But it's hard to separate all the hype from the real stuff. I recently made a search for "make money online" and also "making money online", and most of the information out there is just promoting a wide variety of infomation products (read reports,ebooks,bright concepts), mostly about HOw To Succeed in Internet Marketing. I can see why some people ask, "Is anyone making money on teh Internet, beside the Hype Professionals (read Internet marketing experts)?"

So I gathered a list of business opportunities with legitimate companies that:

1. Help your friends find better jobs.

Sites like Who Do You Know For Dough?, Bohire, ReferEarns  , Zyoin   and WiseStepp   will connect employers to prospective employees via networking with the people who know these qualified candidates. Many of these prospective employees are already employed and may not be actively job-hunting.They offer rewards for referring a candidate who gets hired, that can range from $50 on up to several thousand dollars - not small change! If you know any job-seekers (and who doesn't in these tough times?), this is an easy way to break into the recruiting business with little or no overhead.

 

2. Connect suppliers with buyers.

Paying referral fees is a common practice in business, but they aren't that common in online networking sites because there was no easy ways to track the process. However sites like InnerSell, Salesconx   and uRefer   now can provide this service. Vendors set the referral fees they are willing to pay (and for what referral specifically), and when the transaction is done, you get paid. uRefer also allows its merchants to set up referral programs for things like meetings and introductions, as well as for any transactions that follow. 

3. Write Something.

A growing number of sites will now pay you for your articles or blog posts.  Associated Content, PayPerPost, and Helium   will "pay for performance" based on the number of page views for just about anything you want to write about, or they sell your stuff to willing buyers who use them as a writers brokerage. Articles on specific topics they're looking for can earn direct payments from buyers of up to $200 per article set. The rates are probably too low for established writers, but if you're trying to break into this field and have some free time on your hands, they really are an easy way to start. more and more companies are looking for part-time bloggers. They usually pay per post or on a steady contract of x number of articles per month. Example sites are Elance, Scriptlance, Guru, or web logging sites offering  blogging jobs .

 

4. Start your own blog.

You don't need to have your own web sites, or need to install any blogging software. You don't even need to figure out how to set up the advertising. At Blogger  , or Hubpages you can set up a blog for free, in  ten minutes or less, without knowing anything about web design. Blogger even automates setting up Google AdSense for you, so that you can make money from your blog by displaying Google's ads and then you are paid by Google each time that someone clicks on one of the ads. To make even more money from it, you can easily set up an affiliate program  for books, DVDs, music, etc. and attaching your affiliate codes to these links whenever you refer your readers to those items. In reality you will have to get a LOT of traffic to become a six-figure blogger. However you can earn extra pocket money by picking an interesting topic, write well about what you know or can research, then simply tell all your friends, and you're off to a good start.

Related:  Monetizing Your Blog

 

5. Create resource hubs around a topic.

Are you knowledgable about a particular niche topic? Can you put together an overview of the topic and assemble some helpful resources on the topic from around the web? Then you can create topical hubs and get paid through sites like Squidoo  , HubPages   and Google Knol. Income is based on a combination of the ad revenue you can generate and also any affiliate fees. You can earn higher rates doing it yourself(once you have learned the ropes). The advantage is that these sites have a strong traffic supply and most of the tools you will need to make content creation easy and quick.

 

6. Advertise other people's products.

If you already have your own web site or your own blog, then look for vendors that offer related products that are non-competing products, and discover if they have an affiliate program. Better to stick to familiar products and brands - because they're easier to sell. Then to promote those products:

All these opportunities work - it just depends on how much time and effort, you are prepared to spend on them. So don't read any further! Instead review these six methods and pick one to get started now. Even if you only take action for twenty minutes you will break the ice and open a new door to earn income on the Internet. Go for it.