by Gordon Hamilton

Created on: January 30, 2009

The most common way to scam people in the modern world is to offer them a guaranteed, cannot fail way of making money on the Internet. There are eager millions ready and waiting to pay such scammers hard earned money for the information that will allegedly change their lives. The problem is that the only people getting rich are those who are selling what is almost always totally misleading and/or totally worthless information.

So is it possible to earn money or even a living on the Internet? Of course it is! Simply send me one hundred dollars to...joke! The reality is, however, that unless you know luck beyond belief, there are no get rich quick schemes and hard work and time are both very much required.

If you have decided, however, that making money online is something you wish to attempt, let me give you a few helpful hints and point you in the right direction. Believe me, this is a "how to" article and not a scam in any way. Everything I tell you to do is totally and utterly free.

The key word is sales, I'm afraid. Don't panic, however, I'm not suggesting that you start spamming people, asking them to buy some trashy product. I am talking about selling products, yes, but also information and to people who have come to you looking for same. Follow these simple steps to get started.

Sign up for the Web 2.0 site Squidoo by clicking on the link in this sentence. This is a site which allows you to build web pages on subjects which you know a lot about and sell such as Amazon and eBay products on them for commissions. You can also earn revenue from the site's Google AdSense pool when your page is good enough. The site is extremely user friendly and full instructions are provided as you go along. When your site is built, there are also a whole host of help areas available to assist you in optimising it. Do this now - it is an essential first step.

In a similar way, sign up for Hub Pages. This is another Web 2.0 site which allows you to build pages but gives you the option of adding your own Google AdSense ID for direct pay-per-click revenue and your own Amazon and eBay affiliate ID's. Everything you need to know is explained in great detail.

Explore these sites. Get to know how they work. They are unbelievable income generating opportunities. I earn my living from these two sites and Helium!

Once you have your pages optimised, it is now time to let the world know about them. Add them to bookmarking sites such as Digg, Reddit and StumbleUpon. Blog about them on social networking sites to your friends. Start your own Blogs on the likes of Blogger or Today and do likewise. Obtain as many inbound links to them as you possibly can.

What you then have to do is remember to keep your pages fresh. Add new content - never duplicate content from elsewhere - on a regular basis. Remove the products which are not selling and try others. There are an infinite number of ways in which you can do this.

By following these methods as I have described, you will make money online - how much is entirely dependant upon how much time and effort you are either able or willing to invest.

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