Photo Acknowledgement: Thanks to gerlos for sharing through the Creative Commons. The original photo can be found on Flick here.
How can an average middle class person make a few extra dollars during the recession and emerge on top? Focus your line of sight on the Internet.
As my readers know I'm an average, middle class, family guy with a decent career who is doing his best to make ends meet and I'm thankful for what I have. However, like many of you, my salary covers my family's expenses, but I typically lack a surplus of cash that I can stash away into a savings account or pay for some additional nice-to-haves once in awhile. Like most people, I do crave this 'security cushion' and in the past I have struggled to find ways to address it. To achieve this, many people look for part-time jobs or start a 'side' business and as much as this is a good approach for some, it is not for me. Why? Both approaches take me away from my family so instead I have found ways to leverage the Internet to generate my additional income. Why is the Internet channel my focal point for generating surplus savings? Well the majority of people on the Internet are consumers of content and not producers of content. The average American spends 32 hours per month surfing the Net and beyond posting Facebook updates and photos on FlickR they spend more time consuming other people's content (words, sounds, images, or videos) than producing their own. Forrester Research points out that about 69% of us are Internet 'Spectators' who sit on the sidelines while only 21% are considered 'Creators'. Adjusting your Internet behaviour just slightly by shifting your focus from being a Consumer to a Producer can potentially be an effective way to generate additional income during the recession. It's not only potentially lucrative; you can do it on your own time and from any location you choose so it allows people like me to have the family time that I cherish while still increasing my earnings. There are reams of information on how to make money through the Internet -- a lot of it is useless, but some of it is very helpful. The focus of this article is not to recommend specific strategies or tactics for making money online; instead it's simply a reminder to my readers that money can be made online and I wanted to share two important principles for those of you who want to try dabbling in this area:
- Become a Producer ... it's fun and rewarding ($) --Adjust your Internet behaviour by about 30% and become more of a Producer than a Consumer and you'll be surprised what can happen. Blogs, newsletters, YouTube channels, podcasts, etc. are all tangible and viable ways for generating additional income from programs like Google Adsense.
- Recognize the value of your social network --Become acutely aware that your social network is a valuable media channel. A sizable and well nurtured social network is a very affordable and attractive channel for companies seeking marketing opportunities. Using your social network and consciously treating it as an appreciating asset is a new paradigm for many. I personally feel that many of us already tweet and Facebook about our experiences with products, services, content, and visits to restaurants so why not let your Paypal account benefit a little by embracing affiliate marketing and sharing your honest opinion about the products that you are already using. My advice to you though is to always disclose the affiliate arrangement and to always stay true to your opinions otherwise affiliate marketing is more like a cheap bribe -- so stay true to yourself if you decide to do this. Regardless, your social network is an asset and it needs to be nurtured.
The DotCommoner
