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Cross Promoting Techniques that Work
Copyright 2005 Glenn McDonald Cross promotions are not a new idea. They have been used by businesses for a very long time. For example, a real-estate company may promote a certain lawyer to close a sale, as the lawyer will promote that agency in...

Starting Out With Affiliate Programs
Copyright 2005 Mal Keenan Let’s start with an important fact. Though you can earn from affiliate marketing even without the benefit of having your own website, it is still a much better option that you get one. A website is the anchor of your work...

To Optimize Or Not To Optimize
Excessive optimization could be considered a sickness depending on context. Look up compulsive disorders in the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) and over- optimization fits the description fairly well. So, should...

Where Do We Go From Here?
The internet keeps changing so fast, it gets hard to keep up with promotional methods that work. What worked yesterday may no longer work today. If you've been on the net any length of time, you know what I'm talking about. Many of today's time...

WORKING WITH AFFILIATE PROGRAMMES
Copyright 2005 Robert Evans Affiliate programmes are springing up everywhere and cover every type of product or service imaginable. Some incorporate fully automated systems that sell high volumes of hard products all over the world. Many have...

 
How online Surveys Financed my First Web Site!

Online surveys alone financed my first web site. Getting paid to take these online surveys is a win-win situation. Large companies want your opinion on their products and services and they are willing to pay you for it. These online surveys give them good insight into their target market, people like you, so they win. You win by getting paid for your time.

It all started about 5 months ago when I had finally decided I wanted to start my own online business. I have a full time job, a stay at home wife, and a 15 month old baby boy. I had no extra money, as you can imagine, and didn't want to risk my hard earned salary without knowing if this venture would work. With no idea on how to go about starting an online business and with no startup capital, I did what all web surfers do; I surfed, and I surfed, and I surfed.

During the course of my research I ran across some ads for taking online surveys and getting paid for it. I was skeptical at first, but when I researched the companies that offered online surveys I found a few that were for real. So I signed up with 3 of the sites.

Once you sign up you fill out some easy questionnaires about yourself so the survey company can match you with one of their clients looking for your demographic profile (e.g. age, sex, where you live, what you do, etc...). Easy enough, still free, I filled out my profiles and that was it, they let me know that they would contact me when a survey that fit my profile was available.

Without skipping a beat I went back to my research. It was becoming more and more evident that I would need to learn a lot more before starting my own Internet business. I decided that for any business venture you should be as prepared as possible. And I still had no extra money to even give it a try. I was still in my hunting and gathering phase.

Then one night while surfing the net, I got an email telling me that a $10 survey was waiting for me. Great! I logged into my account at the survey site and clicked the link to start the survey. It took me about 20 minutes. This particular survey company pays directly to your PayPal account (it took a couple weeks to see the money, but I did see it.)

I was hooked. Over the next several months I received more surveys. There are times when you don't qualify for a survey. This could even happen a


couple times in a row. Don't worry they will keep sending them and you will qualify for a lot of them.

About 4 weeks ago I decided I knew enough about web sites, web site hosting, web site promotion, newsletters, and most of the basics of starting my own site. So I logged into my PayPal and found $32 (all from surveys), and logged into my other 2 survey sites, $20 dollars in one account and $45 in the other. I had my startup money!

Taking these surveys enabled me to start my own business online using only the money I made online. No out of pocket money was needed to set up my site, get my domain name and start a hosting plan. In reality this is more than enough money to start a website backed business. I used only my PayPal money to set up my web site, and not all of it. Yesterday, I deposited $40 of survey money into my checking account and then transferred it to my PayPal account. I now have a little war chest for financing my online business.

Online survey companies (the real ones) don't charge you to join, don't spam you when you do (I only get invitations from them, nothing else), and pay you when your done. It can take up to 4 weeks to get paid (sometimes less sometimes more). For me this was not a problem since I was not yet knowledgeable enough to start my web site.

I still spend most of my time surfing and learning but I also understand the concept and dangers of procrastination. I did take my time getting started based solely on financial reasons, now that I have the money to get started that is exactly what I am doing, getting started!

I want you all to know that making money online is a reality. Surveys will make you money, I still take them as soon as they hit my inbox, but you will not be able to quit your day job. If you don't give up and hang in there you can start your own web business without touching any offline money. If you don't want to start a business then buy yourself or someone a gift with the money you earn. It truly is easy money!

About the author:

Jason Glicken - Editor - The Affiliate Journal

Copyright 2005 - All Rights Reserved.

Create start up capital completing FREE surveys online.

www.theaffiliatejournal .com

Better to be a doer than a dreamer...