I've Tried That - We lose money so you don't have to!

Here are two facts: (1) The US economy shed 1,256,000 jobs from September through November; (2) we are seeing an increase in traffic here at I’ve Tried That. I think these two facts are connected. More people turn to the Internet to supplement their income as jobs dry up.

So if you’re in that group of people looking online for ways to make some extra money, welcome. You have come to the right place. If you have spent any time at all searching for online jobs(and I know you did; we see the search words you used to find us), you have discovered that it’s like looking for pearls in a pool full of plastic beads.

There is A LOT of junk. TONS of scams. But you can also find some good stuff if you know how to look and what to avoid. This post gives a few simple rules for those two categories.

Rules for How to Search

• Legitimate work-at-home jobs are difficult to find with Google.
  That’s because Internet marketers know how to make their products appear in Google results when you search for jobs online. That’s why many of the search results end up trying to sell you something—they’re not looking for employees. They’re advertising a product for sale.
• Do not pay money to get a job.
  A “job” is an arrangement in which someone pays you in return for your time and/or expertise. If you are being asked to pay money, it’s not a job. Period.

If you keep those two ground rules in mind, the rules for the next category will be simple common sense.

Rules for What to Avoid

• Promises of quick money.
  We make money online using a variety of methods. None of them worked overnight and they all require some effort and attention. No online program that you sign up for today will earn you hundreds of dollars tomorrow.
• Promises of big money.
  Yes, it’s possible to make big money online. Many people do. But statistically, it’s not very likely that you will. If a program says everyone can make big money fast and easy, it’s misleading you.

For More Guidance

For more guidance about how to not get scammed as you’re looking for ways to make money online, check out our Top 10 Tips for Avoiding Online Scams. Also read Rules for searching for home jobs over at Workathometruth.com. You’ll find lots of other great resources over there, too.

If you have solid computer skills and are a writer, designer, or programmer, you’ll want to check out our e-book, The Complete Guide to Telecommuting. It teaches you where to look for legitimate work-at-home jobs, and how to land them once you find them.

Finally, check out our Directory of Online Money Making Opportunities. The rules apply: none of them are fast or easy and none will make you rich in a year. But I’ve made more than $600 with paid surveys alone, and that money helps.

Ready to make real and legitimate money online? Click here to discover the top recommendation I give to everyone who asks.