A few tips to get us started...

This is, more or less, a blog that'll help you make money online.

Now hear this: you do not have to spend any money to make money online. Any program that asks you to shell out money is a scam. There is nothing that these programs can tell you that you can't figure out for yourself. Please trust me on this one. I've fallen for them and ended up going through a run-around with them to get my money back from their "100% satisfaction guarantee".

You're not going to make tons of money doing this. You're going to make pocket change. You won't be able to quit your dayjob, and you won't be able to be your own boss. On top of that, it takes time and effort- and a little work, depending on what you're planning to do.

You're also not going to make money fast. Sorry.

"So what is this all good for?" you're asking.

Here's what it's good for: I've been paid $60 since joining one program. Another has me at $50 the first month I signed up and this month, I'm getting at least $40. A third supposedly is sending me $10 as I'm typing this, and I've received a couple of gift cards from a fourth that doesn't have a cash payout option.

These programs do work. They don't work for much, but consider this: For the $40 I make this month, I can fill my gas tank. The $10 I'll get from another, I'll pay for half of one of my necessary medical prescription copays.

Pocket change? Maybe. But money is money.

I will never, ever ever ever post about a program that I haven't personally been paid from. I will never, ever ever ever make such a post without at least one proof of payment. I'm not going to post much, you see; but what I post will be legit.

There's money to be had out there, and I know what it is like to not have enough. For some of us, every little bit counts. This blog will help you find out what is out there.

I almost posted this without listing tips. Silly me...

Get yourself a dedicated notebook, a pack of index cards and a card file, a Microsoft Office excel spreadsheet or MS Word document... Anything that you can record the websites you sign up for, your username and passwords, and the dates that you must cancel any free trials you elect to use (you do not have to engage in free trials! They are there if you want them to!).

Start making a few dummy e-mail accounts. I like Gmail; there's also yahoo, hotmail, and TONS of other ones out there. You will get spam. This is a measure to keep it out of the e-mail address you care about.

Many offers on GPT (get paid to) sites ask for your phone number. You will get telemarketing if you do these offers. Unfortunately, GPT sites are practically worthless if you eliminate offers that ask for your phone number. k7.net provides 100% absolutely free internet voice mail numbers that you can plug into these fields. They only offer area codes in the Seattle area, and some GPT offers will bark at you if the area code of the phone number you provide isn't for the zip code you've provided, so this has limited usefulness. jConnect (j2.com) also offers free internet voicemail. There are quite a number more out there, both paid and free.

Finally, be absolutely sure you have a virus scanner and anti-spyware measures, like Norton Anti Virus and AdAware. I will never post about a site that I know puts your system at risk. However, I'm a 25-year-old file clerk who makes less than $11 an hour. I'm not a computer expert, no matter how much I like to brag about using computers at 5, and I urge you to take steps to safeguard yourself against malware in any situation.

That should be about it to get you started. Very soon, I will post about the first site I recommend. In the meantime, here's a bit of fun for you that is for a good cause: www.freerice.com. It is a word game; for every word you're able to correctly define from four choices, they'll donate 20 grains of rice to poverty-stricken regions in the world. You get a little mental workout, and you help someone else get a meal, possibly a life-saving one. Give it a try!