Fundraising is a key component for most social good campaigns and projects. Thanks to the the Internet and the social web, raising money for a non-profit, community project or charitable organization or relief effort is easier than ever before.
The web makes it possible to get your message across and collect money from people all over the world and to include your social graph in the process.
If you have an idea or a cause that you want to bring awareness to and raise funds around, there are lots of great online tools to help get you started. Whether you want to raise money for a local community center or help fundraise as part of a broader social good campaign, these tools make it easy to get the word out and collect the funds you need.
1. FirstGiving
The U.S. subsidiary of JustGiving.com, FirstGiving lets users raise money for any non-profit in the GuideStar database.
It’s free to create a basic account, but if you pay $300 you can fully customize your donations page and link them back to your own website. FirstGiving lets you create fundraising around upcoming events, marathons and walk-a-thons too, which is a nice touch. The processing fee for donation is 5% plus another 2% for credit card transactions.
2. Crowdrise
We mentioned Crowdrise in a recent post about alternatives to Facebook Causes and it is a great tool for both charities and general purpose fundraisers.
Once you start a project, you can share your project’s link via Facebook
3. Kickstarter
Kickstarter is most often used by aspiring creatives to fund projects but it can also be used for great effect for local social good community efforts.
Kickstarter is unique in that if your goal amount isn’t reached, none of the money is collected. This “all-or-nothing” approach often leads to Kickstarter campaigns being more active and more involved than a traditional “donate widget.”
A great part of Kickstarter for the social fund creator is the ability to reward donors at certain levels. Much like PBS and NPR offer trinkets if you give a certain amount, Kickstarter lets its project creators do the same thing. You can get really creative with your different donor levels to drive people to give more.
4. WhatGives
WhatGives offers a great widget you can use on Facebook or on your personal webpage to collect donations for your non-profit. WhatGives is nice because aside from integrating well with Facebook, all donations are handled through PayPal.
You need to be a registered non-profit with an approved PayPal account, and all donations are channeled directly into that account. You can customize the platform and embed it as a Facebook app or on your blog or website.
5. Change.org
Change.org lets users create programs to generate actions from others. This can be as simple as signing a petition or writing a letter, or as generous as donating money. For non-profits in the GuideStar database, you can create your own donation pages to collect funds and also draw attention to other action items.
Change.org is very focused on making it easy to virally spread a message, and the site itself also acts as a portal to different organizations and awareness campaigns.
6. Chipin
Chipin is one of the most popular donation widget tools on the web and it’s a great way to collect money for a good cause. We love the Chipin widget because you can see instant progress on donations, and it accepts many forms of payment.
Unlike many of the services on this list, Chipin isn’t just for non-profits or community organizations. You can use it for any project you want.
7. Razoo
Razoo has options for individuals, non-profits, foundations and corporations to raise money for their causes. Individuals can choose to create a fundraising page for any registered non-profit that Razoo recognizes (they have a database of about a million) and non-profits can create custom pages for their organizations and connect with supporters and encourage them to create their own fundraising pages.
What we love about Razoo, in addition to its simple interface and great UI, is that it also offers donation matching for corporations or foundations looking for an easy way to raise money.
8. Convio
Convio offers software for online fundraising and membership, and while its target audience is probably bigger groups or organizations, it’s still worth a look.
For example, Convio’s TeamRaiser lets organizations make it easy for volunteers to create their own websites for tracking and attracting donations.
If you’re organizing a social good fund for a big charity walk or event where volunteers go door-to-door to get donations, check out Convio because it makes managing that process much easier.
9. Facebook Causes
Causes is an increasingly common way for individuals to raise money and start their own funds that are tied to a non-profit. Because Causes is so well-integrated into Facebook, it makes getting the word out and raising awareness and funds for your cause that much simpler.
10. StayClassy
A newer player in the arena of online giving, San Diego’s StayClassy is focused not just on helping non-profits collect donations online, but also manage events and campaigns, track their fundraising results and plug-in.
The world of online fundraising is vast and diverse. What tools have you used when starting your own social good funds? Let us know in the comments.
Brought to you by theThis post was brought to you by the groundbreaking Social Good Summit. On September 20, as global leaders head to New York for United Nations Week — including a historic summit on global issues known as the “Millennium Development Goals” (MDGs) and the annual General Assembly — Mashable, 92nd Street Y and the UN Foundation will bring together leaders from the digital industry, policy and media worlds to focus on how technology and social networks can play a leading role in addressing the world’s most intractable problems.
Date: Monday, September 20, 2010
Image courtesy of iStockphoto
For more Social Good coverage:
Your awkward family photos already make for hilarious comedic relief on the popular blog Awkward Family Photos. Beginning today, those photos will also score you at least 33.3% off your next family vacay to Orlando and potentially much more, as Virgin America has partnered with the meme blog to promote its upcoming new service to Orlando.
Virgin America is encouraging families to upload their most awkward photos to Awkward Family Photos (AFP) for a chance to win four roundtrip tickets to anywhere the airline flies. Submissions will be accepted via AFP and Virgin America’s Facebook Page through Oct 5, at which time the 20 most uncomfortable finalists will be selected and put to a public vote.
AFP voters will decide on the winner of that prize, but one California entrant will also be handpicked by Virgin America and AFP to win an Orlando family getaway including flights and accommodations. “The winners will be whisked in style from Los Angeles onboard Virgin America’s celebratory flight and greeted on arrival in Orlando at a red carpet welcome party hosted by Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson,” according to the announcement.
The grand prizes are enticing, but even if your family’s awkwardness is not the most awkward of all (perhaps a good sign), you can still get the 33.3% family discount (for parties of three to six people) on a Virgin America Orlando flight. The same discount applies to Awkward Family Photos lookie loos who vote on their favorite submissions.
Prizes aside, the Virgin America Orlando promotion is quite interesting given the airline’s unorthodox choice for a contest partner. Instead of a Twitter
AFP, like many other many meme-oriented blogs and viral sensations, survives by making money through advertising, online stores and book sales. When Internet users vote with their attention, a meme is born. Virgin America appears to see opportunity in affiliating their brand name with an online pop culture phenomena, potentially paving the way for more big brand meme partnerships to come.
At the end of the day, the AFP photo contest is an interesting twist to social advertising and promotion norms that celebrates and supports
Image courtesy of Awkward Family Photos
For more Business coverage:
Dr. eric seiger
Today's <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper
When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/14 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning, AP! The theme continues today with respect for everything Chiefs (except anything remotely associated with the passing game). Oh, and Pollard seems miffed. Here's your Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.
CDMA iPhone <b>news</b>: Verizon's network is ready and India wants <b>...</b>
Oct. 13, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal is all about the iPhone these days. The publication recently posted about how Verizon will be getting the iPhone in 2011 and they've.
eric seiger do
Fundraising is a key component for most social good campaigns and projects. Thanks to the the Internet and the social web, raising money for a non-profit, community project or charitable organization or relief effort is easier than ever before.
The web makes it possible to get your message across and collect money from people all over the world and to include your social graph in the process.
If you have an idea or a cause that you want to bring awareness to and raise funds around, there are lots of great online tools to help get you started. Whether you want to raise money for a local community center or help fundraise as part of a broader social good campaign, these tools make it easy to get the word out and collect the funds you need.
1. FirstGiving
The U.S. subsidiary of JustGiving.com, FirstGiving lets users raise money for any non-profit in the GuideStar database.
It’s free to create a basic account, but if you pay $300 you can fully customize your donations page and link them back to your own website. FirstGiving lets you create fundraising around upcoming events, marathons and walk-a-thons too, which is a nice touch. The processing fee for donation is 5% plus another 2% for credit card transactions.
2. Crowdrise
We mentioned Crowdrise in a recent post about alternatives to Facebook Causes and it is a great tool for both charities and general purpose fundraisers.
Once you start a project, you can share your project’s link via Facebook
3. Kickstarter
Kickstarter is most often used by aspiring creatives to fund projects but it can also be used for great effect for local social good community efforts.
Kickstarter is unique in that if your goal amount isn’t reached, none of the money is collected. This “all-or-nothing” approach often leads to Kickstarter campaigns being more active and more involved than a traditional “donate widget.”
A great part of Kickstarter for the social fund creator is the ability to reward donors at certain levels. Much like PBS and NPR offer trinkets if you give a certain amount, Kickstarter lets its project creators do the same thing. You can get really creative with your different donor levels to drive people to give more.
4. WhatGives
WhatGives offers a great widget you can use on Facebook or on your personal webpage to collect donations for your non-profit. WhatGives is nice because aside from integrating well with Facebook, all donations are handled through PayPal.
You need to be a registered non-profit with an approved PayPal account, and all donations are channeled directly into that account. You can customize the platform and embed it as a Facebook app or on your blog or website.
5. Change.org
Change.org lets users create programs to generate actions from others. This can be as simple as signing a petition or writing a letter, or as generous as donating money. For non-profits in the GuideStar database, you can create your own donation pages to collect funds and also draw attention to other action items.
Change.org is very focused on making it easy to virally spread a message, and the site itself also acts as a portal to different organizations and awareness campaigns.
6. Chipin
Chipin is one of the most popular donation widget tools on the web and it’s a great way to collect money for a good cause. We love the Chipin widget because you can see instant progress on donations, and it accepts many forms of payment.
Unlike many of the services on this list, Chipin isn’t just for non-profits or community organizations. You can use it for any project you want.
7. Razoo
Razoo has options for individuals, non-profits, foundations and corporations to raise money for their causes. Individuals can choose to create a fundraising page for any registered non-profit that Razoo recognizes (they have a database of about a million) and non-profits can create custom pages for their organizations and connect with supporters and encourage them to create their own fundraising pages.
What we love about Razoo, in addition to its simple interface and great UI, is that it also offers donation matching for corporations or foundations looking for an easy way to raise money.
8. Convio
Convio offers software for online fundraising and membership, and while its target audience is probably bigger groups or organizations, it’s still worth a look.
For example, Convio’s TeamRaiser lets organizations make it easy for volunteers to create their own websites for tracking and attracting donations.
If you’re organizing a social good fund for a big charity walk or event where volunteers go door-to-door to get donations, check out Convio because it makes managing that process much easier.
9. Facebook Causes
Causes is an increasingly common way for individuals to raise money and start their own funds that are tied to a non-profit. Because Causes is so well-integrated into Facebook, it makes getting the word out and raising awareness and funds for your cause that much simpler.
10. StayClassy
A newer player in the arena of online giving, San Diego’s StayClassy is focused not just on helping non-profits collect donations online, but also manage events and campaigns, track their fundraising results and plug-in.
The world of online fundraising is vast and diverse. What tools have you used when starting your own social good funds? Let us know in the comments.
Brought to you by theThis post was brought to you by the groundbreaking Social Good Summit. On September 20, as global leaders head to New York for United Nations Week — including a historic summit on global issues known as the “Millennium Development Goals” (MDGs) and the annual General Assembly — Mashable, 92nd Street Y and the UN Foundation will bring together leaders from the digital industry, policy and media worlds to focus on how technology and social networks can play a leading role in addressing the world’s most intractable problems.
Date: Monday, September 20, 2010
Image courtesy of iStockphoto
For more Social Good coverage:
Your awkward family photos already make for hilarious comedic relief on the popular blog Awkward Family Photos. Beginning today, those photos will also score you at least 33.3% off your next family vacay to Orlando and potentially much more, as Virgin America has partnered with the meme blog to promote its upcoming new service to Orlando.
Virgin America is encouraging families to upload their most awkward photos to Awkward Family Photos (AFP) for a chance to win four roundtrip tickets to anywhere the airline flies. Submissions will be accepted via AFP and Virgin America’s Facebook Page through Oct 5, at which time the 20 most uncomfortable finalists will be selected and put to a public vote.
AFP voters will decide on the winner of that prize, but one California entrant will also be handpicked by Virgin America and AFP to win an Orlando family getaway including flights and accommodations. “The winners will be whisked in style from Los Angeles onboard Virgin America’s celebratory flight and greeted on arrival in Orlando at a red carpet welcome party hosted by Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson,” according to the announcement.
The grand prizes are enticing, but even if your family’s awkwardness is not the most awkward of all (perhaps a good sign), you can still get the 33.3% family discount (for parties of three to six people) on a Virgin America Orlando flight. The same discount applies to Awkward Family Photos lookie loos who vote on their favorite submissions.
Prizes aside, the Virgin America Orlando promotion is quite interesting given the airline’s unorthodox choice for a contest partner. Instead of a Twitter
AFP, like many other many meme-oriented blogs and viral sensations, survives by making money through advertising, online stores and book sales. When Internet users vote with their attention, a meme is born. Virgin America appears to see opportunity in affiliating their brand name with an online pop culture phenomena, potentially paving the way for more big brand meme partnerships to come.
At the end of the day, the AFP photo contest is an interesting twist to social advertising and promotion norms that celebrates and supports
Image courtesy of Awkward Family Photos
For more Business coverage:
eric seiger
Today's <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper
When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/14 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning, AP! The theme continues today with respect for everything Chiefs (except anything remotely associated with the passing game). Oh, and Pollard seems miffed. Here's your Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.
CDMA iPhone <b>news</b>: Verizon's network is ready and India wants <b>...</b>
Oct. 13, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal is all about the iPhone these days. The publication recently posted about how Verizon will be getting the iPhone in 2011 and they've.
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eric seiger do
eric seiger
Today's <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper
When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/14 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning, AP! The theme continues today with respect for everything Chiefs (except anything remotely associated with the passing game). Oh, and Pollard seems miffed. Here's your Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.
CDMA iPhone <b>news</b>: Verizon's network is ready and India wants <b>...</b>
Oct. 13, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal is all about the iPhone these days. The publication recently posted about how Verizon will be getting the iPhone in 2011 and they've.
eric seiger dermatology
Fundraising is a key component for most social good campaigns and projects. Thanks to the the Internet and the social web, raising money for a non-profit, community project or charitable organization or relief effort is easier than ever before.
The web makes it possible to get your message across and collect money from people all over the world and to include your social graph in the process.
If you have an idea or a cause that you want to bring awareness to and raise funds around, there are lots of great online tools to help get you started. Whether you want to raise money for a local community center or help fundraise as part of a broader social good campaign, these tools make it easy to get the word out and collect the funds you need.
1. FirstGiving
The U.S. subsidiary of JustGiving.com, FirstGiving lets users raise money for any non-profit in the GuideStar database.
It’s free to create a basic account, but if you pay $300 you can fully customize your donations page and link them back to your own website. FirstGiving lets you create fundraising around upcoming events, marathons and walk-a-thons too, which is a nice touch. The processing fee for donation is 5% plus another 2% for credit card transactions.
2. Crowdrise
We mentioned Crowdrise in a recent post about alternatives to Facebook Causes and it is a great tool for both charities and general purpose fundraisers.
Once you start a project, you can share your project’s link via Facebook
3. Kickstarter
Kickstarter is most often used by aspiring creatives to fund projects but it can also be used for great effect for local social good community efforts.
Kickstarter is unique in that if your goal amount isn’t reached, none of the money is collected. This “all-or-nothing” approach often leads to Kickstarter campaigns being more active and more involved than a traditional “donate widget.”
A great part of Kickstarter for the social fund creator is the ability to reward donors at certain levels. Much like PBS and NPR offer trinkets if you give a certain amount, Kickstarter lets its project creators do the same thing. You can get really creative with your different donor levels to drive people to give more.
4. WhatGives
WhatGives offers a great widget you can use on Facebook or on your personal webpage to collect donations for your non-profit. WhatGives is nice because aside from integrating well with Facebook, all donations are handled through PayPal.
You need to be a registered non-profit with an approved PayPal account, and all donations are channeled directly into that account. You can customize the platform and embed it as a Facebook app or on your blog or website.
5. Change.org
Change.org lets users create programs to generate actions from others. This can be as simple as signing a petition or writing a letter, or as generous as donating money. For non-profits in the GuideStar database, you can create your own donation pages to collect funds and also draw attention to other action items.
Change.org is very focused on making it easy to virally spread a message, and the site itself also acts as a portal to different organizations and awareness campaigns.
6. Chipin
Chipin is one of the most popular donation widget tools on the web and it’s a great way to collect money for a good cause. We love the Chipin widget because you can see instant progress on donations, and it accepts many forms of payment.
Unlike many of the services on this list, Chipin isn’t just for non-profits or community organizations. You can use it for any project you want.
7. Razoo
Razoo has options for individuals, non-profits, foundations and corporations to raise money for their causes. Individuals can choose to create a fundraising page for any registered non-profit that Razoo recognizes (they have a database of about a million) and non-profits can create custom pages for their organizations and connect with supporters and encourage them to create their own fundraising pages.
What we love about Razoo, in addition to its simple interface and great UI, is that it also offers donation matching for corporations or foundations looking for an easy way to raise money.
8. Convio
Convio offers software for online fundraising and membership, and while its target audience is probably bigger groups or organizations, it’s still worth a look.
For example, Convio’s TeamRaiser lets organizations make it easy for volunteers to create their own websites for tracking and attracting donations.
If you’re organizing a social good fund for a big charity walk or event where volunteers go door-to-door to get donations, check out Convio because it makes managing that process much easier.
9. Facebook Causes
Causes is an increasingly common way for individuals to raise money and start their own funds that are tied to a non-profit. Because Causes is so well-integrated into Facebook, it makes getting the word out and raising awareness and funds for your cause that much simpler.
10. StayClassy
A newer player in the arena of online giving, San Diego’s StayClassy is focused not just on helping non-profits collect donations online, but also manage events and campaigns, track their fundraising results and plug-in.
The world of online fundraising is vast and diverse. What tools have you used when starting your own social good funds? Let us know in the comments.
Brought to you by theThis post was brought to you by the groundbreaking Social Good Summit. On September 20, as global leaders head to New York for United Nations Week — including a historic summit on global issues known as the “Millennium Development Goals” (MDGs) and the annual General Assembly — Mashable, 92nd Street Y and the UN Foundation will bring together leaders from the digital industry, policy and media worlds to focus on how technology and social networks can play a leading role in addressing the world’s most intractable problems.
Date: Monday, September 20, 2010
Image courtesy of iStockphoto
For more Social Good coverage:
Your awkward family photos already make for hilarious comedic relief on the popular blog Awkward Family Photos. Beginning today, those photos will also score you at least 33.3% off your next family vacay to Orlando and potentially much more, as Virgin America has partnered with the meme blog to promote its upcoming new service to Orlando.
Virgin America is encouraging families to upload their most awkward photos to Awkward Family Photos (AFP) for a chance to win four roundtrip tickets to anywhere the airline flies. Submissions will be accepted via AFP and Virgin America’s Facebook Page through Oct 5, at which time the 20 most uncomfortable finalists will be selected and put to a public vote.
AFP voters will decide on the winner of that prize, but one California entrant will also be handpicked by Virgin America and AFP to win an Orlando family getaway including flights and accommodations. “The winners will be whisked in style from Los Angeles onboard Virgin America’s celebratory flight and greeted on arrival in Orlando at a red carpet welcome party hosted by Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson,” according to the announcement.
The grand prizes are enticing, but even if your family’s awkwardness is not the most awkward of all (perhaps a good sign), you can still get the 33.3% family discount (for parties of three to six people) on a Virgin America Orlando flight. The same discount applies to Awkward Family Photos lookie loos who vote on their favorite submissions.
Prizes aside, the Virgin America Orlando promotion is quite interesting given the airline’s unorthodox choice for a contest partner. Instead of a Twitter
AFP, like many other many meme-oriented blogs and viral sensations, survives by making money through advertising, online stores and book sales. When Internet users vote with their attention, a meme is born. Virgin America appears to see opportunity in affiliating their brand name with an online pop culture phenomena, potentially paving the way for more big brand meme partnerships to come.
At the end of the day, the AFP photo contest is an interesting twist to social advertising and promotion norms that celebrates and supports
Image courtesy of Awkward Family Photos
For more Business coverage:
eric seiger do
skin
and vein center
Today's <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper
When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/14 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning, AP! The theme continues today with respect for everything Chiefs (except anything remotely associated with the passing game). Oh, and Pollard seems miffed. Here's your Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.
CDMA iPhone <b>news</b>: Verizon's network is ready and India wants <b>...</b>
Oct. 13, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal is all about the iPhone these days. The publication recently posted about how Verizon will be getting the iPhone in 2011 and they've.
eric seiger dermatologist
skin
and vein center
Today's <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper
When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/14 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning, AP! The theme continues today with respect for everything Chiefs (except anything remotely associated with the passing game). Oh, and Pollard seems miffed. Here's your Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.
CDMA iPhone <b>news</b>: Verizon's network is ready and India wants <b>...</b>
Oct. 13, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal is all about the iPhone these days. The publication recently posted about how Verizon will be getting the iPhone in 2011 and they've.
eric seiger
Today's <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper
When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/14 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning, AP! The theme continues today with respect for everything Chiefs (except anything remotely associated with the passing game). Oh, and Pollard seems miffed. Here's your Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.
CDMA iPhone <b>news</b>: Verizon's network is ready and India wants <b>...</b>
Oct. 13, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal is all about the iPhone these days. The publication recently posted about how Verizon will be getting the iPhone in 2011 and they've.
eric seiger dermatologist
Today's <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper
When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/14 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning, AP! The theme continues today with respect for everything Chiefs (except anything remotely associated with the passing game). Oh, and Pollard seems miffed. Here's your Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.
CDMA iPhone <b>news</b>: Verizon's network is ready and India wants <b>...</b>
Oct. 13, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal is all about the iPhone these days. The publication recently posted about how Verizon will be getting the iPhone in 2011 and they've.
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Today's <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper
When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/14 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning, AP! The theme continues today with respect for everything Chiefs (except anything remotely associated with the passing game). Oh, and Pollard seems miffed. Here's your Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.
CDMA iPhone <b>news</b>: Verizon's network is ready and India wants <b>...</b>
Oct. 13, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal is all about the iPhone these days. The publication recently posted about how Verizon will be getting the iPhone in 2011 and they've.
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There are many different ways to make a few bucks online, all it takes is for you to pick one and dive in. Trying to make money online is too enticing to pass up because if you have an internet connection, the opportunity is there waiting to be taken. There are a number of different paths you can take to make money online and some of the more prevalent ones are: using affiliate links, Google adwords and adsense, running a website and writing articles.
It's too bad the internet is flooded with scam sites that promise if you pay them money, they'll send you kit that will teach you to become rich from the internet. The reality is that you don't have to pay a site to show you how to make money online, it can practically be done for free aside from paying for a domain name, it just depends on what you want to do.
The first method I was introduced to was using Google adwords to draw visitors to affiliate links. Setting up a profile on something like Clickbank, Linkshare, or Commission Junction allows you to set up a referral program. These programs are with various sites that sell products and when you include a link to that site, anyone who clicks on it and buys something gives you a small percentage of that sale. What's nice is a that using these sites is free (except Commission Junction suspends your account if you don't make sales. Guilty!). Adwords campaigns are those text boxes on the right hand side of the browser that show up when you search for something. Whiling creating a campaign, you include a list of keywords that users type in that pull up your adwords campaign. These keywords are shared among other people and whoever pays the most for them is listed higher in the search results.
Adwords is far from free, it's pay-per-click advertising which means if someone types in a keyword and clicks on your campaign when it pops up, you are charged a certain amount of money depending on how much you are willing to pay for a keyword. If you choose to pursue making money with adwords, I advise investing time reading the information and tutorials on the adsense website as well as the material written by people with a successful adwords track record.
Running your own website can make you some money online, though it does require at least a little bit of HTML and web design savvy. You could always pay someone to design it for you, but what's the fun it that? I think it's imperative to know the ins and outs of your own website and not constantly rely on someone else whenever a problem arises or if you want to change something. Creating a website isn't as intimidating as it used to be. Free web editors allow you to experiment with the look of your site. Most of those are WYSIWYG editors, which stands for What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get, meaning the editor treats web design more like a text editor that allows you to copy and paste, drag and drop, and insert media with little HTML knowledge. Sites like Wordpress.org help by offering templates and even a control panel, so you can add content like articles and videos to new pages with ease.
But how can you make money with a website? Well, there are a few ways. One being ad revenue through Google Adsense. Adsense ads are usually boxes with pictures or gifs that advertise something on another site that create revenue for you when someone clicks it. Adsense can contain advertisements ranging from MMORPGs, smokeless cigarettes, or weight loss methods. There is no cost to you to create and maintain these ads. I have mixed feelings about adsense; on the one hand it's a great way to generate a little revenue when people on your site click on relevant ads that interest them. On the other hand, the internet is absolutely flooded with garbage adsense spam that ruins site credibility and corrupts content. I get so tired of different ads using the same pictures for completely different products or services and even respected sites have reduced themselves to crowding their pages with adsense. Like everything else, adsense in moderation goes a long way.
Besides using adwords on your website, you can make money selling someone else's product if you don't have your own. Just like adwords, you'll have to join an affiliate program with the sites mentioned earlier and can pick which websites to promote from the ones available. Not every website is connected to an affiliate site, so if you can't find a specific site you want to use, you'll have to find one that offers a similar product or service. Once you find a site, it's as easy as creating a link with the affiliate site and including it within the content of you own website. That link can be in the form of a URL or a text hyperlink. Someone who clicks on the link and makes a purchase earns you a commission. These commissions can be very low, so making money this way requires a high volume of sales.
Last but not least is making money online by writing articles. Get those creative juices flowing and write about something you enjoy and get paid for it. You can put these articles on your own site to draw visitors and revenue from your adsense ads or text links, or you can submit them to websites that can pay you in different ways. One way is an upfront payment that gives the site rights to your work, meaning you can publish it anywhere else, not even your own site. Another is payment based on the number of views the article generates, which can be a couple bucks for a thousand views. Some may even link your Google Adsense account to the article, so revenue is generated based on visitors clicking ads shown along with the content. Some sites I like to use are Associated Content, MintArticles, and Bukisa. There are a slew of sites to choose from, so I suggest submitting a few articles to one and seeing how well they perform. Sites like Associated Content are held in high regard do a good job of getting your articles noticed.
So there you have it. It doesn't take a genius to make money online, but it takes persistence, patience and a bit of creativity. There's no "get-rich-quick" method and it takes a while to start generating income for everyone. Personally, I treat it as a hobby and would be doing it even if there was no money because I enjoy writing and if you enjoy it, eventually the money will follow.
big seminar 14
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big seminar 14
Today's <b>News</b>: a slick unofficial iPad app for The Guardian newspaper
When The Guardian newspaper released its Open API, interesting and potentially cool things were bound to happen. Developers love great content and great ...
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 10/14 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning, AP! The theme continues today with respect for everything Chiefs (except anything remotely associated with the passing game). Oh, and Pollard seems miffed. Here's your Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.
CDMA iPhone <b>news</b>: Verizon's network is ready and India wants <b>...</b>
Oct. 13, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal is all about the iPhone these days. The publication recently posted about how Verizon will be getting the iPhone in 2011 and they've.
big seminar 14
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