Starting a hobby that pays or a career online can be very confusing, time-consuming and frustrating at times. You read all these testimonials, all these e-books that say you can earn even at the comfort of your own home. Do not put your hopes up too high yet do not also quench that hope because the internet is a large marketplace where even a person with meager resources can establish a successful business. Much like in the real, outside world.
I won’t be repeating what you have already read. My goal in writing this tutorial is to get you started right away. Then afterwards, you may decide which path you will take. Working online can be lonely and boring sometimes being infront of the computer most of the time. My best advice is always take the path that you are interested with. You may fall short of your financial goals but the personal rewards in doing things that are interesting to you is something that no one can buy.
I kept this Newbie’s Guide on How to Start Earning Online as detailed as possible.
Let’s start with email addresses.
Email Addresses
Have at least 2 to 3 email addresses. I use more. Why use more than 1 email address?
It will keep your emails organized. One for your personal use. This is your old, regular email that you are using to communicate with your families and friends.
The second email is for the programs you will be joining. You can use your personal email but some programs have these regular newsletters which might clutter up your personal and important emails.
The third one is for your payment processors. For security reasons, I keep a separate email address for my payment processors. It helps me easily determine a phishing email from a real one. Once the email regarding my payment processor’s account come from my program’s email, then I consider it a Spam, unsolicited or phishing email.
Gmail and Yahoomail are the most popular choices. If you want to check only one (1) email instead of three (3) or more everytime, then sign-up for Gmail and use it’s forwarding feature to forward all your emails to another email address.
Keep your passwords unique from each other. Always log-out from your email account or any account you open every after use.
Payment Processors
If you work or do business online, it is wise to keep various payments options like Paypal, Moneybookers, E-Gold, Ikobo and Alertpay. These third party payment processors can be used to receive payments or use to pay for products or services on the internet without directly using a credit card or cash. Western Union is another popular option.
Most programs do not adjust to what is available to their members. If you do not own one or can not sign-up for one, find a way - through friends and relatives who can or do not join.
Except for the verification emails sent during the registration, do not click on links found in your email.
Sign-up for a personal account at Paypal website. You can upgrade later to Premier or Business Account. Use your credit card or debit card to verify your Paypal account. Your registered debit card will be the account to which payments from Paypal will be sent to when a withdrawal is made.
In order to verify your account, Paypal will charge an amount from your debit/credit card. You need to enter the Expanded Use Number corresponding to the charge made Paypal. This can be found on the credit card statement. You may also check your online accounts after 3 to 4 days.
Your Paypal account is not a number. It is an email address that you registered with Paypal
Like Paypal, signing-up for a Moneybookers account is free. You also need to verify your bank details (credit or debit card) and your address. Moneybookers will charge an undisclosed amount against your debit card or credit card. You must enter the exact amount in USD on the space provided.
A postal mail will also be sent to your registered address. It will arrive in about 10 working days. Enter the code found on the mail on the space provided.
Like Paypal, a Moneybookers account is not a number. It is the email address that you used when you signed-up.
Unlike Paypal, and Moneybookers, E-Gold do not verify account information. The most favored feature of E-Gold is all transactions are final and no chargebacks will ever be made to your account. Your personal information remains anonymous unless ordered by law.
- Ikobo and AlertpayYou can also sign-up for free on both Ikobo and Alertpay although they are not as popular as the 3 payment processors previously mentioned.
All of these accounts are email dependent. Always keep your payment processor email secure by using a unique password. Regularly changing email passwords can also enhance security.
You will never know when you will need one. Verifying an account can take a few days so it is better to sign-up now and verify your account.
After setting-up your email addresses and payment processors, you are ready to scout for possible programs or opportunities. These opportunities will vary according to your interests. Keep visiting the site and more newbies guide will be published about how to earn money online.
If you have questions or maybe interested in a particular program and you need some guides, do leave a comment and I will try to publish one in my future posts.
