Making Money Online – Where To Start

July 7, 2009 by 11 Comments

If you have even basic knowledge of operating computers with access to a good speed Internet connection, you can make some money online. Lots of people dream of making money online but many don’t have an idea of where to start. Where do you start? What’s the fastest way to make money online?

Making money on the Internet doesn’t always demand investing money or having technical knowledge. With hi-speed Internet coming to Kenya soon, making money online will be easy. To prove this point, we are listing down several online money making ways as part of our introductory article on this subject. Whether you are able to earn Kshs 70 a day or Kshs 5,000/- a day, the fact is that you can money money online now!

Top Ways of Making Money Online

  1. Amazon Affiliate Programs – Sign up for Amazon.com’s affiliate program and sell Amazon’s products on behalf of Amazon. Amazon.com will provide you complete support and back-up, and they will pay up to a 15% commission on each sale.
  2. Amazon Seller – Have something you want to sell online? Earn cash by selling your stuff on Amazon.com. It’s easy, it’s fast, and it doesn’t cost you a penny until your item sells. They provide the infrastructure and support – you just earn whenever your product is sold.
  3. Adbrite – Barter space on your website for text advertisements. Adbrite pays you for selling your website space.
  4. Associated Content – If you are good at expressing your emotions on paper, or if you have experience in a particular field, write about it and submit to Associated Content to get paid $3-$20 for each article that gets accepted. Get paid for submitting text, video, audio or images.
  5. eBay – Way too popular to write much about! Simply collect your old stuff, or any stuff, and sell it to earn money.
  6. GetAfreelancer – An freelance website that has all kinds of projects for writers, editors, programmers, coders, web designers etc. All you need to do is become a member and start bidding on projects in your areas of expertise and get paid for projects you win. An alternative is Elance or Guru.
  7. Infolinks – This is one of the best ways to earn good money. Infolink deals with ‘in-text advertising’ that can be seen on many websites as scattered double underlined links. Simply sign up and start.
  8. Etsy – Do you create crafts? Etsy is a huge online marketplace where people sell their crafts. Since it draws people looking for handmade products or craft supplies, Sellers find it more profitable for many crafts than eBay.
  9. Clickbank – This is an excellent opportunity for people who have a knack for selling. Basically, clickbank is a large extensive databank of products which you can sell for a commission – with the commission rates being generally 50% or higher. Simply find a product you like and start promoting it!
  10. InnerSell – Do you have a customer who needs a product or service that you don’t sell? Earn additional income when you use the InnerSell system to connect those customers who want what you don’t sell with trusted Vendors who have a track record of delivering.
  11. Software Judge – If you have a strong opinion about some software, whether positive or negative, and want to get paid for your review, this is the place to go!
  12. Cafepress – Are you artistic? Cafepress let’s you put your designs on Tshirts, Hats, Mugs etc with no upfront costs AND they give you a shop where you can sell your branded items.

Finally, note that it is possible for you to make money on the internet if you put time and effort into it. One of the major reasons why most newbies fail is because their expectations are not in line with the level of effort required to be successful. Be prepared to work hard for every cent that you make.

I’m always ready to answer any questions – just ask! Remember to read Like Chapaa regularly for more information on making money online and getting ahead in life. Why not subscribe for free, or sign up to receive free email updates?

Filed Under: Make Money Tagged With: ,

Do you want these online JOBS?

July 3, 2009 by Leave a Comment

More Freelance Jobs

Autism bloggers/writers – We need volunteer writers globally, as this project will give you national and international exposure and will lead to major articles in the field, both scientific in nature as well as human interest articles. It will also help us provide info and free services to the autism community and educators/researchers. If you have the talent, the passion to help others, and will to be consistent; then this is for you.

Online News Editor – Do you love working in a fast-paced environment? Are you an adrenaline junkie that loves covering breaking news? Gazette Communications is seeking a progressive Online News Editor to take our online site, GazetteOnline.com to the next level.

Writing Online Columns – Online column writing on a variety of topics available. Pay is around 10 US cents every time someone reads your written content.

Client Relations and Web Specialist – Opportunity to learn a business and apply your sales, web and writing skills with a small, but growing company. We are seeking an internet savvy individual to act as a front line customer relations representative and assist with online business presence while learning the bail bond business. The ideal candidate for this newly created, work mostly from home position has the ability to connect with people over the phone, understands and can execute the sales process, and presents themselves in an articulate manner.

Swahili interpreter needed – Professional interpreter needed for an interpretation company. We are seeking a professional Swahili interpreter to work with us on Swahili projects. If you are interested, please send your resume and a cover letter to hr@daytranslations.com. Please put Swahili interpreter in the subject line. We always want to work with people who are very kind and professional and love languages.

Web Content Writers – Put your writing skills to work at Demand Studios. Earn money while you improve your writing skills and gain valuable exposure. Demand Studios supplies content to a network of highly trafficked websites including LIVESTRONG.COM, Travels.com, Golflink.com and more. This is a freelance writing position where you can claim and work on multiple assignments at a time, allowing you to work at your own pace and earn extra money around your own schedule.

Article Writer – Are you great at researching several sources and coming up with useful, creative articles? Would you like to work for a company that is growing bigger and better every single month? Would you like to work from home and make good money doing what you love – writing?

Maya Animator – Kerosene Creative Services is seeking a 3D Animator for an immediate contract lasting about 2-3 weeks.

Flash Developer – Covenant Communications is seeking freelance flash developers for contract work. We are seeking candidates who have impeccable programming skills and a good eye for motion design and interactivity. We are seeking developers to help us create next level Flash projects for our company and clients.

iPhone App Developer – we are in need of whip-smart, work-hardened folks who are committed to making things happen. Those things, are the things that live in the iPhones and iPod Touch’s of our hearts and dreams. We need the kind of computer soldiers who are dedicated to the challenges that most shy away from with their feeble tails tucked.

Finally, Some Hot Freelance Jobs


Need help?
How to get an online job.
How to avoid online scams.

This post is a weekly feature – we post a list of online, work-from-anywhere, jobs every single week. Be sure not to miss the next list of jobs. Subscribe to Like Chapaa today, or sign up to receive free email updates.

Filed Under: Online Jobs Tagged With: , , ,

How To Make 3,000,000+ a Month

July 3, 2009 by Leave a Comment

Here’s a video that details how internet mogul John Chow makes $40,000 per month from his blog. He really exposes his business model in an inspiring talk.

“ John did a great job itemizing his method; detailing his steps. He broke down the process into easy to understand reasons and answered all questions; in short , he shared his secret to success. He made online success seem like a real possibility. Get a product, do the work, get results. My take: like anything else….Once one is willing to administer the effort, treat it like a business, own it like a business and be business like about it, a real business will ensue. Thank you John Chow, very well done! ” – Jos

Filed Under: Blogging, Case Study, Make Money Tagged With: ,

If you’re going to do it, do it now

July 1, 2009 by Leave a Comment

The world today requires less planning and more action, more now and less later. If you don’t do it, someone else will. If it’s not done, it’s because you haven’t done it.

So pick up the phone, write that later, send out that application…just do it! Waiting for later is pointless.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With:

Alice and Kev

June 28, 2009 by Leave a Comment

In a brilliant blog, games design student Robin Burkinshaw tells the tragic but fascinating story of what happened when he stripped two game characters of their possessions and left them in a place designed to look an abandoned park, letting his simulated humans fend for themselves.

It’s a virtual social experiment that relies almost entirely on the programming of the characters to decide what happens next.

I’ve read through the entire blog in one sitting (it is that amazing) and I recommend the blog to all of you! While reading through it, it felt like a good book and I could not stop thinking that it would make a great movie or TV series. It just goes to show how good games are getting these days, particularly this game.

Calling the Sims a game is an understatement – it is so much more and you just have to play it to find out that for yourself.

Please have a look at Alice and Kev.

Do not just look at it for its entertainment value. Think about what Robin is doing. He’s drawn a huge amount of attention to his blog and, ultimately to himself. In the process he’s proven what a great storyteller he is (this should work well for his career in game design) and probably earned quite a lot from Amazon.com (if you buy The Sims 3 from one of the links on his site, he gets a commission).

It is a prime example of using what you already have in hand to try and get ahead. What talents/skills/strengths do you have in hand? Are you fully exploiting their potential?

Filed Under: Case Study, Cool Sites, Tips Hacking and Reviews Tagged With:

Starting Your Own Business; The Gruesome Details

June 6, 2009 by 2 Comments

Inari Media has an interesting series of posts on how to start your own small business. The series of articles is really very well written and should be helpful to anyone wanting to step out into the world of entrepreneurship.

Here’s how Inari Media describes the series:

As a freelancer, I deal with a number of small companies who have grown from circumstances very similar to my own: rather than submit to life on the corporate treadmill, they have struck out on their own to see if they can make a go of things while still keeping a happy work-life balance and a degree of personal autonomy. We only differ in that they hire me, while I get ansty at the thought of getting help with my accounts (there may be time later in the week for my confession of control-freakery).

Nevertheless, it has to be said that self-employment or running a business is not for everyone. Just as not every infantryman makes a good general, not every worker makes a good boss. While there are a number of brilliant resources out there, I thought that it might be an idea to put a series of posts together that detail the ins and outs of starting your own business, and how to proceed.

Interested? Go check them out:

June 23 2009: Added the rest of Inari’s articles. Stephanie has addressed the topic of starting your own business at length in the above series of articles. She gives a wholesome, well rounded description of what you need to know. I highly recommend you read up on what she wrote.

Filed Under: Small Business Tagged With:

See How Easily You Can Avoid Online Scams

April 17, 2007 by Leave a Comment

The net has come a long way since the dotcom crash. Now, things are looking up, what with web 2.0 and whatnot. Heck, things are better than they’ve ever been, going by the amount of money flowing in and giant , almost weekly, acquisitions. With all this money, naturally, internet crime is also doing pretty good. Millions of people are scammed every year. The sad fact, though, is that avoiding getting scammed is, mostly, pretty easy. Don’t be just another statistic!

  1. Try to deal locally as much as possible. Get people’s names, make calls, and meet them in person. This is the best and surest way of avoiding online scams.
  2. Never pay for an opportunity to work for someone. Would you ever do that in real life? Basically, avoid anything that smells like BS and be smart.
  3. Do not give out your financial information and thoroughly check out an organization before you pay for anything.
  4. Always pay for everything online using your credit/debit card – at least then you can trace it and take it up with your bank if anything goes wrong. Avoid escrow agreements (unless from trusted organisations), money orders, certified checks, shipments, etc.
  5. Turn on your BS sensors (these should be in-built, ideally). Do not fall for make-money-fast, unlimited wealth and easy work schemes. Something like, ‘Make $1000 for doing nothing’ should just scream out ‘BS! BS!’ Are these kind of deals really even possible anywhere? When sniffing out BS, be aware of vagueness (why don’t they give you their address or other contact details?) or incredible offers. Additionally, do some research to find out if the type of work you will be doing has a ready market. Is that market as fantastic as the would-be scammers say it is?
  6. Do not come across as desperate, scammers will be able to smell you a mile away. Be professional, confident and self-assured. Know what you are doing.
  7. Patience pays: It takes time to find a good thing. For example, if you’re looking to make money online remember that there are a lot of people in your situation, who are your direct competitors therefore making huge amounts of money will be quite difficult and will take lots of time. Also, scammers usually pressurize you into making hasty decisions so be aware of time-limited offers.
  8. NEVER ever reply to spam. Who told them that you’re interested? When did you apply for that contest you just won? How did the ‘deposed’ Nigerian Foreign Minister get your email address? How did that person who ‘needs’ your help know of you and why doesn’t he/she approach someone, anyone in real life instead of you, via email? Spammers are just scammers taking shots in the dark – don’t be their bull’s-eye.

Awesome Resources:
Scam Busters – very detailed information on identifying and busting scams.
Craigslist’s How to Avoid Scams – with examples (case studies) of real-life scams.
Top 5 Internet Scams.

Some ‘jargon‘: BS = BullShit

Filed Under: Internet Culture