“Links to Amazon that appear on this site are affiliate links. If you purchase an item on Amazon after clicking one of those links, tradingstocks.me will be compensated.”

Since the FTC guidelines don’t explicitly state where the disclosure should appear, I believe this will suffice. Thoughts?

1. Go to File import and export:

2. Select export to a file:

3. Select “Personal Folder File”

4. Expand the (+) sign where it says “Inbox” and click on the folders you want to back up:

5. Click browse to select where you would like to save the .pst file. Hit “OK” when you’ve picked out the right location, then, click “Finish”

6. Your backup file is now saved! You can now go into your outlook and delete the folders from your inbox (since you have the files backed up).

If you ever need to reopen the files that you backed up, follow these instructions

How to open .pst files

1. Go to File import and export:

2. Select “Import from another program or file” and hit next.

3. Scroll down in the option list and select “Personal Folder File”, then click next

4. Locate the file by browsing to it, and click, “open”. You can leave the options unchanged (see below), and click “next”

5. Highlight the area where you would like the “folder” to appear in your inbox, then click finish.

6. Your folder will be restored, and you’ll now be able to access all those old emails.

- Use the blur tool, and manually blur the text. The blur tool looks like this:

- The second approach is generally easier since most of the text you’ll be blurring out will appear in a block. Here are the instructions for blurring a block of text in Photoshop:

1. Open the image that contains the text you’d like to blur in Photoshop.

2. Select the text that you’d like to blur.

3. Hit CTRL+C then CTRL+V to create a copy of the portion of the image you’ve selected. This process will create two layers in layers palette.

4. Make sure the second layer you’ve created is highlighted (as shown in the image above), then go to menu bar at the top of your screen and select FILTER -> BLUR -> LENS BLUR.

5. Hit OK, and you should now have an image with blurred text.

6. Hit CTRL + SHIFT + S to save the file as a .jpg. Save the file out, and the layers will now be merged and your text will be blurred out in your new image file (.jpg). NOTE: sometimes you might have to repeat this process once or twice to get your text blurred completely. The image above isn’t a great example (since the font is so enormous, but you get the idea. This works great, and now you can now send out your images with comfort!

1) Log in.

2) Click “My Account” at the top right.

3) Click the domain you’d like to edit near the middle of the screen.

4) Click “Hosting.”

5) Click “Your Files” in the upper left where it says “Manage Site Content.”

Ding dong the witch is dead. You’re in. Good luck.

In my case, my desktop background was hijacked and replaced by a warning page. Worst of all, I couldn’t access my task manager to see which .exe was causing the problem. Because I wasted a good three hours scanning/trying to eliminate worm.win32.netsky, I thought I’d write a quick guide to help you eliminate the pest if you run into it:

1) Go to the Start menu and select RUN.

2) Paste the following (without quote marks) in the RUN box and hit ENTER to reactivate the task manager:
“REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f”

3) Hit Ctrl + Alt + Del to launch your task manager. If you still get an error message, DO NOT close the error message. Instead, leave it open, and try to launch the task manager again.

4) Once you have the task manager open, navigate to the “Processes” tab and – if it exists – close the following program: sms32.exe.

5) Now, your computer should be running better, but you’ve still got to clean up your registry. Go to the start menu and select RUN.

6) Type “regedit” (without quotes) and hit enter.

7) Navigate to the following items and delete them from the registry (just click on the items and hit the DELETE key):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run | smss32.exe = “C:\WINDOWS\system32\smss32.exe”
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\General | Wallpaper = “C:\WINDOWS\system32\warning.html”
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon | Userinit = “C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon32.exe”

8) Delete the contents of your recycle bin.

9) IMPORTANT: Run some antivirus/malware software to ensure worm.win32.netsky gets removed entirely. I made the mistake of not doing this (because I thought I could get around the infection without shelling out any cash), and I paid for it after I restarted my computer. In fact, I couldn’t restart my computer. As soon as I tried to log on, I was automatically logged off. Boo! It took tons of effort and the use of a second computer to get my laptop working again.

So, that said, I can’t stress enough that you’re going to need to shell out $25 or so to zap your malware. I opted to go with Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, but there are tons of other options out there including Norton.

10) Run a FULL scan of your computer (not the QUICK scan), and delete ALL rogue files. It’ll take a long time, but this will fully clean up your registry.

11) You should now be free of the worm.win32.netsky malware/virus. If not, keep in mind that malware writers can adapt quickly. Your best bet will be to Google the name of the .exe that’s affecting your computer and check forums for more information. Good luck!

P.S. I’ve got to give a shout-out to Dan Fischbach, who helped me solve the Windows XP Log-on/Log-off loop that worm.win32.netsky created. Nice work, Dan (I donated $5, and you inspired me to write this post!).

My blog, Higher Ed Underground, was conceived after a particularly rough week at my day job. I was tired, frustrated, overworked, underpaid, and just generally burnt-out. I needed to do something in my line of work that was fun, if for no other reason than to remind myself that such a thing existed.

After several years spent working in and around college campuses, plus an advanced degree in higher education administration, I started to have faith in my ability as an expert. Yes, there are people with more experience and more education, but those people tend to be older and boring. They also tend to be people than can barely text message, much less blog. Thus, Higher Ed Underground was born.

It hasn’t been all daisies and roses since I started the site. I’ve made quite a few mistakes along the way (and am probably still making mistakes as we speak), and I’ve decided to share them with you in hopes that your website dreams don’t come crashing down around you.

Starting my blog for the wrong reasons

As I mentioned, Higher Ed Underground grew out of a particularly tough workweek. As a result, my initial motivation was to grow a web presence large enough to rake in the cash, quit my day job, and love life.

Yeah … fantasy.

You see, launching a site thinking you’re going to make a good living off it is the same as sitting down to write your first novel and thinking you’re the next John Grisham. Making money off your site is HARD. So hard, in fact, that if money is your only motivation, it’s going to be damn near impossible to put in the effort required to see a single red cent.

I’ve been blogging for a while on my person blog, Derby Girl, about my life playing roller derby. It’s been easy to keep up with it, because I do it just for myself. I do it because I genuinely enjoy hitting the “post” button each day. That blog has just over 2,000 pageviews a month, which isn’t too shabby, and that was with zero effort or promotion of any kind.

What’s the difference between Derby Girl and Higher Ed Underground? I started Derby Girl because I loved derby and felt like sharing it. I started Higher Ed Underground to make money. Which one do you think is more fun to maintain?

Thankfully, not long after I began working on Higher Ed Underground, this realization smacked me in the face. I threw out the serious, boring, advice-driven content and got back to what I like best: snarky commentary. The content was easier to come by, the daily posting was easier to maintain, and my pageviews jumped considerably. I also abandoned the sheer desire to monetize the site, and am having way more fun with it. It was right about that time that I made my first ten cents from AdSense.

The moral of that story? Find your voice, then blog.

Researching too quickly

If you’re really serious about growing a small business from your blog, you need to do the legwork up front. Research the market. Find out what sites already exist in your niche. Figure out how you’ll be different than the existing market, and if you’re the same, how you can do it better. Figure out what keywords are leading people to sites like yours, and see if you can maximize those keywords to drive traffic. I did all this, but I did it over the course of about three days. This probably wasn’t enough research, especially since I keep stumbling across sites in my niche.

Launching too soon

I still have my day job, and my day job is fairly demanding. There’s not much time to sit around surfing the internet during work hours, much less create meaningful, valuable content. When a site is new, it’s important for it to have strong content that updates frequently. I should have aggregated several weeks worth of posts (at a minimum) before I kicked off, so that when my paying job got crazy, I had content to fall back on. Nothing loses readers faster than infrequent posting or throwaway content.

Buying a theme

Let me be clear: I absolutely love Thesis Theme. It’s easy, customizable, and professional. But the truth is, I could have gotten by for at least the first six months on a standard WordPress theme. WordPress has some great skeleton templates that I could have taught myself to customize over time, and it would have saved me $89 during the whole site setup. This is another example of me diving in to the deep end before I quite knew how to swim.

There’s no need to spend money on your site (other than the domain name and hosting) until you’ve started to see a little bit coming in. Sure, you want your site to look professional, but until you’ve got a readership that demands professional, there’s no reason to put out any money to get there. The look of your site, though important, is not what will keep readers coming back. Invest your effort in producing quality content, and the rest comes later.

Monetizing too much, too early

Don’t clutter your page with ads. Yes, it’s hideous and distracting, but it also makes you look like you care more about money than content. Once you have a dedicated readership, they’ll understand why you put ads on your site. They won’t mind, because they’ll be conditioned to pay attention to your kick ass content. But if the only thing readers see when they visit your site for the first time is an AdSense banner, affiliate links, and those stupid in-text links, you’re pretty asking them to click away. You look like you’ve created your site to steal their money, and they won’t stay, much less come back.

So there you have it. Feel free to let me know of other mistakes I’m making. One thing I’ve learned from entering into the world of blogging is you have to have a thick skin. You’re going to post silly things, make typos, or simply draw the ire of a reader or two. And guess what? Someone will probably send you a nasty email. It happens to the most well-intentioned blogger. So if you don’t think you could put all your mistakes out there like I did … well, then blogging just isn’t for you.

Lauren Morrill-Ragusea is the guru (ha!) over at Higher Ed Underground, where she blogs about college life, admissions, news, and academic success. She also blogs at Derby Girl Blog and is a roller derby blogger for Skirt! Please hire her so that she can quit her job, write, and play roller derby for a living.

]]> http://webpublishing.me/getting-over-the-hump-mistakes-i-made-as-a-newbie-blogger/feed/ http://webpublishing.me/top-10-online-jobs-for-college-kids/ http://webpublishing.me/top-10-online-jobs-for-college-kids/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:16:44 +0000 Fred http://webpublishing.me/?p=313 Top secret FYI: Roller Derby Girl, Lauren Morrill-Ragusea, posted a blog post of mine on her education blog, Higher Ed Underground. It’s about making money on the Internet, and it’s geared towards college students. We swapped posts, and, I have to admit, it was fun :)

1) Blogging. $Unlimited.

It’s the new American dream – writing about what you love and getting paid to do it. Not only are you your own boss, you can work from anywhere there’s an Internet connection. There are two central ways to make money blogging:
•  Pay Per Click ads (using a service like Google Adsense or Adbright). With pay per click ads, you rely on a high number of visitors to read your blog. While reading your content, they might see a text or image ad, and click on it. If they do, you get paid.
•  Affiliate Blogging. Affiliate blogging refers to writing product reviews and posting links to those products. If one of your blog readers clicks a product link and buys the product, you get a commission. See No. 2 below for more information. A great way to test the waters is to set up a free blog using Google’s Blogger or Wordpress.

2) Affiliate Marketing. $Unlimited.

Affiliate marketing turns you into something of a salesperson. You refer to, describe or talk about products, and – in the process – you include links to buy the product on your site. If a user clicks one of those links, and buys the product you mentioned, you get a portion of the sales. Popular affiliate marketing brokers include Commission Junction, ShareaSale and Amazon.com. To get an idea of how it works, check out one of my affiliate sites that lists The Top 100 Best Self-Help Books of All Time, www.selfhelp.fm.

3) Mahalo.com. $10-$15 per search result.

Mahalo offers a “human-powered search engine.” Unlike Google, which generates search results based on algorithms, Mahalo taps a metaverse full of part-time employees who write search results for cash. www.mahalo.com. $10-$15 per search result.

4) Infolinks.com. $Unlimited.

A relatively new way to make money online, Infolinks is a text-based form of advertising that automatically selects keywords on your Web site. When users hover over the underlined keywords, a small ad pops up. If users click on that ad, you get paid. www.infolinks.com.

5) ChaCha.com. $3-$9 hr.

Like Mahalo.com, ChaCha’s attempting to use human brainpower to outwit computers. Using cell phones, or their browsers, ChaCha fans can submit short questions in the form of text messages or voicemail. A few minutes later, a real-world “guide” will send the questioner a free text message answer in response (i.e. What time is “Twilight” playing at XYZ Movie Theater in New York?). You can serve as a guide (someone who answers the sometimes bizarre, sometimes informative questions ChaCha gets) and pull in $3-$9 an hour depending on your speed. ChaCha.com.

6) Writing eBooks. $Unlimited.

Got some specialized knowledge in a particular field? Throw it together as a pdf and sell it online. eBooks can be found on almost every topic imaginable, and they sell particularly well when the knowledge offered by the author is specialized. Don’t let that deter you if you don’t feel like you don’t have any specialized knowledge, though. You can do as much research as time allows. The more in-depth it is, the more you’ll be able to charge. Centerville Web Design in Dayton, Ohio can build you a Web site to promote and market your book.

7) eBay. $Unlimited.

It’s almost a cliche by now, but there are people out there who make six-figure incomes selling products on eBay. Go to auctions or flea markets to try to find overlooked goodies, then mark them up and sell them online. The trick is to find rare products that don’t have much online competition. You might even be able to find a drop shipper (i.e. Doba.com), so you can sell products without the hassle of packaging and shipping them. Ebay.com.

8) Email Newsletter Subscriptions. $Unlimited.

Already got a Web site with lots of excellent content? One way to make some extra money is to offer a premium weekly newsletter only available to members. Several reputable Web sites do this, including Fool.com and Marketing Profs. Of course, you can start from scratch, too, you’ll just have to be prepared for a lot of work with little payoff at the start.

9) Language Instruction. $Unlimited.

One of the most overlooked skills that a lot of people have is the fact that they’re bilingual. You can leverage your language skills by working for an online tutoring service like VerbalPlanet.com. Better yet, you can start your own online language course, giving away early lessons for free, then charging for more advanced lessons.

10) LiveOps.com. $0.25 per minute.

Like to have a more steady paycheck? LiveOps.com gives you the opportunity to serve as a customer service agent taking phone calls from your home computer. Receive orders for pizza, infomercial products and an assortment of other goods that LiveOps has been contracted to take calls for. You could max out at $15 per hour (as they pay $0.25 per minute of talk time), but it’s unlikely you’ll be on the phone for an hour straight. LiveOps.com.

11) Trading Stocks. $Unlimited.

OK. I was hesitant to include this option, but trading stocks from home via the Internet employs several thousand people across the country. They take a variety of approaches (from value investing to daytrading to options and commodities trading). There’s a huge learning curve that market pros refer to as “market tuition” (since you’ll likely loss money at the start), but it is possible to make money trading stocks once you have enough equity built up. I recommend Zecco.com for $4.50 trades (Scottrade charges $8.25, and eTrade charges $12.99). Fool.com offers a great “virtual” exchange in their CAPS community. There you can try you hand at trading stocks before you actually put any money on the line.

12) Domaining. $Unlimited.

Domaining refers to the practice of buying domain names, filling the home page for ads, and waiting for users to click them. It doesn’t sound that sexy, but it’s made a handful of millionaires around the world – all guys and gals who realized that the Internet was going to be huge long before anyone else did. They were the people buying up names like, hotels.com, usedcars.com, planetickets.com, etc. (and, of course, some less toward domain names as well). I was lucky enough to interview one of the heavyweights in the field, Rick Schwartz. Read it for more on the art of domaining.

13) Web Design. $Unlimited.

So nowadays it seems like anyone can throw together a simple Web site, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to look good – and more importantly it doesn’t mean it’s going to be functional. Throw together a Web site that showcases your design skills, and run a few ads on Google. After you build your first few sites, word of mouth should bring you more. Having trouble getting traffic on your Web design site? Build a few for free for schools or nonprofits with condition, of course, that they let you link back to your site. A little goodwill goes a long way.

14) Video Tutorials. $Unlimited.

Some people are auditory learners, some visual, and some things just lend themselves to learning by watching. If you’ve got a talent that makes you a little bit of money, why not show others how to do it, and make even more money in the process. Put together a few hours of video of you rebuilding carburetors, sewing quilts, or putting together secret humus recipes. Chop half the footage up into short clips you can give away on YouTube, MetaCafe or MySpace, and always include a link back to your site where you sell your full downloadable video. If it works, make more! Then hire other people to make even more.

15) iPhone apps. $Unlimited.

If you haven’t heard about the hundreds of programming wizards who have quit their dayjobs after writing incredible iPhone apps, consider yourself lucky. It’s kind of sickening actually; write a single bestselling app, and you can put in your two weeks notice after you get your first check. Ok. It’s not sickening. It’s incredibly awesome. If you don’t have the skills to write an app yourself, you’ve got the brainpower to come up with an idea. After you’ve gotten that far, outsource the development of the app using a Web site like rentacoder.com or elance.com to bring it to fruition.

16) Get a head start on Windows Mobile Apps. $Unlimited.

Maybe the iPhone App market is a little over-saturated. Good news! The Windows Mobile App Store isn’t even open yet. Get your app in early for the best chance of getting noticed. As I mentioned earlier, you don’t have to be a coder to get in on the app market. You just have to have some capital to hire the right coders. Plenty of sites exist where you can do just that (and you’ll even retain the copyright to the code). Try elance.com, rentacoder.com or project4hire.com.

17) Virtual Assistant. $3-$18+ per hour.

I fell in love with the concept of virtual assistant’s after reading Timothy Ferriss’ incredible book, ‘The 4-Hour Workweek.’ There, Ferriss talks about all the bizarre things he’s had his assistants do – mostly to free up his time for living; but occasionally just for fun. He uses them to order flowers for his wife, to put together itineraries, to answer emails. He uses them for just about anything he possibly can. You might be able to use them to streamline your business, or, you could become the virtual assistant who helps other people and organizations get things done. There are plenty of sites out there to get started: odesk.com, officedetails.com and virtualassistants.com are just a few. DumbLittleMan has a great post with more places to hire a virtual assistant.

18) Currency Trading. $Unlimited.

I was even more hesitant to list currency trading as an option than I was trading stocks, but, hey, there are a lot of people who do it. In fact, more money changes hands every day in the currency trading market than any other exchange in the world. Positions are extraordinarily leveraged (since you have to capitalize on fractions of a penny), and that means you can make a lot of money fast. You can also lose far more than you’ve got, too. It’s a fast-paced, sweaty-palmed sort of living, but some people do well. Forex.com is the most well-known currency brokers. I’d ALWAYS recommend a practice account if you’re just starting out.

19) Mechanical Turk. $0.10+ per HIT.

One of the most interesting concepts I’ve come across in recent years, Amazon’s Mechanical Turk is designed to allow computer programs access to human intelligence. Using an open API (Application Programming Interface), programs can generate “hits” for humans. HITS are small, often-repetitive tasks that computer programs are unable to do on their own (i.e. describe what’s going on in a photograph). Humans perform the tasks based on what sounds appealing to them, and they get paid for it. The HITS don’t have to be created by computers, though. A lot of businesses and entrepreneurs use HITS to improve their efficiency. Wikipedia’s got a great article on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, or you can start doing HITS right away at Amazon.

20) Online Tutoring. $10+ per hour.

There are hundreds of online-tutoring services out there, from Sylan to Brainfuse to Tutor.com. Sign on to teach whatever topic you know best. Requirements range from “not much” to having a masters degree, and the pay ranges almost as dramatically. Google “online tutoring” to find potential employers or start at Brainfuse.com or Tutor.com (as of this writing, Tutor.com is looking for tutors in Chemistry, Physics, Resume Writing, English, Essay Writing, Vietnamese and Spanish).

21) Write Software $Unlimited.

If you’re well-versed in some popular programming languages (i.e. Python, PHP, C#, ASP, Perl, or the iPhone SDK), there are countless freelancing opportunities online; from rentacoder.com to elance.com to odesk.com. Pay varies wildly, but goes up based on your online reputation. The more positive reviews you’ve got, the more likely someone will be to take a chance on you. Just keep in mind, you’ll be competing with programmers from around the world.

22) Online Consulting $Unlimited.

These days, just about anyone can label themselves a consultant. Making money at it is a little trickier, though. You’ll do best if you’ve got some marketing skills or some extremely in-depth knowledge on something with a big learning curve (i.e. Javascript, Routers, Crystal Reports, Fibre Channel, etc.). Go the traditional route and partner with an online consulting service like ONLC.com to leverage their existing marketing platforms against your skills, or go the new age route on bid on consulting projects at Mavenlink. The most exciting new development in online consulting, though, is Skype Prime. Still in Beta, it’s like the new-age version of the “1-900 number”. It allows you to initiate charges after an introduction with a client who contacts you via Skype.

23) Play Video Games. $Unlimited.

A new trend that’s showing some extraordinary growth is the sale of video game assets. The biggest market is for World of Warcraft where players sell their “gold” and “levels” to well-heeled, time-strapped gamers who would rather pay than play to advance in the game. Other games where you can sell your goodies? Ever Quest, Ever Quest2, Final Fantasy XI, Guild Wars, Lord Of The Rings Online, Lineage 2, Maple Story, Star Wars Galaxies and Warhammer Online. A number of gaming brokerages have sprung up: PowerLevel.net and Gmlvl, Power Leveling to name a few.

24) Web Hosting Reseller. $Unlimited.

One of the allures of making money online is the fact that you can make money while you sleep, and an easy way to get there is by offering a service that clients have to pay for every month. Internet hosting is one of those ways, and you don’t even have to have your own servers. You can now buy “reseller” accounts that allow you sublet your server space to others. Once you get enough clients to cover your costs, you’re making money. The hard part is getting the clients, but it can be done with clever marketing and hard work. Check out reseller accounts at two of my favorite online hosts: Hostgator.com and Greengeeks.com.

25) eLance.com. $Unlimited.

eLance has leveled the playing field for independent contractors. Here, writers, Web designers, programmers, lawyers, and accountants compete with their peers from around the world to get project-based jobs. Business and individuals who need work done post job listings on the site, and contractors (you!) bid on them in an eBay-style auction. If the employer picks you for the job, you get some money up front, and the rest comes in stages or upon completion of the job. If you’re just starting out, remember that reputation is everything. If you haven’t done any jobs on the site yet, it’s going to be a lot harder to win your bids than if you’d completed 50, all with rave reviews. Learn more: eLance.com.

26) Mail-order Transmission Repair? $Unlimited.

This one’s kind of tricky to get your mind around, but I’m trying to convince you that the Web is like the Wild West. If you can think it up and follow it through, you might succeed. So, this story comes from a friend of a friend. Based in Toledo, Ohio, he started a mail-in transmission repair business on the Web. He didn’t know a lot about repairing transmissions, so he partnered with a local auto repair shop. A year later, he was getting transmissions mailed to him from around the world. He had them sent to the body shop who would repair them, then mail them back to the customer. Soon, he was making a nice profit, and not long after that, he sold the business and made an even nicer profit. Now, I think he’s traveling and trying to figure out what to work on next. He’s living up to Timothy Ferriss’ concept of a “4-Hour Workweek” (and I’m kind of jealous).

27) Freelance Writing $Unlimited.

When you get down to it, the single most important currency on the Internet is content. It’s king. If you have the most functional site in the world without any descriptions, no one’s ever going to find it. Content is how you get people to your blog, Web site, even your Facebook page. Because of this, a lot of sites are willing to pay decent money for you to create content for them. Pay ranges from borderline-sweat-shop to excellent, and – if you’re good – it can have a snowball effect. Once you get your name out there, people will start finding you to write for them. The following sites offer lots of writing opportunities: elance.com, guru.com, odesk.com, hubpages.com and squidoo.com. Hongkiat.com also has a great post on 26 sites that pay you to blog.

28) Etsy.com $Unlimited.

Back in 2006, when Etsy.com was finally getting a foothold in the mainstream, I got the opportunity to interview Robert Kalin. Etsy.com was his baby – a site he was working on as much as 18 hours a day, seven days a week. The concept was simple: an ebay for handmade goodies. It dovetailed nicely with the anti-mass-produced DIY culture that’s been catching steam, and now the site pulls in nearly 3.5 million unique visitors every month. “Where you get your goods has a direct impact on the world,” Kalin said. “Humans can go either one way or the other way and find a sustainable way to help the world grow. I think Etsy can sort of help that along.” As the DIY marketplace grows, so too do the potential customers for your goodies. List your handmade items, and you just might pocket some cash at the prices you set. Online at etsy.com.

29) Sell dropship/wholesale products $Unlimited.

One of my friends in Florida started making a decent side income using dropshippers to sell skateboard and hunting supplies. Here’s how it works: you build an online store. You do all the marketing (i.e. buying Google Adwords ads), and you process orders for products. When someone orders an item from you, you place an order with your dropshipper (sometimes this process can be automated), and they take care of packaging/shipping your product. It works particularly well for niche Web sites. The best three dropship/wholesale sites are Worldwide Brands, Salehoo, and Doba.

30) Start a Social Networking Site $Unlimited.

If you’re truly passionate about something, you might have the stamina and drive necessary to get a niche social networking site off the ground. There are lots of services (some paid, some free) out there that let you build your own version of Facebook or MySpace. Target very specific audiences – i.e. elderly Linux lovers – and, best of all, serve up ads on all the pages you deem adworthy. Get started at Elgg.org, Ning.com, Spree, or Mahara. Vivalogo also offers a list of the Top 40 free downloadable social networks.

31) Bartering $Unlimited.

If you haven’t heard of Kyle MacDonald and his red paperclip, prepare to be enlightened. On July 12, 2005, he traded one red paperclip for a fish-shaped pen. Fourteen trades later, he moved into a brand new house – all from one paperclip. Yes, bartering is the new black, and you can do it, too, especially with all the barter sites that have cropped up, from U-Echange to Craigslist to Freecycle to Trashbank. Check out Discovery.com for The Best Online Sites for Bartering.

32) Build a Niche Store $Unlimited.

One of the biggest hurdles to starting an online, product-based business is getting your products in front of the people who want to buy them. That’s why it makes sense to operate within an existing framework. One good service is BuildaNicheStore.com. The service works hand-in-hand with eBay’s Partner Network, so that you can build a store around the products already being sold on eBay. You’re basically acting like an eBay affiliate, but their software makes it easy to target niches and present it in a pleasing way. If someone buys a product after clicking one of your links, you get money.

33) Tourism Web Site $Unlimited.

If you leave in a medium to large-sized city, you probably know the lay of the land a lot better than out-of-towners. Why not start a blog then that you update regularly with reviews, lists and photographs of the top tourist attractions in your town? Tourism ads pay particularly well, especially if you start reviewing hotels, restaurants, airports and car rental facilities; in addition to the museums, and historic attractions you love. It’s a great way to leverage your existing knowledge and provide something very worthwhile for other people. You can get rolling free blog hosting platform like Wordpress or Blogger.

34) Online Contests and Sweepstakes $Unlimited.

So, this might not be the most practical way to make money online, but there are definitely some reputable contests out there that can put some cash in your wallet. Some of my favorite contests are the Threadless T-Shirt Contest (earn $2,500 if your shirt design gets picked), the ThinkGeek Action Shot ($100 for a photo of you with a ThinkGeek product), and the ThinkGeek T-Shirt/Logo Contest ($250). The trick is to pay attention to offers like this at your favorite online Web sites/vendors. Often, there isn’t as much competition as you might think.

Also: About.com regularly updates their Contest and Sweepstakes blog and OnlineSweepstakes.com posts some 200+ contests per day, many of which just require an email address as an entry fee. Be careful of scams, however, and never give out sensitive information (i.e. credit cards, SSN numbers). I’d also recommend setting up a free alternate email address to link with your contest entries.

35) Multilevel Marketing $Unlimited.

I’ll be honest, multilevel marketing seems like a painful way to make money. I hadn’t put much time into investigating how legit it is, but it seems like everyone talks about it, so I thought I’d do just enough research to write something intelligent about it. MLMs are companies or providers who reward people who sell specific products. Sellers are highly-motivated to get other people to sell the products, too, as they’ll get a cut of those sales. In this way, it’s got a hierarchical rewards structure. If you get a lot of people to sell products for you, and they get a lot of people to sell for them, you’re going to start making a lot of money without a lot of effort. Here’s an independent MLM ratings company (they base evaluations on the number of search queries performed on specific MLM programs each month): MLMRankings.com. At the moment, Avon, Tupperware and Longaberger top the list.

36) Freelance Graphic Artist $Unlimited.

The Web’s fueled by text and art, and while just about anyone can produce text, not everyone can make art. If you’re skilled at Photoshop, Illustrator, AutoCAD, Corel or any other advanced graphics program, you can probably find steady work through some of the bigger pay-per-project sites like elance, odesk and guru.com. If you’ve already got a lot of high-quality images (particularly vector), you can upload them at sites like iStockPhoto.com, and, perhaps, make some passive income on the side.

37) Audiobooks $Unlimited.

As we move further away from radios and CDs, Audiobooks and podcasts are quickly becoming the preferred method for taking in audio-based text. If you’ve got a lot of great content on your Web site, why not turn it into an audiobook to sell on Amazon, iTunes, and on your own site? The competition isn’t as fierce as it is in the book world, and you’ll quickly find that’s it another great avenue to get your name out in the world. You’ll have to get a copyright and sign up as an artist at CDBaby.com to get listed on iTunes, and Audible.com requires that you’ve published at least five audiobooks before you can sell with them. As a huge audiobook fan (with an iPhone), I can tell you they’re addictive. I’ve even paid up to $18 for audiobooks in iTunes.

38) Amazon.com $Unlimited.

The 16th most-visited site in the world, Amazon.com is one of the best selling platforms in the world (eBay ranks at No. 9). If you’ve got a large collection of books or CDs, or even other goods like clothing or printers that you could stand to part with, Amazon offers a good way to do it. Sign up for a seller account, and start shipping your goodies across the country. One word of note: Amazon’s particularly competitive when it comes to popular/well-known books. If you’re looking to sell books online as a long-term income source, then, visit flea markets, auctions and classified listings where you can find rare, out-of-prints books with odd titles. A book on African blue parrots might not sound great, but it’s probably worth 20 times as much as your copy of the Da Vinci Code (you just might have to wait longer to find a buyer). Get info on Amazon Seller Accounts.

39) Podcasting $Unlimited.

Podcasting provides an intimate to reach a passionate audience in your niche. Think about it; if someone’s willing to take the time to download and listen to your podcast, they’re pretty motivated to learn about your particular topic. That means, it’s a great place to talk about some of your other products (so long as you’re still providing great content in your podcast). Better yet, though, the value of podcasting grows over time. After you’ve built up a library of podcasts, you’ll have something you can package for sale. A great example of this is the Internet Business Mastery Podcast by Sterling and Jay. They give away a podcast every week, but you gain access to their full collection of podcasts after joining their “academy.” Once you’ve recorded several episodes, you’ll be ready to upload your feed in iTunes.

40) Tech Support $10-$12.

If you’re the one your friends turn to when they have computer problems, you’d probably be perfect for online tech support. Companies like Accolade Support pay virtual tech support agents $10-$12 per hour to help frustrated clients figure out why their Internet connection isn’t working or their software isn’t behaving properly. “A key component of this is assuring the customer that you will help them, calming them down, and resolving the situation for them when possible,” Accolade says.

41) Mystery Shopper $Unlimited.

This isn’t an online only job, but mystery shopping does get you out of a cubicle and into your car – not to mention cruising the aisles of some hopefully swanky shopping outlets. In fact, I work with a guy who regularly performs “shops” at some nationally-known steak and seafood restaurants. He even lands weekend resort trips in the mountains. It’s important to note that you will have to do a lot of legwork on your jaunts (i.e. writing down names, times, prices, appearances, etc.), but it’s a great way to get free food, vacations and products. Advanis, based in Canada is a good place to start. Read the description here, or visit their careers page here.

42) Conduct Phone Research $Unlimited.

Here’s another offering from Advanis (mentioned above): conducting phone research calls. A job that pays hourly, you’re required to have good customer service skills, high speed Internet, a headset, and typing speeds of 30+ words per minute. You also might be able to write off a portion of your mortgage or rent. Not good for late sleepers, as Advanis’ interviewers start work at 5 a.m. EST.

43) ClickNwork.com $Unlimited.

ClickNwork’s a lot like eLance.com (jobs on a project-by-project basis), but you’ve got to pass an in-depth test to land a spot on their squad. Once you’re in, you’ll have access to all sorts of home-based opportunities that are tailored to your background and experience; things like performing Web queries, providing analysis, consulting, data entry and phone interviews. Try the test today.

44) Ether.com $Unlimited.

Ether.com provides the framework for you to sell your knowledge to others. It works in two ways: 1) You can sign up for an Ether phone number. With it, clients will be able to prepay for one-on-one phone consulting time with you before they actually call. Alternatively, you can lock content behind a password. If users click to buy your content, they’ll pay Ether who will route most of the money to you (they charge a 15% commission), and then Ether will display the content. Essentially, they’re worrying about payment processing and backend storage of your content, while you worry about marketing and serving clients. Learn more about Ether.

45) Verify Phone Calls $8.50-$9 per hour.

When a telemarketer calls you with an order and you decide you’d like to buy what they’re selling, that company is required to get third-party verification – namely, someone else to verify who the customer is and what they want to buy. BSG, based in Colorado, has been providing third-party verification for 23 years. If you’ve got customer service experience, they’ll likely hire you to work from home verifying orders. Pay is $8.50 per hour for English verification and $9 for bilingual verification. Learn more on their careers page.

46) Musical Transcription $Unlimited.

If you’re good at reading and transcribing music, there are a handful of companies that hire freelance music transcribers. Among them? Cherry Lane Music, and they’re currently looking for pop/rock guitar transcribers and piano arrangers. The company also hires editors, to verify transcriptions, then they throw together books you’ve probably seen in your local music shop. They have titles like, “1,001 Blues Licks” and “Monster Book of Rock Guitar Tab.” Learn more at Cherry Lane Music.

47) Extended Warranty Calls $9 hour.

Ever wonder if those lifetime product guarantees are legit? Looks like they are because there’s at least one company that provides call centers to handle inbound warranty calls. New Customer Services Companies, Inc., pays $9 for home-based customer care reps. The company offers paid training so you learn how to handle customer queries and complaints for the various products NEW serves. Apply online.

48) Review Software $1-$50 per review.

Software Judge pays techies to review software, from games to in-depth Windows crash protection software. Download it, use it, and review it honestly, and they’ll pay you when they publish your review. Be warned, though, if you’re only landing $1 or so per review, it’s going to take a lot of work to get your first check. They require that you have at least $200 in your account before they pay out. Still, if you’re a software geek, I imagine you’ll be more than happy to review new goodies. Learn more.

49) Become a Guide at About.com $1,000+ per month.

About.com’s guides are among the best-paid freelance writers on the Web. They actually get a base pay, with incentives for things like page-view growth. You’ll be required to maintain a blog that’s updated 3+ times per week, and you’ll have to crank out a major article every week. Some guides even clear six figures. Still, it’s not that easy to get in. They prefer hands-on, professional-grade experience in writing or working in a particular field. Learn more on their “Be a Guide” page.

50) Design Greeting Cards $Unlimited.

Recycled Paper Greetings adds more than 3,000 new cards to it’s product line every year, and all of them are created by freelancers. The cards are just like the ones you see at your local Drug Mart – each revolving around a specific event: a bday, perhaps, Valentines Day, anniversaries, etc. Put together up to 10 physical cards (5″x7″) and mail them in (digital submissions not allowed). If they like your design, they’ll be in touch to discuss payment and procedures.

51) SEO $Unlimited.

Search Engine Optimization refers to the process of improving a Web site’s “visibility” to search engines with the goal of giving a site a higher page rank. Work on a job-by-job basis through sites like eLance.com or oDesk.com, or – since the nature of the work takes place online – you can find work-at-home opportunities at specific companies. One source: PartnerCentric.com in Santa Barbara, Calif. Their job board is updated regularly with spots for sales reps, SEO experts, and pay-per-click specialists.

Interestingly, he didn’t do it by filling his Web sites with content. He did it by waiting for users to type in Web addresses directly in the address bar (circumventing search engines altogether). Inside the industry, this is something known as “domaining,” and it’s a multi-billion dollar industry.

Domaining can tell us a lot about what people search for online, too – that is, if the owners of the domains are willing to share their data. Turns out Rick Schwartz is pretty generous with his stats. In a recent blog posting titled “Welcome to over 36,000 new Readers! Welcome Consumer. Time to SoundOff,” Schwartz talks about how much type-in traffic he gets. As I reprint these stats, remember that the people visiting his sites aren’t doing it because of his content, they’re simply typing in a web address to see what’s there:

  •  Porno.com 33,000 Web site visitors type in porno.com every day.

  •  eGold.com: 1,500 Web site visitors type in egold.com every day.

  •  Homemade.com 400-500 Web site visitors type in homemade.com every day.

  •  Specialities.com 75-150 Web site visitors type in specialties.com every day.

Combined, Schwartz is getting 35,000+ visitors to those sites every day, just by virtue of owning them. It’s the sort of traffic most Web publishers dream about! It’s evidence of just why keyword-rich domains sometimes sell for thousands of dollars+, and it’s evidence that you might want to pay for more a premium domain if you’re truly serious about making money online.

In many ways, domains that generate type-in traffic are like having a powerhouse PR firm on your side. You can focus on your content, and people will find your domain on their own. Check out Moniker.com, Great Domains and Sedo to find premium domains that might boost your brand new site’s traffic just by virtue of a name.

To learn more about domainer Rick Schwartz, visit my post, “What is Domaining and How Can It Help Me Quit My Dayjob?“