Making money online takes a little skill, a little understanding of how the Internet works and a little bit of luck. There are many people traveling the information highway who claim to be making money and are very willing to sell their secrets to anyone willing to fork over some money. The first question that should be asked is if their money making method is so good, why are they willing to share it? Perhaps they make more money by selling information than by using the methods.

Despite what may be published on the Internet, there is no magic eight ball when it comes to making money online. There are methods out and about, and they are legitimate, but they are not right for everybody. Someone may luck out and end up with a very successful business in a short time, but those stories are the exception rather than the rule.

One place to start looking to make money online is with blogging. Blogging has made its presence known on the Internet only a short, few years ago and it has taken the information highway by storm. The competition is fierce in the blogging world, but with effort and dedication, blogging can be a successful venture. Random blogging is fun, but people are looking for information. Pick a topic that triggers passion and set that as your blogging course. Perhaps do some research and find out what people want to know about, study up on that topic and begin writing about it. Pick a topic that has some endurance and is not a “here one day gone the next” topic.

Affiliate marketing is a possible money maker for anyone looking to work online and work at home. Working at home is a great motivator for some people to work online, but working at home is not always the answer. It sounds easy to set up shop and work at home, but it takes discipline to make it work. Being surrounded by all the comforts of home does not always lend itself to being productive.

Affiliates sell a product or refer customers for someone else and in return receive compensation. Sometimes the compensation is financial and sometimes the compensation is bonus points toward a product. The affiliate is responsible for marketing the product or web site, and that is the hardest part of the whole process. Successful affiliates usually have a large email list or access to a large amount of traffic. Affiliates drive traffic to their website or someone else’s web site through advertising methods, writing SEO articles or publishing a newsletter, to name a few of the methods. For the dedicated affiliate marketer, the rewards can be immense.

Selling rights to photograph’s is an idea that can be successful, if done correctly. It does not require a professional photographer to set up a photo site. It just takes someone with a decent camera sense. People are always looking for photo’s to add to web sites and include in brochures and presentations. People are also willing to pay a fee for the right to use a photo. As long as the quality of photos is decent and they are not copyrighted by someone else, a buyer is out there.