Ways to Make Money Online
Do Paid Surveys Really Work?
That's a question that many people have asked me. The answer is yes and no. It does in that you have the potential to earn a couple of extra dollars per week or month. Don't believe those advertisements that indicate you'll make thousands of dollars taking surveys. No way is that possible. Also, don't give in to the companies that charge fees - you'll only end up getting what you could have gotten through a free search. Remember that you won't qualify for all of the surveys you're invited to partake in. Don't lie just to qualify either - survey companies have a way of finding out, and if they catch you, you'll be disqualified from getting further surveys. Also, some surveys will take the better pat of 45 minutes to complete, and you might only get a reward of $2.00!
Bottom line: Take surveys for fun and a little extra money.
SCAM: Those "Crazy Fox Commercials"
Have you seen those ridiculous commercials with a little cgi fox in the corner telling you that you too can make thousands of dollars a day with your own home business? If you haven't then I envy you, because I'm tired of seeing them.
Basically, this computer character tells you that you'd be crazy (like a fox) not to take advantage of this business opportunity. Actually, you'd be crazy to fall for such a scam! Notice that each time the commercial airs, it is with a new website address. Also, the actors they employ for these commercials are obviously underpaid themselves, as they aren't very convincing.
Of course, there's also the fine print at the bottom of the screen while the commercial is airing - fine print that you can't actually read within the 2 seconds that it appears. I have a DVR, so I simply kept rewinding until I could read the entire thing. It was tricky, though, because the little action bar that shows up across the bottom of the screen when you're rewinding or fast forwarding something completely covers the fine print. I wonder if that was deliberate of the part of the advertisers (probably)/
Anyway, what the fine print says is the usual "results not typical" thing that you see on all of the websites that are out to take people's money (of which there are an exorbitant amount). I ended up going to one of the websites, and I wasn't disappointed. It was yet another one of those "For a one-time fee" sites. Bottom line: You might think that because it's a commercial on television that it's legitmate, but it's not. Save your money!
Where to Find Online Freelance Writing Jobs
There are many ways to make money out there in the freelance writing world. I've already provided an example of what not to do, so let's discuss what you should do! The first place to check out is Craigslist. That's actually where I've found a couple of good writing jobs. There's also a place there to advertise your writing services.
Another site to check out is Online Writing Jobs. Here, you get hundreds of writing jobs, all organized by category. I've had my best luck at this site. I like how they've restructured it (it used to be just a simple message board), because it allows you to find the newest jobs easily.
So, those two sites are the best ones I've found, but there are a few others that writers like to use, namely Elance, and Guru.com. However, these two sites go against my personal perferences, as you have to bid for project as well as pay membership fees.
Scam Alert: Michael Stathmore, AKA Michael Strathmore and Freelance Home Writers
This past week, I received an e-mail from a relative of mine asking me to check out a so-called "response" to a work at home application that she had never filed. The e-mail she received went as follows:
"Dear 123Greetings user, recently you requested information to work at
home... Based upon your profile we have hand-picked you for this work at home job. Out of 20,000 applications you were 1 of 25 picked for this job. We would like to congratulate you for making the right decision in working with us. You have a 48 hour window to claim your position before we fill it with the next in queue. Click Here. Regards, Michael Stathmore, Freelance Home Writers."
I had heard those names before (Stathmore and Strathmore – same guy, typo of the last name perhaps? So egregious). After reaching back into the recesses of my memory, I realized that I had been consistently getting spam e-mail from a man of that name. The e-mail address my relative had gotten was from , partly, 123greetings.biz, which is a clear tip-off that this is an imposter trying to look legitimate, hoping that the hapless victim will think he's from 123greetings.com.
The scam that this guy is best known for is Freelance Home Writers. If you click on a link in one of his annoying spam e-mails, you will be taken to a page that looks professional enough, promises a great income via writing online, and makes it seem like you will find the writing job of your dreams. The catch? You have to pay $49.95 ("today only" uh huh, yeah right) to get access to the database of job listings.
This guy, whoever he is or whatever company assumes this name, should be ashamed for charging money to people in order to let them find jobs. NEVER pay a site so that you can get access to online writing jobs. There are plenty of ways you can find online writing jobs for free, and on Friday, I will tell you how to successfully do so!
Scam Alert: Data Entry Jobs
When I was in high school, the Internet was just getting started, and so were the subsequent Internet scams. Back then, my wish to earn money got me in all sorts of trouble, but probably the worst was in the form of Data Entry.
So, what is Data Entry? Well, if you were to listen to the spam e-mails that pretty much everyone gets at one time or another, or clicked on what seemed like a promising advertisement, it's supposed to be flling out forms for money.
What is it really? It's a turnkey system in which you pay for access to a special "members area" and then actually go post advertisements in different places trying to get more people to join the same program that you just wasted your money on. If you joined such a program through Clickbank, you can usually get a quick refund once you realize your mistake. If you joined it via another method, check to be sure that there's a refund policy.
How do I know all of this? Because as a teenager I fell for one. I won't mention the specific name, because the company has long since been forced out of existence. But, the site itself promised Data Entry work, as well as weekly paychecks. The catch? I had to pay $50 something dollars for access. And I did - problem was that in the days of dial-up the connection seemed a bit too slow, so I ended up hitting the "pay" button one too many times. Yeah, that definitely wasn't good for my bank account. Luckily, the error was noticed by the woman (yes, just one person - should have seen the problem there) running the company, and she refunded me for the overpayments.
So, what I had to do was solicit people via e-mail to join this business. I would be paid per signup. I had no clue what the heck I was doing, as like everyone at the time, I was a novice to the Internet. I started trying to recruit people, and the most I got was $10.00 (which took a loooooong time to get by the way) and nasty e-mails from people who knew that the company I was "working" for was a huge scam.
Unfortunately, there are still hundreds of people each day who sign up for companies like this, and I hope at least some of them come across this blog and realize that Data Entry jobs are worthless. So, if you happen to be one of these people, start asking for your refund as soon as you can!
Scam Alert: Home Assembly Jobs
You've probably seen the ads all over the place in your search for online jobs: You can make hundreds of extra dollars a month assembling simple crafts. These include things like greeting cards, ornaments, woodworking crafts, and jewelry. It all sounds very appealing, right? Of course it does - that's the appeal that crafty advertising is supposed to create.
So, once the advertisement gets you hooked, you follow it over to the website, which says that in order to sign up and become a worker for their home assembly program, you have to pay a fee for materials. This is a ridiculous way for a company to suck you into giving them money. Almost everyone would sneer at such a thing, if it weren't for the "screenshots" or "testimonials" of people who say that thanks to this home assembly program, they are now out of debt, blah blah blah.
For most, it's the testimonials that get them to buy the product. However, did you know that most of the testimonials on work at home companies are false? It's true! They are either completely fabricated, or the company pays people to give them a convincing testimonial.
If you sign up for their program, most likely there's a no-refund policy unless you haven't touched the materials at all. Right, like a person who is looking to make money will just leave the materials there and stare at them!
These materials are part of a "test" project, in which you've paid, and they are to check your work to see if it meets up to their quality standards. Well, it never does. They keep sending it back or rejecting it, and the result is you being out something like $40.00.
Bottom line: avoid all hme assembly jobs, because they're all just scams. If you're looking for a creative hobby, put that money you'll save towards an art class!
Paid Surveys: What to Avoid, and What to Seek: Part 2
As I mentioned on Monday, there are only 2 survey companies that I actually use. One is for points to earn towards gift certificates, and the other is for actual money.
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E-Poll: I like this site mostly because the surveys really are quite enjoyable. They are always about things like movie trailers, or trailers for television shows. I remember seeing a trailer for "Breaking Bad" a few months before promos began airing for it on television. You're rewarded in points (don't worry, they add up quickly) that you can redeem for gift certificates to restaturants, movie theatres, iTunes, and more.
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Your2Cents: Really, I can't say enough great things about this site. I only started a little while ago, and am almost ready to get my second check! Many survey companies make it hard for members to qualify for their surveys, but that very rarely happens with this company.
So, there you have it, my two favorite survey companies. If there are some companies that you've used and like, please let me know about them so I can try them out and discuss them here sometime!
Paid Surveys: What to Avoid, and What to Seek: Part 1
This week, I'll be discussing paid survey sites. If you have Gmail, you've probably seen at least a few of those Adwords ads on the side talking about how you can make something like $75.00 an hour taking paid surveys. Wrong! Talk about false advertising.
Of course, this ends up being profitable advertising, because people who aren't familiar with internet marketing will immediately at least click on the advertisement link to find out more. I used to be one of those people.
Instead of getting a list of survey companies for free, advertisement usually want people to spend money to get the list in the first place. NEVER pay money to find out about survey companies! That's a scam, and a simple Google search will reveal plenty of survey sites looking for members. These sites should be free to register for. After all, it's ridiculous to pay money to take surveys in an attempt to make money.
Survey companies are crafty too. Many of them won't reward you in actual money, but rather in entries to money prizes. Don't waste your time by signing up for these. Others will reward you with a dollar or so for taking a survey that's a half-hour long. You don't find out that's how much you've gotten until the survey has already been taken. Then, these same companies might have a payment threshold of $30.00! The same goes for surveys in which you earn points towards gift certificates or money. You might get 5 points for a survey, and need 1,000 points to redeem a gift card. Ridiculous.
Something else you should be aware of is, as with all e-mail endeavors, spam. Some of the less-reputable companies will put your e-mail address on a mailing list, or capture your e-mail address by making you subscribe to at least one mailing list in order to become a member. If you are still intent on signing up for as many paid survey companies as possible, always make a separate e-mail account for just that purpose.
There are hundreds of survey sites out there, so which ones work? Well, I've tried dozens of them, and I have to say that I currently only use two paid survey companies. As for what these two companies are? Don't worry, you'll find out on Friday :)
Paid to Read E-Mails: What Works, What Doesn't : Part 2
On Monday, I gave an introduction to PTR companies, as well as information on how to organize all of the information that each PTR site you register for will give you. Yes, there are indeed dozens of PTR companies, but the problem is that many of them are pretty much worthless. Unfortunately, many of the PTR companies are started by individuals who really have no idea how to run a website. They're in it for the money that companies might pay to advertise on their site, and could care less if you make money.
You can notice these sites right away. They're usually filled with atrocious spelling errors, and offer anywhere from a measly .005 cents to one cent per e-mail you read. With payout thresholds usually being $10.00 or higher, it really is a waste of your time to sign up with most of the PTR companies.
The truth of the matter is that you won't become rich from any PTR company. However, you can earn a nice little extra amount of money from the following sites:
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Send Earnings: Send Earnings is a good site for not only paid e-mails, but also for taking surveys and completing additional offers. I tend to shy away from the offers, as many of them require a credit card, but the surveys are interesting, and you get a decent amount of daily e-mails.
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Inbox Dollars: Inbox Dollars is similar to Send Earnings, but I like it even more because there are more survey opportunities and you get many paid e-mails per day. There's also the opportunity to complete offers, of which you can choose from those that are paid, and those that are free.
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Snap Dollars: I must say, I have a particular fondness for Snap Dollars. I actually did a couple of their free trials and ended up keeping my Netflix account, all of which earned me some extra money. The PTR program here isn't as good as the ones I've already mentioned, but this is a great site for earning money through completed free offers, some of which don't require a credit card!
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Deals 'n Cash: Deals n' Cash doesn't actually provide many paid e-mails, but the e-mails that do come along are at least 5 cents, which is among the highest PTR e-mails you'll find. If you do choose to join this site, be sure to check your PTR e-mails regularly, as they expire.
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Hits4Pay: Hits4Pay is the best PTR site on the internet today. I get lots of daily PTR e-mails from them, and I have a nice little account income accumulating as a result.
There you have it, the top 5 PTR companies. Aside from Deals n' Cash, which needs to be checked regularly, I check the e-mail account associated with these PTR companies about once a month, maybe twice. Make sure you check them at least that much, otherwise, as in the case of Snap Dollars, they will make your account inactive and you might end up losing any accumulated money. Also, the paid e-mails from Send Earnings and Inbox Dollars usually expire after a month of not having been read. Happy reading!
Paid to Read E-Mails: What Works, What Doesn't : Part 1
A year ago I, like many people I'm sure, saw a bunch of advertisements for Paid to Read (PTR) e-mail companies, and signed up for many of them. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the trend, advertisements/promotions from various companies are e-mailed to you, you click on the link, and earn anywhere from 2-5 cents for each one. Most of the advertisements require you to stay in a specific page for about 30 seconds at a time. Others are just a matter of clicking on a link.
Well, I saw dollar signs, and literally signed up for dozens of these PTR sites. Luckily, I was smart enough to make a Gmail account for just this purpose. Before you go any further, you absolutely must make a separate e-mail account. While Gmail is the best, there are lots of other places where you can get a free e-mail account.
Why is setting up a separate e-mail account so important? Because the more companies you sign up for, the more e-mails you'll get, and this can literally be in the hundreds each week. The PTR sites that aren't all that reputable will also probably sell your e-mail address to other companies, which will result in lots of spam too.
So, you've got your e-mail address all set, now you have to prepare yourself for lots, and lots (and lots) of filling in registration forms. Make it easier on yourself by using the same password and username for everything. Also, I would suggest using the RoboForm software (there's a free trial version!) which will automatically fill those forms for you, thus saving you lots of time. Whatever you do, never pay money to find out the websites of various PTR companies – a simply Google search will provide you with more than enough free resources.
Another thing I would suggest is allocating your time wisely. If you're determined to sign up for as many PTR companies as possible, spend no more than 2 hours a day for a week gathering everything together. In your Gmail account, make a folder that says something to the effects of "PTR Sites" and store each and every confirmation e-mail you get from the companies once you've signed up. These e-mails will contain your login information, as well as the links to member areas. Also, make sure that you start a folder under the Favorites section of your browser, (this could also be "PTR Sites" or something to that effect) and bookmark the login pages of each PTR site you sign up for.
Okay, I've given you advice on how to find and organize everything. Now, what if I told you that there are only five PTR sites that are worth registering for? It's true! I signed up for dozens of those PTR sites, and on Friday I'll tell you what to avoid, and what to bookmark.
Scam Alert: Nick Marks and Forex Enterprise
Welcome! It seems only fitting that I begin this blog on July 4th: Independence Day. The economy being what it is, many people are clamoring to find ways to make more money. Actually, people are always looking for ways to make more money, but now it's with a bit more urgency.
Of course, lots of money means lots of independence. However, too many people end up spending lots of money on things that end up not giving them money - just taking it away. One of these despicable online business programs is Forex Enterprise/Rapid Business Growth DVD program.
This program is supposedly run by the "2007 Internet Marketer of the Year," Nick Marks. I think that "Con Artist of the Decade" might be a more apporpriate title.
Don't get me wrong, since I have no idea who Nick Marks is personally, this is not an attack on him. Rather, this is an attack on his businesses, which promise a lot, provide nothing, and just end up taking money from people.
I know this, because I almost (*almost* being the operative word here) ended up getting a fraudulent charge on my credit card from Nick Marks. It all started when I purchased some marketing materials for one of my websites. One of the free incentives was a Rapid Business Growth DVD and website, already designed. All I had to do was pay $7.95 for the shipping. I figured what the heck, so I did. Big mistake.
Well, it turned out that the free website cost $197.00 for a year of hosting. This was paid through PayPal. However, the customer service for the hosting site is good, and I can do something with the website (although I don't think I will be renewing it after the year of hosting is over), so I didn't ask for a refund. But still, a free website this is not.
I was told that I would receive the Rapid Business Growth DVD within 5-10 business days, along with a magazine. Well, that was over a month ago and I have yet to receive any such thing. Yes, the website did mention that after a month my debit card would be charged, but it also indicated that should I decide not to subsribe I could cancel immediately.
Wroooooooong. I wanted to cancel and tried every e-mail address and customer service site I could find associated with Nick Marks. No replies, no nothing. As the 5-10 business days were long gone, and my e-mail inbox had no response from any of those customer service websites, I knew that my debit card was soon going to be charged. I had to take action immediately.
So, I know I should have done this before, but I did a search on Nick Marks, and found that, at the time of this writing, there were 64 reports on him over at Ripoff Report. Check them out HERE. The very next day, I went to the bank and changed my debit card number. Nick Marks was certainly not going to get any of my money!
Ironically, one month to the day after I had placed my $7.95 order for that stupid DVD, I got an e-mail from "Nick Marks" saying that my debit card payment for the material I requested (um NO) had been declined (how perceptive of them). There was a link right there for me to update my information so the payment could clear. I got the same exact e-mail the next day too. Not a chance, Nick Marks, the only props I give you is that your sites (turns out he's got dozens of sites, by the way) were well-written in terms of generating customer interest.
Bottom line: if you want to buy business materials, make sure that you NEVER EVER give your credit card or debit card information. Pay only through PayPal or Clickbank, as they can be refunded no matter what. Save your money, and stay away from anything associated with Nick Marks.
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