So many of us spend time online and I have been asked for tips on how to turn random surfing to pennies into your pocket. Making a little extra money online can be done with the benefits of no commute, no money for work clothes and other related expenses. It is fun to turn your penchant for reading and writing into cash to spend as you please. Here are my top three tried and tested sites and some of them have made excellent profits:
1) MyLot.com
MyLot is an interesting site for those who enjoy spending time idled away chatting in forums. Any topic can be discussed on MyLot, except the rather secretive earning formula. No one is clear on how you get paid, though it appears the higher quality posts get rewarded. Default payout of MyLot is $10 via PayPal and it can take a little time to get to that. The site is best approached by those who like to communicate with people around the world- the time that may have been spent on other forums can be paid for on MyLot.
2) Ciao.co.uk
For those who have an interest in writing, the consumer review site Ciao is a good option. The site is a community site so you get paid per member rate. This means that you need to be involved reading and rating other reviews to be noticed to get a decent amount of reads. This site can offer a good amount of extra pocket money. Ciao is a fantastic site which offers consumers the chance to find out about products. Members benefit from their reviews being read (and hopefully being appreciated!). Ciao is more about learning something and getting on with the rest of the community. The main reason that I like Ciao is because I like the way the rating system works, and the ‘comments’ function is my favourite part where members can voice their thoughts on your opinion. Ciao also offers a ‘Premium Fund’ where extra money is given to high quality reviews. Ciao has something that other paid writing sites have failed to match. It is more welcoming; the community is particularly friendly when you are new. You do need a UK bank account as they pay via bank transfer, but the bonus is you don’t get hit with the Paypal money receiving charge!
3) Bukisa.com
Since Associated Content have changed their policies with regards to payments to international writers many are seeking viable alternatives. Bukisa is a good option in my opinion. It takes mere minutes to join the site, and it is free to join. The site lets you republish your own content though it prefers original content. make sure you choose the appropriate license when you publish your work if you don’t want others to use your article. I did notice the license is set to creative commons by default and you have to select the drop-down to change it. You get paid via PayPal within about thirty days of the end of the month in which your account balance reaches the minimum $10. You get paid according to the set ‘Bukisa Index’ per 1000 page views and the index varies per month but is has been around the 3.4 mark meaning $3.40 per 1000 page views. Now for the real bonus- you own the content therefore you can republish it anywhere and get paid again. I would say if you write for Ciao or Dooyoo that it is worth spending a few extra minutes to republish on this site and get some additional pennies.
* the above links are referral links so I would get a small bonus for anyone who signs up (no difference to your own future earnings of course).
Other sites you may like to consider:
Dooyoo.co.uk (they pay via cheque – minimum £50 payout, and have an annoying Dooyoo Miles system which takes some getting used to).
Suite101 (for the more serious writers wanting to learn about SEO etc- this site has editors who will flag anything that contravenes their guidelines). It takes a lot of time and effort to make money, and applying for the site is more difficult too.
Demand Studios are now accepting UK writers, and have a stricter application process -they are pretty selective too. Many excellent writers get rejected the first few times. They do pay around $15 per article and there are many writers who think that is a good deal for short articles that don’t take much time. It depends on whether you want to “churn and earn” or have a good quality article which passively earns you good money over time.
iStockphoto is a good tip for creative designers and photographers. Many people make a decent living or sideline by offering their photographs here. It isn’t easy as the site has become very big and it requires imagination to offer something new that people will pay for.
If you do decide to go for trying any of these sites – good luck and let me know how you get on!
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