Is it really possible to make a living online?
Yes indeed. It is very possible. As a matter of fact, I am a living example and so are hundreds of thousands of people spread across the globe: bloggers, web designers/developers, graphic designers, server administrators, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts, web hosting resellers, domain name resellers, VoIP call credit retailers, e-currency exchangers etc. The list is virtually endless.
Apart from the regular jobs listed above, its also theoretically possible to make money online, by investing, and not doing much work apart from promoting the investment scheme (if you want to earn from referrals). You can trade stocks, bonds, join affiliate programs, and even earn interests from just saving into an online bank account.
However, I am not about to ask you to leave your current job. Your decision to make a living online would be based on several factors: un-employment, under-employment, or even that you are fully employed but want an additional stream of income, so you could finance that dream of a holiday to Hawaii on a cruise ship, or install a digital satellite TV receiver (just like me 
).
Why work online?
Working online is not an end in itself, but a means to an end and so working online is not the only means to survival. Indeed, working online is not necessarily a magical wand that will command millions of euros to your disposal. It takes hard-work, perseverance and smart thinking.
You should only decide to work online, if it is absolutely convenient for you to do so. You should factor your family, your social life, your current commitments, availability of a steady Internet connection, electricity etc.
What can I do to make a living online?
There are literally thousands of things you can do, to make a legitimate income over the Internet. However, I will divide them into three broad categories:
1. Offer expertise online:
The kind of expertise you offer online should be related to something you are passionate about, have a reasonable amount of knowledge about, and have a solid experience doing.
For example, if you are a car enthusiast, what about creating a website (or specifically, a blog) about car reviews, news about the latest release of cars (automobiles). In a stretch, you are sharing useful information about something you enjoy doing, and more importantly, make real money.
2. Join affiliate programs
You can earn money by referring buyers to ecommerce websites. Depending on the website policies of the ecommerce merchant, you are paid a commission based on the amount of leads you provide. You do not necessarily need a website, to join an affiliate program since you will be provided with a unique website URL with which you can market the ecommerce website.
3. Offer service / sell goods
You can create a website, where you market goods for sale, or offer you skills for hiring by others.
Each of these along with links will be explain in due course, on this website.
Are there any downsides to working online?
Of course there are. Every job has its associated risks and hazards.
Sitting behind computer screens for long periods of time with regular exercise can result in health hazards like poor vision, exposure to Ultra-Violet rays, muscle pulls, etc
Affiliate programs can shut-down and a web hosting server can go offline due to technical hitches.
Here is something new floating around the South African making money blog scene..
http://webtrepreneur.co.za/adrands-will-conquer-adsense/
Hello All,
I came across this blog on the Internet mentioning making a living online and I though I would put in my 2 cents worth.
My name is Ivan and I, like many others am a Forex Trader and would like to think I am one of the good ones. Making a living on the Forex Markets is like making a living online so I think it relates to one another.
I wanted to let you know that it is indeed possible to make money from the foreign exchange market. What people need to be careful about are scammers who would only give you rudiments and collect your money in the name of training.
I fell into this trap when I first started my forex trading career and though I would become a millionare overnight (I was younger and more naïve in those days) and bought every single Forex Trading Book, Signal Service, to make money on the Forex Markets etc, etc. I must say that I lost track of the hours I spent trading on these so call “wonderful” systems and ended up throwing all of them away after I nearly ended up in bankcrupcy and homeless.
I knew there had to be a way to succeed in the Forex Markets and actually make money so I started my own way of a trading system and developing a system that’s accurate for Forex Trading. Now I am happy to say that after many years I am a sucesulfull Forex Trader and have developed a system that works and best of all requires very little work and time to put into place to be sucessufull in the Forex Markets and actually make some money from trading.
Our company is called Spot on Forex and it’s a team of Forex Traders and IT Professionals that came together after we had gone through just about every trading system out there, bought every book on the subject and lost $1000s and $1000s of Dollars using those reported “Success Systems”. Now don’t take for granted here, we haven’t discovered the holy grail for Forex Trading, yet, and this isn’t some magical system, we still analyze the markets and do serious trading but we do it all for our clients. The results speak for themselves, and I’ve turned what little capital I had left in my trading account into a substantial amount to make all my dreams come true.
This is my job now and I profit handsomely and live wealthy and happily through our system and would like to share it with you so that you can also learn how to live your dreams and spend just 5 minutes a day trading your way to riches. Our system is easy and simple to use so that anyone, even complete beginners, can use it. In a nutshell all you have to do is check your mails twice a day and that’s it. We’ll send you the necessary info, the Buy and Sell trades with the exact Entry Points, Stops and Profit Limits. Your job is to just log into your account, put your trades in and walk away. It’s as simple as that.
If you have some time please visit our website at http://www.spotonforex.com and send me a mail back with any comments on this. I know how temping the Forex Markets can be and how many “scams” there are out there that steal people’s money with promises of riches trading in the Forex Markets. I assure you that we are not one of those and would like to let as many people know as we can that we exist, we are the real deal and that with our help in trading the Forex Markets their financial dreams can be a reality.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Regards.
Ivan
Spot on Forex
E-mail: info@spotonforex.com
Website: http://www.spotonforex.com
In response to the article by Ivan Solans from Spot on Forex, I can give you all real, honest feedback.
I joined Ivan and Spot on Forex in July 2008 and starting with a small amount, adding funds and finally ending with nearly nothing.
In July 2009 Spot on Forex, in their wisdom, stated a (illegal) managed fund account. Whatever trades Ivan entered, so did all participating accounts.
With all Ivans promises to make all monies back, after all, he is a professional, I foolishly put more funds into my account.
Starting off in July with $4 000.00 I finally pulled out at the end of August with a miserable balance of $435.00
Way to go, Ivan. I don’t think you know what “professional” means.
Go read BWILC by Dirk Du Toit!
Never, Ever, put your money in someone else’s hands.
Learn how to trade, and do it yourself. Chances are you will do much better than going with Ivan.
I earn a fulltime healthy income online.
Mostly with Blogs+adsense+affiliate advertising. The great thing is, anyone can do it, you don’t need to be some computer geek. There are always many people out in cyberspace that will gladly show you the way.
Go look at this great example of how to get a professional wordpress blog going and there are loads of step by step video tutorials to help you along the way.
http://quickblog2008.com/
Looks perfectly straight to me. Of course, I’m also the type of person who allegedly [ahem! allegedly] agree with everything.
I have been making money online since i finished my NYSC. It has not been easy, but it is fun doing that. By providing a lot of solutions online via my e-books, God has been faithful in all ways.