At this Christmas time, I bring you good news, it is possible to make money online. Isn’t that great? I repeat it really is possible to earn an income from the Internet.

Sorry, let me clarify that a wee bit, the above is true, but it doesn’t happen overnight, nor is it easy, nor guaranteed, nor possible if you do nothing.

There are glamorous, beguiling web sales pages out there in the Internet Universe that will lead you astray, down bad paths and probably into debt. The web sales pages are exactly that, a sales pitch to get you to do something you didn’t previously know you wanted to do!!!!

How often have we trodden that sorry road? Why? Because the majority of us are good, trusting people, who believe what we are told. The problem is there are millions of sales people out there trying to get us billions to buy their products. The Internet is the biggest shopping mall in the known universe and, each and every one of us that goes surfing is a potential customer.

Isn’t it amazing? Products of every kind are thrust at us as if we are walking the streets of Turkey or Morocco, remember the holiday stress of saying ‘No’ to carpets, spices, leather goods and priceless antiquities. (If you have not visited those wonderful countries, if you do remember ‘Smile and keep walking’).

The point I am making is that there are a vast number of people trying to earn a living online. There is nothing wrong with that, it is just that you must beware. If someone promises you the earth, stop and question it. It may be good, it might be bad, do a bit of due diligence before jumping in.

Let me speak of my business. It takes time and effort, I am proud of it, it has brought me into contact with some wonderful people, it has expanded my mind, helped my self-esteem and allowed me to share dreams with others.

I say my business, but that is not strictly true. I like being in PROVEN Affiliate programs, this means I do not own the business as such, it is owned by all of us in it, some are successful and some not, a lot of this reflects the time and effort put into nurturing the program.

Because they are proven programs, (you can find this out by visiting various forums, seeking reviews etc), you will be given help in how to promote ‘your’ business.

Many Affiliate programs have 2 sides; one is selling some products, possibly of something in which you are interested and secondly creating a residual income by building and looking after a downline, (the people you personally sponsor into the program).

If you are starting out, it is not easy. The reason for this is simple, the terms used on the Internet can feel quite daunting. For example, I will give you a few words:

Traffic generators Google Adwords URLs Google Adsense Banners PayPal Hits Stormpay Surfing for credits E-Gold Browser Internet Explorer

I am sure you don’t want me to go on. It is a big learning curve however, not easy, I make no pretence that it is any other way, but help is there. If you choose to join a proven Affiliate program, you will be given training. It is a bit like being at school with huge advantages.

You can go at your own speed, there is always a support centre to answer your questions, there may be a forum in which you can find answers, there is always a Frequently Asked Questions area and you have an upline. However daft you may think the question, it is almost certain that you weren’t the only one asking.

As said before I have chosen a number of Affiliate programs, which work for me. I have also chosen a couple of simple serious and fun programs, but both of these need an input from me. No, that isn’t quite right, for one of them you can actually start it off and forget about it if you choose, however I chose to put a bit of effort in to push it along. It is easy to do though.

True affiliate programs do need work, a bit of time and effort. For me that is a pleasure, I have found as in many walks of life, what you put in is what you get out. You reap as you sow.

I come back to how I started this article. It is truly, really, definitely possible, probable, that you will make a living online if you, not him over there, YOU put in the time and effort.

I wish you every success. If you want to contact me direct for anything, to look at the programs I have mentioned, feel free to add my email to your address book and I will do what I can. Personal Email: david.lumsden@which.net

I hope this has helped you. Coming to terms with how to succeed online needs a shift from what you are used to, the learning part at least, but in reality, it is also a refection of life, affiliate programs reward you for helping others. That to me is the best bit.