How I Make Money Online: Successes and Failures (Part 1)

Like many of you, I have tried my best at finding opportunities to make money online.  I have tried a handful of methods.  Some have worked out really well.  Some have not quite paid off.  I hope to continue to expand my online income streams, so please give your best ideas in the comments below.  The list is roughly in order from best to worst, but I did not use a scientific method to pick the order.

eHow Writer’s Compensation Program

eHow has been my biggest paying online money maker since I joined at the end of 2007.  Over the roughly two years I have been a member, I have earned well over $1,000.  Not a living by any means, but not too shabby either.  After being accepted for the program, I wrote a total of about 35 articles over my two years.  The best thing about eHow is that you make residual earnings on your articles.  I make about $30 a month these days for not doing anything.  For some reason, the earnings have fallen over time.  You can see my articles under my user page: Eric1985 at eHow.

Demand Studios

Demand Studios is a subsidiary of Demand Media.  Demand Media is the owner of eHow, so this overlaps a little bit.  At Demand Studios, I am paid a fixed rate (I only take $15) or a residual for writing articles for eHow or a list of other affiliated sites.  Something nice about Demand Studios, which requires a professional application, resume, and writing samples, is that the work is always there.  I could potentially earn a full time income from the site if I put in the time.  If has been my best success lately.

Blogging

Blogging is not something I do for big profits by any means, but it does produce a small income stream.  I have made the $100 AdSense cutoff one time before, but it takes a long time to earn anything there.  I have also earned income from sponsored posts and direct advertising sales.  However, hosting and domain registration across my several domains makes blogging just a bit more than a wash.  The hourly rate is dismal.  I do it because I enjoy doing it.  If you want to “pay me” for what I do here, the best way today is to sign up for one of my affiliate sites.  I only choose affiliates that I really use in real life.  You can sign up for Lending Club right now to get started.

Like this article? Check out part 2!