Making Money Online - Is This Reality Or Just Plain Fiction?

I am sure that I am not alone in wanting a better life, more money and more time to do the things that I enjoy. The news is full of gloomy stories of recession, credit crunch, petrol prices, inflation, making us feel helpless. I decided that I would ignore all of the hype and start to research alternative ways of earning some extra cash and to then use this extra income to pay off my debt.

I would like to firstly admit that I do have an IT degree and so can be considered an IT Specialist. So my natural instinct was to use my skills on the Internet and research possible online money making schemes. I was completely new to this and did not know what I was looking for; I started with basic search criteria such as work from home, online jobs etc. I was amazed by all the websites offering to make me rich by the morning! I have to admit I really believed most of them too.

However, I am one of those lucky ones that have made many wrong business decisions in the past and am a lot more cautious now than in my younger days. So I carried on researching, I even got convinced to join a live conference call. I sat through it for about 30 minutes and listened to people introduce themselves and someone then started the sales pitch. I was given a day to think about it before someone got in touch with me to ask if I had decided to join them or not. I had already made up my mind that $2,000 was not the kind of money I was willing to gamble with and I declined. This was a MLM (Multi-Level-Marketing System); these systems are often indistinguishable from pyramid schemes in which commissions are paid to each seller based on the number of additional sellers that they can recruit. Now that might seem like a reasonable way to earn money for some, but the ones that really make a profit from this are the ones at the top of the pyramid. This is a competitive market and not always trustworthy, so if you do consider this a viable option, then really do your homework first. Personally I do not see why I have to pay to work for someone else! Also to be successful in this area you have to be a good salesperson and to be frank somewhat dishonest. These people never tell the whole truth to their potential customer and their sales pitch is full of empty promises. I am sorry if I offend anyone but even if I want to get rich it does not mean I have to make others poor; this is what most of these systems rely on!

Continuing with my research I discovered many sites promoting online surveys as an easy option to earn money online. You sign up to sites that conduct research for companies and you get paid for completing online questionnaires. These questionnaires can take up to 15 minutes to complete and then your account is credited. You can earn up to £200 per month filling out online surveys or giving your review of a product/service. The advantage of this method is that you do not have to payout any of your hard earned cash and you do not have to set up anything before hand. Obviously however, you can see that it will not make you rich but it can help fill some gaps in your finances. Another advantage is that you can do it at home, anytime of the day and it does not require any real effort. Some other online money making ideas are: (none will make you rich but all require no initial investment):

* Online betting: be very careful here; if you are already in debt you really cannot afford to gamble with what you do not have. Gambling is exactly what it says, its Gambling!
* Mystery Shopper: You sign up on a website and then are given shops or restaurants to visit; after your visit you are asked to give your opinion of the experience.

Remember if you do sign up that you will be targeted with products to buy, but try not to be tempted by these offers, they are there to ensure that instead of collecting the cash you give the money back to them!

After a month of searching the internet, I am sad to say that I have come to the conclusion that there are more people out there ready to scam you than real opportunities. I guess at my age I should not be surprised by this however I am still disappointed that so many people have no morals or empathy for others.

But my search has given me an insight into how the Internet is Making Money for those who know, without having to scam others. I am realistic and honest, there are no quick fixes but there are some real online money making methods. They take time and effort to establish but so does any business. Once you have set up your first online business the rest are easy.

I have set up a website to help guide people and give them real honest advice, I want to make money too, but I also have a conscience. If you want to learn real money making strategies you can visit my website. My vision is to create online money generation to pay off my debts, so you will also find some debt advice to follow on my website. Paying off your debts is the easiest way to instantly earn more money because the less you have to payout the more you are left with and you have more control over your life. Its early days yet but I am learning new things every day and I will make sure that when I find any real opportunities I will let my visitors know. Likewise if I uncover scams I will also let me visitors know!

You can visit my website to find out more. I have also set up a forum for us to share our "scam" free ideas.

http://www.realmoneytalk.co.uk

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