It’s hard to believe that just twenty years ago, for many of us, the Information Super-Highway (as it was known back then) was little more than an odd collection of desk top computers networked together with dial-up modem. If memory serves, most of the people who I talked to about their online experience told me that they spent countless hours on the “Dungeons and Dragons” bulletin boards. Much like watching a youngster grow older, the ‘net has grown up too. Akin to the ‘terrible two’s', the dot-com teething pains of the early 2000′s were tough on everyone. Then the ‘net went through a good-for-nothing phase reminiscent of a rebellious teenager, during which time all we seemed to hear about from the ‘net were illegal and immoral offshore sites.
Then it happened.
Alongside the rise in popularity of Google and Apple, regular people figured out how to make money on-line. It was like the internet finally settled down, got a job and became a productive member of society. In doing so, the ‘net finally began to deliver on its promised potential. With each passing day, entrepreneurs were discovering new and exciting ways to earn a profit from the online world. All anyone needed was a laptop, an internet connection and the willingness to work really hard. For the first time in history, everyday people had the chance to make a living from anywhere on the planet without needing to invest a huge sum of money in their business.
So with the evolution of the internet, which online business strategies are making people money today? Here are a couple of examples:
Article Writing
Search engine optimization has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Understanding what people are searching for and creating content that anticipates a need has resulted in big advertising commission. If you happen to be skilled at either search engine optimisation or have excellent writing skills, the articles you write could be read by thousands of people. Using the average advertising commission of between $16-$18 per thousand views, well, the math will work. If writing is not your strong suit, but you are able to learn about keyword research, and then you can find a great ghostwriter (like iWriter ), and the possibility exists to generate online income.
Writing Reviews
Some corporations use impartial customer reviews to promote their products. For those who have used a particular product (or have a friend who has), it’s possible to write a product critique and get paid. To learn more about this, Google “make money writing product reviews”.
Being Paid to Take Surveys
Businesses are always interested in getting more and more data on its customers so that it can try to predict the next big consumer trend – focus groups and internet surveys help provide corporations with the type of information necessary to make these predictions. If I am correct, the days of the annoying telemarketer calling during dinner to ask ‘just a few questions’ regarding your health insurance coverage are over. More and more, consumer behavior information and market data is coming from web surveys.
Blogging
When you have practical information to share with other like-minded people, your best option is to launch a blog. Blogging not only helps you share ideas and network with others, but also helps you to create revenue streams using ads and online sales. There are several web based advertising platforms that will allow you to make an income based on the site traffic on your blog.
Write an e-book
A few of the people in my MasterMind group have been able to generate decent profits by selling e-books. The key here is that they are seen as experts in their respective fields. In the good old days, authors had to send manuscripts to many publishing houses and hope that one would pick up the rights to their book. For the authors who were fortunate enough to get published, the ‘per book’ royalties were very small. Nowadays, anyone can sell a book on iTunes or Kindle without the infrastructure costs associated with producing, transporting and retailing an actual book. These are truly exciting times.
Selling Photos and Graphics
Along with the rise in people starting their own blogs and writing their own e-books, there exists a parallel growth in the online sales of photos and artwork. Sites such as Shutterstock serve as the middleman linking graphic designers and the buying public.
Mobile Apps
I don’t believe that the ‘iPhone-App-development‘ ship has sailed. Despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of apps have already been created, fresh ideas and concepts are being thought up each day, as are the technologies used to power our SmartPhones. If this is a topic that interests you, pick up a copy of Chad Mureta’s App Empire.
There is always Craigslist
Perhaps you have watched the A&E show ‘Storage Wars’ and are curious as to who, in their right mind, would spend $90,000 to acquire a pile of old Elvis Presley newspapers? In the internet age, there seems to be a buyer for just about everything. I can’t imagine retiring on the proceeds from selling old second hand household items on Craigslist and eBay, but what I do see are entrepreneurs retailing new products (via the online eBay) to a global audience.
Teaching and eMentoring
Lots of people have created classes that they’re able to re-sell over and over again. If you are an expert in your niche and can create an educational course or seminar that provides value to a large number of people, you’ll be able to turn that into a recurring passive income stream.
The point is, ones ability to earn an income online is limited only by ones imagination and creativity. The Information Super-Highway has absolutely leveled the playing field and provides possibilities to anyone with a personal computer, entrepreneurial mindset and the desire to earn a living on the internet.