since it's unusual to make $100 a month in cash filling out surveys online. Poster "StillOnTheRoad" reports making $20 to $40 a month this way. "That said, I think it's still well worth my time," StillOnTheRoad wrote. "It averages out to $10+ per hour for doing something I can do while I'm watching TV."
Poster "sh81" reports making up to $100 if you count the value of free merchandise.
"Starting off, you might only make about $5 a month, but once you prove you give consistent answers you can make about $50 to $100 in money and merchandise," sh81 wrote. "This month I made about $35, two bottles of shampoo (I had to test them out on separate weeks), a case of canned dog food (enough to feed Argos for a month, but I had to do three phone surveys, which was a bit time-consuming), and five small bottles of perfume (I don't know the brands, but if one wasn't Chanel No. 5, then it was a very good knock-off)."

15. Teaching online

The previous column mentioned teaching part time at local colleges, but poster "AZ Girl 123" found a moonlighting post teaching online for a local university.
"I can teach my classes in the evenings and on the weekends," AZ Girl 123 wrote, "from the comfort of my couch!"

16. Text researcher

Answering strangers' questions can help you earn money. Poster "dreamy1," who freelances for text answering service ChaCha, explains how it's done:
"People text questions and I look up the answers and send it back to them. I can average $100 a month if I have the time which lately I haven't had," dreamy1 wrote. "I can work when I want and however long I want so it's good for making extra money."

17. Wait staff

Being a waiter or waitress is hard work, but it's a time-tested way to earn fast cash if you have a good memory and people skills.
Poster "M324292" wrote, "I wait tables a few nights a week. It's a pretty boring second job, but I can make $50 to $100 per week, and I can always find the extra work."

18. Web site design

If you know your SEO from your HTML, you could help others build or spruce up their Web sites. Elance and RentACoder are two places to look for jobs, or you can specialize in certain clients. Poster "BoudicainBoston," for example, does Web editing and design for nonprofits.
"The work is not steady, but I have brought in anywhere from $500 for a complete redesign to $20 to $40 for an hour or so of updates and changes," BoudicainBoston wrote.

How to become a mystery shopper

2009-08-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

The job isn't as easy as it sounds, but you can add a little adventure to your life and get some freebies and cash in the bargain.
Get paid to shop! Score free meals and clothes! Visit casinos, water parks and luxury hotels on someone else's dime!
Sound too good to be true? With mystery shopping, it is -- sort of.
You'll get "free" stuff. You'll work for it, though. You'll have to make one or more site visits. The evaluation forms can run to multiple pages. Generally, you pay upfront and wait weeks to be reimbursed. If you don't follow directions, you won't get paid or reimbursed.
That said, an organized and motivated shopper can consistently earn $100 a month or more. Or you can look at it this way: Mystery shopping gets you the small luxuries you can't otherwise afford, such as fancy coffee or dinners out. It can also help shore up your budget by paying for things like vision exams, oil changes or veterinary care.
You might score pet food, vitamins, doughnuts or bone-density testing. You can get paid to go bowling, test-drive a luxury car, drink a microbrew, eat at a fancy steakhouse, ride a roller coaster, rent a car or visit a nursing home. You can mystery-shop a supermarket and get reimbursed for up to $10 worth of groceries.
So how do you get a piece of that? By asking for it. Here's how.

Find the gigs for free

First, a piece of advice: Never, ever pay to become a shopper. Those Internet ads that promise the inside scoop are selling information that's available for free. Two legitimate sources of mystery shopping companies are:
Volition.com, a freebie site whose forums offer a place for shoppers to network.
The Mystery Shopping Providers Association, or MSPA, an industry group that has more than 150 member companies on four continents.

Sign up with more than one company to increase your chances of getting assignments. There's plenty of competition: Approximately 1.5 million mystery shoppers have worked at least once in the past year, by the MSPA's estimate.
Registration may be as simple as filling out a form. Some companies will ask you to read an introduction and take a short quiz, or to write a make-believe account of a shopping trip (I thought of it as an audition). Once registered, you can check company sites for available assignments or read the MSPA's job board. Companies also send e-mail notifications of jobs, sometimes several per day.

'You prove yourself'

Don't expect to be sent to a high-end restaurant or a posh hotel right out of the chute. Schedulers don't hand those assignments to just anyone. You'll have to take more than a few low-key gigs (coffee shops, fast-food restaurants, retail stores) to establish yourself as competent and reliable.
"You prove yourself, and the more you prove yourself, the more exposure you get to good jobs," says Christopher Warzynski, the vice president of mystery shopping company Beyond Hello.
How do you prove yourself? By writing articulate, sharply observed reports. "Not giving us enough detail" is a common problem, says Tom Mills, the CEO and president of Service Sleuth.
For example, it's not enough to write that "the waiter was friendly." Clients want to know if the waiter made eye contact, if he introduced himself, if he mentioned the daily specials, if he checked back at frequent intervals, if he offered drink refills promptly, if he suggested dessert, if he thanked you for choosing the restaurant.
Another common mistake: not following the shop guidelines. If you're told to buy the doughnut between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m., don't roll in at 10:15 (your receipt will give you away). Make sure you're ordering the right meal combo. (Warzynski tells of a woman who didn't order the required burger at Wendy's -- she was a vegetarian, she later explained.)

Playing smart, playing dumb

Often you follow a script, which is fun; there's a certain frisson that comes from pretending to be somebody you're not. My daughter Abby, a seasoned mystery shopper, once had to pass as a Department of Transportation employee attending a conference. Impersonating a bureaucrat is not exactly James Bond territory, but she got an overnight in a very nice suite with room service and a one-month pass to a popular downtown gym. A pretty nice gig, given that her evening would otherwise have consisted of "Law & Order" reruns.
Be prepared to do a little research and/or think on your feet. Shop for pet food and an employee might ask how much your dog weighs. If you're impersonating a pet owner, you'd better know how big a 3-year-old golden retriever should be.
Fortunately, many scripts specifically ask you not to know much, in order to see how well the employees do their jobs. That means waiting to be offered information. Or beverages. Abby had to train her husband not to order drink refills, because the evaluation forms ask how long a glass remains empty.

More tips from the pros:
Never take notes openly. Go to the restroom or wait until you've left the building.
Keep track of your earnings for tax purposes. Companies send 1099 forms if you've made more than $500 from them in a year.
Don't accept a shop to which you cannot do justice. (See "vegetarian at Wendy's.")
Be prompt. Most reports are due within 24 to 48 hours.
Get a watch that times in minutes and seconds. Some clients want to know exactly how long you waited in line.
Set up a new e-mail address; you will get tons of updates.
Get a PayPal account; some companies require it. If a company asks for your bank account number during registration, you're being scammed. (You're also being scammed if you're sent a check to deposit and are asked to wire a portion to "another shopper," then write a report on the experience. The checks are bogus.)

Better gigs, if not fame and fortune

The more shops you do, the easier it becomes. As you improve, schedulers may e-mail or call to offer you first crack at a job.
One way to help that happen is to step in at the last minute when another shopper flakes out. The scheduler will remember you fondly. I'm not suggesting you cancel a wedding to go out for a burger. But if you planned only to balance the checkbook or do laundry that evening -- well, it's hard to beat someone wanting to cook your dinner and pay you to eat it.
As your experience grows, you'll be offered better gigs. My daughter, who's been mystery shopping for seven or eight years, has been sent to fine restaurants, amusement parks, nice hotels, cultural attractions and even casinos (which includes gambling cash).
What you won't get is rich.

Service Sleuth employs a select group that evaluates casinos, hotels and fine dining in Las Vegas. Jobs exist that pay as much as $1,200, Warzynski says, such as evaluating a mall. Naturally, these jobs are hard to get and may not even be advertised.
"(The shoppers) have been doing it long enough to where they get the choicer jobs," Warzynski says.
I've earned as much as $95 for a shop, but that project (opening and using a bank account) involved several steps -- and reports -- over a monthlong period. Most jobs pay $10 to $25. For many restaurant shops, the pay is minimal or even nonexistent; you do it for the free food.
Also, reimbursement takes a long time, so don't mystery shop if you need that cash to pay current bills or your rent. Many companies work on a 60-day reimbursement cycle, says John Swinburn, the executive director of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.

Shop for what you need at the moment

The pay may not be great -- and you'll have to decide whether the jobs are worth your time -- but don't underestimate the value of freebies. Mystery shopping can pay for things you want or need:
Are you without wheels? Watch for car-rental gigs and use the vehicle to shop for things that are tough to get home on the bus, such as soft drink multipacks or 35-pound bags of cat litter.
Ready to repay the $100 a buddy lent you? Look for a shop that pays you to purchase a money order.
Want to go downtown? Schedule one or two parking-garage shops and get free parking plus $10 to $20.
Overdue for new glasses? A vision shop gets you as much as $100 toward a new pair of specs.
Have a friend who was kind during your recent spell of unemployment? A bar or restaurant shop lets you treat your pal without compromising your return to financial stability.

Would you make a good mystery shopper?

The most important thing about mystery shopping is honesty. Don't soft-pedal mediocre service because the waiter was cute or because you felt sorry for the overworked young woman behind the counter. The evaluation form requires you to report whether the employee did or did not follow company policies. If he did not want to follow those policies, he should not have taken the job.
It's the same with mystery shopping. If you're not detail-oriented and organized, then give secret shopping a pass. But if you like impersonating DOT bureaucrats? This may be the job for you.

No Need To Have Big Capital To Start Your Online Business

2009-08-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

The Autopilot Profits system will show you everything that you need to know to go from idea to profit in no time at all. This system is a comprehensive, step by step tutorial which includes a video series and an e-book. This internet marketing system comes without all of the filler seen in other programs and gives you exactly what you need to start making money online as quickly as possible.
Autopilot Profits System is focused on three kinds of marketing: affiliate marketing, resale marketing or the creation and promotion of your own product or service. While much of it is told in terms of affiliate marketing, because that’s the easiest and fastest way to make money online these days, it can also be applied to the other two types of marketing mentioned before.
One of its selling features is that you don’t need to spend a great deal of time building a beautiful website. With a little bit of knowledge, a site builder program provided by a web hosting company and a little ingenuity, you will be able to build a website that will serve the purpose of getting new leads and acting as a landing page or starting point for prospective buyers.
Another good thing about affiliate marketing is that there is little or no start up costs – so you can experiment with different products and settle on one which performs well for you – or you can take the DIY route and create your own product to sell. Either way, the Autopilot Profits system will have you making money almost immediately.
You also didn’t need to hire employees, stock inventory or outsource in order to make a successful online business. With affiliate marketing, you don’t even need an original idea. You can simply contact the vendor, join their affiliate program and sell their products. With the Autopilot Profits System, it’s very easy to start and maintain a consistent online business that grows and expands daily.
Plug-and-play is the key word for the Autopilot Profits system. It’s great for both newbies and veterans of the online marketing business, as it will get you your sales automatically.
It only gives you the essential information, eliminating all fluff and unnecessarily confusing and vague information from the mix. In this way, you get a do this and then do that action plan that’s easy to follow and guaranteed to get you into profit mode. The video tutorial is one of the best features of the Autopilot Profits System. For those looking for a way to start Internet home business and make money at home, the system will be exactly what you’re looking for.
The first thing you need when you decide to start a home business in online marketing is the Autopilot Profits System which teaches you how to handle Internet Marketing effectively.

4 Article Marketing Tips to Write Winning Articles

2009-08-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

Article marketing is a method used by many website owners which involves writing and submitting keyword-focused articles on many article syndication sites on the internet. The trick is to build back links through the “resource box” that appears at the end of your articles. If the article gets syndicated, it gets published on other sites or blogs and so do the your backlinks.
For your article marketing to be most beneficial, here are 4 marketing strategies to increase your website traffic with low cost:
1. Think of a topic or niche related to your business and that you are passionate about. If you are not interested in a particular area, it will be difficult to enjoy the process of writing articles.
2. By writing and posting good contents you’ll be able to establish your expertise that will be recognized by people and search engines, helps with branding, helps gain inbound links, and can also help bring in sales conversions from your visitors.
3. When you are submitting an article you are doing a classic give and take. You give information in article body and you take visitors through the links in resource box. It is the main reason you slave over good content and give it away for free so take full advantage of it.
4. There are hundreds of marketing methods but one of the most effective methods is to write and submit articles. Submitting 5 articles to 200 article directories with an anchor- texted keyword phrase in each article resource box would provide you with 1,000 unique one-way backlinks.

Email Follow-up and its Importance in Your Home Business

2009-08-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

Are you prepared to learn a very important tip in network marketing? The follow up is where the money is!
Most people will not sign up the moment you show them your business plan, no matter how profitable it may appear to be, online or offline. This is a fact that will never change and you will need to follow up a prospect a couple of times before you can sign them up or sponsor them.
Just take this short quiz:
Among all the tasks, which of the following makes you money?
- Generation Leads – Calling Your Prospect For The First Time – Showing The Plan – Follow Up
Obviously it is the follow-up. Compared to all the other tasks, even the least amount of time spent on follow-up will still generate MORE MONEY than the rest. The 80/20 rule applies where 20% of the actual work generates 80% of the results This is scientifically proven in everything that people do.
There are many ways you can execute this task of following-up with a prospect. You can either meet them to get their feedback or opinion or you can use emails to try and connect with your prospect.
One of the best tools you can use to automate the follow-up process is by using an Autoresponder. On the Internet, this is what you can do:
- Generate leads from blogs, organic search, pay-per-click advertising, banner advertising, forums or Facebook.
- Drive those traffic to a lead capture or opt-in page and capture those leads by offering them a free E-book or newsletter. The key is to legally bribe them into joining your newsletter and your mailing list.
- Use a series of follow up emails. You should focus on giving them valuable information in your newsletter. Do not try and sell them things on the first contact. Instead, offer them tips on how your product can help them or how your network marketing business can help them to solve certain problems in their lives. Soft sell them regarding your business opportunity for a period of 7-10 days because you want them to get to know you. This will help you to build rapport with your prospects.
- Finally, you can pitch your network marketing business
once you feel that they are ready. You can also send them personal messages from time to time to ensure them that they are not receiving mail from a robot.

Practical Article Marketing Tips – Myths To Avoid

2009-08-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

To make your article marketing campaign successful, you need to be in the know of the different myths and misconceptions surrounding it. Listed below are common article marketing myths that can lead marketers astray if not acted upon:
MYTH #1: Article marketing is not much of a help.
You get one-way backlinks to your site by writing articles and submitting them to article directories. This task is undertaken by a resource box where you to tell something about yourself and provide one or more than one URLs. The one-way backlinks you get with article marketing help you increase your link popularity and be a source of some of the most targeted traffic you can get. By writing and submitting quality articles you can help establish your expertise in your chosen niche.
MYTH #2: Submitted and reprinted articles do not offer your business any help because they only get indexed as supplemental pages.ny
As long as you write and submit quality articles and get accepted by a large ezine with half a million subscribers, there are bigger chances your articles can get a top 10 listing in major search engines, not just as supplemental pages.
MYTH #3: Submitting the same article to different article sites creates duplicate content and search engines will penalize you.
According to Google, “Duplicate content generally refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar.” It is rather those malicious duplicate content that WILL suffer a duplicate content penalty. If that is true, all article directories would have been banned long ago.
If you try to market yourself by following these article marketing myths, you’re likely to make some serious mistakes. Article marketing, when done correctly together with search engine optimazation, can drive lots of free targeted traffic to your site and eventually generate sales.

4 Practical Article Marketing Tips to Pull Traffic Like Crazy

2009-08-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

Article marketing is a method used by many website owners which involves writing and submitting keyword-focused article on many article syndication sites on the internet. The trick is to build back links through the “resource box” that appears at the end of your articles. If the article gets syndicated, it gets published on other sites or blogs
and so do the your backlinks.
Here are important tips to be followed to make your article marketing campaign highly effective:
1. Come up with a topic or niche that you are passionate about and relevant to your business. The key to being passionate is to figure out what excites you. If you are only slightly interested in your blog’s topic, it will be difficult to log in each day and come up with fresh, exciting posts and commentary.
2. By making your goal to build rich information on your site, your business will be strong among your competitors and reap in the benefits of extra visitors and extra sales. Through writing good content you’ll be able to establish an expert reputation recognized by people and search engines, helps with branding, helps gain inbound links, and can also help bring in sales conversions from your visitors.
3. When you are submitting an article you are doing a classic give and take. You give information in article body and you take visitors through the links in resource box. It is the main reason you slave over good content and give it away for free so take full advantage of it.
4. There are hundreds of marketing methods but one of the most effective methods is to write and submit articles. Submitting 5 articles to 200 article directories with an anchor- texted keyword phrase in each article resource box would provide you with 1,000 unique one-way backlinks.
About the Author:
If you are serious about building links and getting unstoppable free search engine traffic to your sites, check out Henry Zeng’s article marketing secret weapon called Unique Article Wizard and his Unique Article Wizard Review

Make Money Online With Article Marketing

2009-08-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

My online marketing focus is mostly on building real content domains which contain only original material that is of real use to surfers and then attempting to get those sites to rank highly in Google by building links. Primarily I use article marketing to build those back links.
AdsWords is definitely a much quicker method to making a lot of money online but it’s also a method that you have to constantly be keeping up with and fiddling with and it’s something you can possibly lose a lot of money fooling around with until you figure it out.
Building back links through article marketing does take patience. But if you use article submission websites such as Article Marketing Automation, Unique Article Wizard, & ISnare you can get results far faster.
Very importantly submission websites such as UAW allow you to submit original versions of your article to each article directory and article blog that publishes your article (which includes those all important links back to your website.) UAW does that by letting you “spin” your article so that everyone who publishes it gets a “unique” version of it.
They also give you the ability to “spin” your back links so that you can actually get links back with varying anchor texts to various pages all with just one article. This definitely greatly leverages your submission for much faster and better results.
I’ve seen a lot of people who seem to think that getting direct traffic through the use of sites like EZineArticles or Buzzle is all there is to article marketing. And while I do think those sites are worth using, I really like to put my focus more on SEO with article marketing rather than direct traffic through article marketing.
Link building gives you long term placements in Google, Yahoo!, and MSN that will keep on bringing you targeted surfers your websites for years to come instead of just for a few days.
I recommend promoting the Clickbank
relationship eBook “Pull Your Ex Back” (with the CB ID: “pullex”) because I have been very successful in promoting this specific product. There are a lot of low conversion sales letters on Clickbank so take this money making product and run with it.

How to Succeed Using 5 Killer Article Marketing Tips?

2009-08-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

A hard fact about marketing on the internet using articles is that nearly around 10% succeed to reach their designed goals and the rest give up after a hard failure. Why?
1. Newbie in the field of online marketing are always trapped in the problem of starting their business without learning what the word good writer means, or what would be a wise article marketing strategy.
2. Second, they have no real understanding of how promotional marketing through writing articles can help to bring targeted traffic.
So, are you ready now to learn 5 effective article marketing tips that can push your marketing campaign multiple steps forward?
1. Unique and frequently updated content must be your goal.
When it comes to well established article marketing strategy, then we can never ignore that a unique and frequently updated content is the key factor to succeed. If your readers like your content and got something useful from it, they would automatically forward to others.
Having many other people linking to your article will build you natural links to your article and simply sky rocket your search engine ranking. Therefore, article marketing formulates an extra benefit over other online marketing strategies like email marketing, or pay per click advertising.
2. Titles are the most important part of your articles.
It is undeniable that your article has no chance to be read or viewed if it does not have an attractive title that activated the curious of your readers to read the rest of your article. Briefly, you must convince your readers to read your text by including the benefits behind your article in your title and make your text very relevant to your articles title. Never ever ignore this article marketing tip.
A clear example would be, 5 things to consider when you train your dog is better than your guide to dog training. Then, add brief paragraphs with a clear written text about your title. Following this approach, your internet business marketing would be shifted to the next level.
3. It is really effective to insert an interesting author box.
Article submission is really one of the ways towards an efficient online advertising since you have the chance trough your author box to inform your readers who you are and what your experience is. Then, here you have the chance to offer a link to your website, services or products regardless if they are your products or promoted through an affiliate program.
4. Let your reader participate while reading your article.
Proven article marketing tip is to ask your audience some questions? When you present an argument to your reader, ask him what he thinks. Put some questions out there. He may not answer you directly but he’ll be answering these questions, at the very least, to himself. This will keep him interested in the subject, thinking that there may be other questions coming. Doesn’t this make sense to you?
5. Which is better: Writing in Academic or Formal Style?
Finally, I would close this article with one of the most robust article marketing strategies that you may get in every respected affiliate guide. Be careful that, marketing your home business using articles is totally far way from writing a scientific article in a magazine.
In promotion marketing, people get used to more conversational writing as they think that the Internet is a free place where they can communicate with friends and family members. When they search for information, they expect to read articles that possess this kind of tone.
Therefore, your article marketing campaign must be human like and designed for human readers and not for robots. However, reasonably correct spelling maybe important but grammar is not the rule. In different cases like in blog marketing, you are free to write like you talk.
Before article submission, you may have to look professional but still avoiding academic style is always a good idea. Being conversational doesn’t bury the professionalism at all, rather it provides marketing communications style.
About the Author:
Who else wants to know how to skyrocket your online success using legitimate business opportunities? A young guy who is 25 years old online business owner finally uncovered only a part of his proven formula to make money on the internet using a proven bum marketing guide.

Earn Money From Home With a Network Marketing Business

2009-08-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

With just an Internet connection, you can have plenty of ways to earn money while you stay at home. You would be surprised at the number of ways to earn money online, some not even requiring any amount as capital. Some ways you can generate money off the Internet are blogging, renting out ad space, outsourcin, and, of course, starting your own networking marketing business.
To make things easier, let us tackle each of these options to see what they entail and how they work. Keep in mind that, usually, these are things that you do during your leisure time or as hobbies, so doing them would actually be more fun than work! Even those that are a little more complicated, such as starting and managing a network marketing business is a snap once you’ve gotten the basics down!
1. Google Adsense
Google Adsense is the most popular money-earning option on the Internet. What you do is you maintain a personal website or blog then advertise other relevant websites by simply installing a code from Google. When a wandering Internet surfer comes and clicks on the ads on your site, you get money for it. Easy! There are also other names like AdBrite and Bidvertise as alternatives.
2. Paid blogging
Instead of writing all about your experiences and how your day went, why not make money from writing? There are plenty of sites like PayPerPost and ReviewMe that allow bloggers to review products and services and pay them for it. It’s fun and it’s easy, so it’s a great money-making option.
3. Online Network Marketing Business
Contrary to popular belief, you can actually make use of the Internet for your network marketing business. So instead of holding a number of one-on-one meetings with all your friends and acquaintances just so they’ll join you in your program, you can do this by email. This cuts the process of your network marketing business into half. Now that you have a quantifiable pool of leads, all that’s left for you to do offline is to convince them more to purchase your product. Now, who says that a network marketing business cannot be done online?
4. Outsourcing Service
The great thing about the Internet is how varied it is. While working at one job, you can use your spare time to get another. Many websites advertise for talents such as graphic designers, writers, programmers and more.
Indeed, there’s so much that the Internet can offer. It is not only a fountain of information; it does not only allow you to do banking and shopping. The Internet, while it tempts you to spend your money online, actually compensates for such a temptation by letting you earn hundreds of bucks from network marketing businesses and other ventures.
About the Author:
If you’ve enjoyed all the exciting information you read here about multilevel marketing ,you’ll love everything else you find at Earn Money From HOME

Start Making Money Online Without A Website

2009-08-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

Making money online is not easy. Having said that, it’s not rocket science either. The only thing you need to do is to think what you are good at and try to work on it. There are numerous easy methods to make money online without even owning a website. You just need to follow your instinct, avoid scams and get rich quick schemes and do something that suits your talents and your abilities.
The World is full of people who go to the Internet when they need information, products or services. The only thing you need to do is to find a way to give them what they want they are looking to buy. With a little ingenuity you will be able to reap the big revenues within a short period of time. How do you think these people make so much money in a short amount of time? Failing to be patient and remain focused has been the downfall of many would-be affiliate marketers.
There are many opportunties for people to make money online with no website. To start with, you can contribute to other people’s blogs. Many people and companies pay freelance writers to add content to their blogs on a regular basis. If you are good in writing and you can product gripping content, go for it. It pays well and if you are good at what you do you can get steady and permanent gigs that will bring you quite much money.
You can write in forums and other people’s blogs so as to entice potential clients to visit the website of the company you promote. Write blogs using free blogging platforms or free accounts. You don’t need to spend any money, just a couple of hours of your time.
Hording traffic to your landing page, that’s where you will make money if you do this. If you manage to do so, you will be getting some good commissions. The amount of money depends on the program and product you will choose, as well as the effectiveness of your promotional campaigns. In any case it could add up to hundreds of dollars per month.
Furthermore, there are many websites that ask for people who are willing to fill surveys and get paid for that. Money is not great, but you can earn 4$ per survey, provided that you find a genuine paid survey website. Joining is easy; you simply fill the application form and an interest profile. These companies send the surveys directly to your email. If you work a few hours per day, you can make 100-150$ per week.
The secret is to do something that suits your abilities the best. If you have some prior experience on a particular field or industry, try to use it. Making money online can prove really helpful to you too.
About the Author:
It seems like everyone is wanting to earn money online these days. There are many ways to accomplish this. Whichever method you use, make sure you stick with it and work it. With a little patience, you’ll begin to start making money online.

CUSTOMER SERVICE WORK AT HOME JOBS

2009-07-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

Looking for Customer Service Work at Home Jobs

Customer service work at home jobs are jobs such as taking catalog orders, or offering tech support.
If this is something that appeals to you, and you have customer service experience - then this could be your ticket to work at home.I've never personally applied for this type of job - but I did offer answers to visitors questions when I was an online board moderator.

I enjoyed the topics I covered and I worked part time on a flexible schedule.
Most customer service online work at home jobs will be done on the phone. I have talked to a few people that do this kind of work and they do enjoy it. Most said they needed a QUIET place to do their work. So kids crying, loud radios or TVs and barking dogs would be an absolute no-no while you're working.

Those with young children might be able to work a few hours around nap time for their kids and those with school age kids can work while they're at school.

Be sure to apply for any position like this (or ANY position in my opinion) with a well-written, well-thought cover letter expressing your interest and your professionally done resume! No ifs, ands or buts on that!Others will apply in a professional manner--so remember you are competing!

Try to give the best impression possible. And one important thing I can tell people enough that are looking for ANY kind of work at home....MANY employers do not post jobs! They look through resumes!

If you do not have your resume posted on the major job boards - you've just sold yourself short - BIG time!Get that resume OUT THERE!

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FREE GAMES WIN CASH

2009-07-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

Win Cash with Bingo and Other Online Games

It's not crazy! You CAN earn great cash and prizes online playing games.This concept on the net has been around forever. I can remember playing bingo online about 10 years ago! I actually won $52 back then!
Now the games are bigger, better, slicker and more fun. And so are the potential prizes!I look at it this way...

If you're already online playing games and surfing and just tooling around - why wouldn't you go ahead and keep doing those things - but have the chance to win CASH and cool stuff too!?

I still love bingo - and when I find fun bingo games online and have time to jump in- you better believe I do. Now...I don't let everything go to play games online.

I still have to get the laundry done, grocery shopping, and make the bed...But a little relaxation and fun online (especially during those yucky winter days when it's freezing and gloomy outside!), is something everyone can enjoy!Below are a few of my gaming hot spots!

Chances are you might catch up with me every now and thing hanging out and trying to win on one of these sites! Last month I won an Olive Garden gift certificate for $25! It's so awesome to win! But you can't get your paws on anything unless you play!

You'll probably not get rich playing any of these games.....sorry about that. Of course....you could hit a jackpot, ya never know.

I don't advocate sitting around playing games all day when you've got other responsibilities. I really don't. Not that you're someone that needs to be told that. But my family, home, pets....that all comes first. THEN if I have time....

I kick back and play for fun, cash and prizes.

I figure if I can use my free time for fun and that fu still might earn me dinner, movie tickets, cash - why not? Who knew that goofing off could be so "profitable"!

Word of caution....there are still some gambling sites out there....even though internet rules have changed on that in the past year....

I still get emails for online casinos etc. Be careful of those. Sometimes they ask for these ridiculous deposits or they want a credit card number for you to even be able to play. No way.....nope....

I would not do that and I don't think you should either. I don't mean to say they aren't legit - but it just makes me a little nervous and I don't feel good about saying that's a great way to waste time. You could end up losing some mega bucks....and that's not the whole idea of playing games online in my opinion.

I want to earn stuff......not walk away with less than I had to begin with.So just be careful.

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FREELANCE WORK JOBS

2009-07-16T23:49:00.000-07:00

Companies That Hire Freelance Workers

Freelance professionals are in demand! Companies outsource work to professional freelancers everyday. Jobs range from writing, desktop publishing, legal, administrative, web design, technical and more! If you have the skills you can bid on jobs you would like to do! It is easy, fun and free to do! Bid today, work tomorrow!

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ONLINE CLERICAL WORK

2009-07-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

Online Clerical Work and Where to Find It

I have always made it clear that online clerical work and/or data processing/ typing or any type of administrative assistant type work is VERY hard to find in a "telecommuting" or "work at home " format.

These jobs are limited and filled quickly. If your goal is online clerical work - then definitely keep your eye on the prize, it's not hopeless.

You should ALWAYS apply so that when something does become available--they have your resume on hand! In the meantime -- you CAN earn cash by signing up for other offers at the bottom of this page.

I have received checks from almost every program below --- don't turn your nose up at it just because it's not a "job". This is just my humble opinion, for what it's worth.

Below are a few companies that I've heard of that hire for online clerical work positions. When applying make sure you meet their qualifications. If you happen to need more training -- then do so, and come back later and apply.

It's better than applying and not having the clerical skills. Your resume will go into the trash more than likely. Don't ever stop trying to obtain more knowledge in the arena you want to work in.

If it's transcription - then you should be reading everything you can get your hands on about it! Find message boards, forums, articles...If your local tech college offers classes - fit one or two in to your schedule.

Companies are more open to "off site" workers these days if it actually saves them money. As I find new online clerical work companies, I will add them to this page.

You might want to bookmark it, so that you can come back to it easily. I make an adamant effort to find more resources.

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HOW TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE

2009-07-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Many Ideas on How to Earn Online

There are numerous ways to earn money online.
All are absolutely free to do and will earn you some extra money to spend on anything you like! I use many of these program to earn anywhere from $100-$400 a month!
I try to keep my EARN ONLINE section updated and add new information when I come across it. Come back often to see what new programs I've added. Seems like almost every day there is a new way to earn cash online.
It may not be that you can earn tons of money with these programs, but doing several of them can certainly earn you a hundred or more a month.
I LOVE going to my mailbox or check my email and finding that I've got a check or PayPal payment. It may be that I only earned $14.70 with one program, but maybe I earned $25.17 with another and $53.44 with another. You get my drift??

Spending a little time online can add up. Whether it's an earn online program that requires you to read email or maybe fill out offers - it can become "real" money real quick! Some people shrug their shoulders and think...."Aaah...why bother?
"Why bother??
I am currently making almost $400 a month doing some of these very simple opportunities. And maybe at first I was even thinking....."Can I REALLY earn online reading emails? Come on....sounds like there is a catch?
"No catch.
I will tell you this - you can earn more by referring others.
I always refer my friends and family if I find a really good opportunity - then they of course refer their friends....and sometimes you're paid for all those referrals.
It might be a one time earning bonus for that referral or you may earn a residual off that referral for as long as they are a member! And a few referrals add up. Most the people I refer are wanting to make some extra cash anyway - so it's not like I'm bothering them.
I've read numerous stories about people making a full time income from a program as simple as say, Hits4Pay. How? Because they have the ability to refer thousands of others and earn from those referrals.
I personally make anywhere from $50 to $90 a month with Hits4Pay! And like I said before....I realize that $50 bucks.....or $90 bucks isn't going to move mountains in my life - but it sure does help out a lot around here. it pays for gas in my minivan, groceries and even seeds and plants for my garden!
And I earned it right from home, sitting at my computer. Didn't cost me a dime. I was reading ads that took not 2-3 minutes a day. Totally a no-brainer.
So don't roll your eyes at some of these programs - you might be pleasantly surprised. And if I try a program - I share my results (good and bad) with you. Sometimes I am truly amazed at the results.
But I am always happy to get those little checks in the mail. My family and I drove to Atlanta to see the King Tut Exhibit with some of my earnings. Not sure we could have done a trip like that without the extra cash I make.
Many of these programs do not require any type of resume or application process. They are free, easy to sign up with and you can start earning right away.
Money making programs and opportunities aren't the only thing I list here. There is a little of everything.

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