Have you ever gotten one of those spam emails that promises you could "get rich quick"? Or maybe you found a website that says you can "work from home and make thousands!"
The sad truth is that most of these amazing-sounding opportunities are scams. If you've been the victim of an online scam, click here to easily report the fraud to the authorities.
But here's the good news: The Internet is also full of completely legitimate ways to make money. All you need is a computer, Internet and the desire to make some extra pocket cash!
From crafting to tutoring, there's something for everyone. Making money on the Internet isn't too hard, as long as you know where to look.
TURN YOUR HOBBIES INTO CASH
Do you have a knack for photography? What about crafting? If you have unique images or homemade goods, there's an online market out there for you if you know where to look.
Two great photography sites to take a look at are Imagekind or FineArtAmerica. They both make it easy to upload your work and start making money.
Imagekind lets you set up three galleries for free. If you need more than that, you can upgrade to a Pro or Platinum account for an extra fee.
This site is great because it does a lot of the work you, including printing and framing images. The site charges customers a basic amount for each print, and then you get to mark up your work and keep the profits.
FineArtAmerica works in much the same way, but you can sell your original artwork 100 percent commission-free. It also offers prints, framing and other accessory options for an added fee. If you have a Premium account, you also make a five percent commission anytime someone purchases a frame with your print.
And if you take lots of high-quality images of everyday items and places, check out stock photo sites like iStockPhoto and Shutterstock. These sites sell your pictures to advertisers and businesses for you. The pay can vary, but you can expect to earn 15 to 60 percent of the sale.
If you're not a photographer, but have other hobbies like knitting or crafting, you can sell your goods on sites like Etsy or ArtFire. On Etsy, you can sell handmade or vintage items for 20 cents a posting, plus a 3.5 percent cut of the sale price. ArtFire is a better choice if you plan on selling a lot of items. The first month is free and then it's just $12 a month to keep your store going with no fees per sale.
START A BLOG
Blogging is not only a great way to share your passions with the world - it can also earn you some nice pocket money. Some bloggers are earning $50 to $100 a day.
Free blogging platforms like WordPress, Tumblr and Blogger can help you set up a blog in a matter of minutes.
Blogger is a great choice because it is owned by Google and syncs up with Google AdSense easily. With this service, you make ad spaces available on your blog, and Google finds ads to place there. They take care of billing advertisers and sending you money.
WordPress also has an ad network you can use, but it limits that service to blogs with medium to high traffic. However, WordPress does allow most affiliate links. Sometimes companies will pay you to recommend products you like and link to them, so your readers will take a look.
Remember, content is key when it comes to earning money on a blog. Without good stuff to read, you won't have followers. And without followers, your ads won't make much money.
Another option is HubPages. It pays you for blogging on your choice of topic. You simply sign up for the site and choose a topic you know a lot about. HubPages will place related ads on your page and you make a percentage of revenues earned by the ads.
If you want to share your creativity with the world, but writing isn't your thing, there's always video blogging. The best part is you don't need expensive video equipment to get started. Click here for help setting up a video blog.
FREELANCE
Freelancing gives you the flexibility of making money from the comfort of your home office or anywhere else. It's a good option for writers, graphic designers and other creative types. But you can find freelance work in all kinds of fields.
Sites like Elance and Guru are a good place to start looking for freelance gigs. Elance is a great all-around resource for freelancers, with job postings in graphic design, copy writing, programming and plenty of other fields. Guru is a tech-specific site, so you can take a look there if that is your area of expertise.
If you're a small business owner looking to hire a freelancer, be sure to read my helpful tip on rules for hiring freelancers. Freelancers will want to read this, too!
Most of these sites let you set your own hourly or project rate before you start applying for jobs. Keep in mind that some jobs might require a lengthy interview process before you're hired. Pay can vary from a few bucks to several hundred dollars, depending on the project.
If a big freelance gig sounds like too much of a commitment, you can also pick up a few extra bucks by doing odd jobs for people. TaskRabbit lets users in need of services post jobs online. Then, you can bid on those jobs by setting your hourly rate. Once you complete the task, TaskRabbit takes care of making sure you get paid.
If you have a college degree, Tutor.com is another potential money maker for you. The site only asks for you to be available at least five hours a week, so it's a nice way to earn some extra cash without a huge time commitment. You must be at least a sophomore in college to apply, and Tutor.com has placement tests you must take to make sure you qualify.
The sad truth is that most of these amazing-sounding opportunities are scams. If you've been the victim of an online scam, click here to easily report the fraud to the authorities.
But here's the good news: The Internet is also full of completely legitimate ways to make money. All you need is a computer, Internet and the desire to make some extra pocket cash!
From crafting to tutoring, there's something for everyone. Making money on the Internet isn't too hard, as long as you know where to look.
TURN YOUR HOBBIES INTO CASH
Do you have a knack for photography? What about crafting? If you have unique images or homemade goods, there's an online market out there for you if you know where to look.
Two great photography sites to take a look at are Imagekind or FineArtAmerica. They both make it easy to upload your work and start making money.
Imagekind lets you set up three galleries for free. If you need more than that, you can upgrade to a Pro or Platinum account for an extra fee.
This site is great because it does a lot of the work you, including printing and framing images. The site charges customers a basic amount for each print, and then you get to mark up your work and keep the profits.
FineArtAmerica works in much the same way, but you can sell your original artwork 100 percent commission-free. It also offers prints, framing and other accessory options for an added fee. If you have a Premium account, you also make a five percent commission anytime someone purchases a frame with your print.
And if you take lots of high-quality images of everyday items and places, check out stock photo sites like iStockPhoto and Shutterstock. These sites sell your pictures to advertisers and businesses for you. The pay can vary, but you can expect to earn 15 to 60 percent of the sale.
If you're not a photographer, but have other hobbies like knitting or crafting, you can sell your goods on sites like Etsy or ArtFire. On Etsy, you can sell handmade or vintage items for 20 cents a posting, plus a 3.5 percent cut of the sale price. ArtFire is a better choice if you plan on selling a lot of items. The first month is free and then it's just $12 a month to keep your store going with no fees per sale.
START A BLOG
Blogging is not only a great way to share your passions with the world - it can also earn you some nice pocket money. Some bloggers are earning $50 to $100 a day.
Free blogging platforms like WordPress, Tumblr and Blogger can help you set up a blog in a matter of minutes.
Blogger is a great choice because it is owned by Google and syncs up with Google AdSense easily. With this service, you make ad spaces available on your blog, and Google finds ads to place there. They take care of billing advertisers and sending you money.
WordPress also has an ad network you can use, but it limits that service to blogs with medium to high traffic. However, WordPress does allow most affiliate links. Sometimes companies will pay you to recommend products you like and link to them, so your readers will take a look.
Remember, content is key when it comes to earning money on a blog. Without good stuff to read, you won't have followers. And without followers, your ads won't make much money.
Another option is HubPages. It pays you for blogging on your choice of topic. You simply sign up for the site and choose a topic you know a lot about. HubPages will place related ads on your page and you make a percentage of revenues earned by the ads.
If you want to share your creativity with the world, but writing isn't your thing, there's always video blogging. The best part is you don't need expensive video equipment to get started. Click here for help setting up a video blog.
FREELANCE
Freelancing gives you the flexibility of making money from the comfort of your home office or anywhere else. It's a good option for writers, graphic designers and other creative types. But you can find freelance work in all kinds of fields.
Sites like Elance and Guru are a good place to start looking for freelance gigs. Elance is a great all-around resource for freelancers, with job postings in graphic design, copy writing, programming and plenty of other fields. Guru is a tech-specific site, so you can take a look there if that is your area of expertise.
If you're a small business owner looking to hire a freelancer, be sure to read my helpful tip on rules for hiring freelancers. Freelancers will want to read this, too!
Most of these sites let you set your own hourly or project rate before you start applying for jobs. Keep in mind that some jobs might require a lengthy interview process before you're hired. Pay can vary from a few bucks to several hundred dollars, depending on the project.
If a big freelance gig sounds like too much of a commitment, you can also pick up a few extra bucks by doing odd jobs for people. TaskRabbit lets users in need of services post jobs online. Then, you can bid on those jobs by setting your hourly rate. Once you complete the task, TaskRabbit takes care of making sure you get paid.
If you have a college degree, Tutor.com is another potential money maker for you. The site only asks for you to be available at least five hours a week, so it's a nice way to earn some extra cash without a huge time commitment. You must be at least a sophomore in college to apply, and Tutor.com has placement tests you must take to make sure you qualify.
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