IS EARNING MONEY ONLINE JUST a PIPE DREAM?

According to William J. Tomlin, an investigator for Rip-Off.com, 82% of all the "make-money-online" websites are scams so investigate carefully before you invest time or money in any of them.

Everyone seems to want to earn money online. Most people, if pressed, will say their reasons for wanting to earn money online are fueled by rising prices, low wages from their regular day job, and the hope of having a little for extras after paying their bills each month.

Hardly anyone will admit that the real reason they want to earn money online is that their dream is to avoid working at all-or at least not working very hard. Their goal is to spend an occasional hour on the computer and then sitting back while the money rolls in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

It's a nice dream, and one I confess indulging in far too often, but the truth is, the whole idea makes me a little uneasy, and I can't help but recall the frequent admonitions of my parents about how you never get something for nothing, or that idle hands are the devil's workshop, or, worst of all, that those who don't work don't eat.

True, there are people who actually make a lot of money online, but most of them, if they are honest, have to admit that to make money, they also put in a lot of time and hard work.

I meet dozens of people online who are convinced that a few good blog entries will make them rich. If that doesn't work, they will become affiliates for a top-selling product. Consequently, after a few hours of posting blog entries or signing up for a couple of affiliate companies, they are ready to start booking their South Sea cruise, and are astounded when, after a week, no money has started to roll in.

Maybe you know a person who has stumbled onto a magic formula for making a living online by spending only a few hours a week, but I don't. Most of my online associates are spending their online hours eagerly moving from one get-rich-scheme to another, not realizing that one solid month of working at McDonald's would have produced more cash in their pockets than their total online income for the past 5 years.

Does that mean we should dump our desire to earn money online? Not necessarily. We just need to put that desire into some kind of perspective and make sure we aren't relying on rose-colored glasses each time a new online activity presents itself.

I have earned some money online over the past several years and, in the process, developed a few guidelines that have kept me from getting too far off course.

1. Never spend more than I can afford to lose to get into a new online project. (That includes time as well as money.)

2. If a new opportunity sounds too good to be true, check it out with others who have already tried it. Check out bulletin boards and chat rooms that deal with
the particular subject you are considering. Try Googling the subject. If it is fraudulent, the chances are that someone has written an article exposing it.

3. Decide ahead of time exactly how much of your day or week you can devote to the new enterprise and stick to it.

4. Set yourself a date by which you expect to see some success; if none is forthcoming by that date, cut your losses and move on.

5. Keep detailed records; especially if you are involved in several activities at the same time. You need to have a list of every blog entry, every article,
every sale, and every expense. That way, if you turn on your computer some morning and find that one or more of your sites have disappeared, you will
be less likely to suffer a nervous breakdown. Also, Uncle Sam will thank you come tax time.

If earning money online still seems like your fondest dream, I say, "Go For It," but go cautiously, and, regardless of what the advertisements tell you to the contrary, be prepared to work hard.