Resources

Here is a list some of the products, guides, and resources that I’ve found to be essential when it comes to earning money online over the past few years.  Some of these you have to pay for, but many are absolutely free.

My #1 Resource

HostGator is just awesome for any beginner setting up their own blog for the first time.  The beauty of it is that you can buy your domain name, host it, and download Wordpress all in one package.  Once you’ve set up your site, you can monetize it with programs like Google Adsense, clickbank, or Amazon Affiliates.  

(TIP: When you reach checkout, enter “mturkcoupon” in the box asking for a coupon code and you’ll get HostGator for a reduced rate!)

MTurk Resources

Turkopticon Toolbar – No turker should be without this small and free toolbar, it helps you to find the best hits and decide which ones to accept and reject.

My Top 10 Amazon MturkTips and Tricks – This is the guide I put together for people who are new to Amazon Mechanical Turk and want to learn the ropes.

There are two MTurk forums which are worth checking out: Turker Nation and MTurk Forum.  They help you to keep up-to-date with what’s happening in Mechanical Turk and enable you to communicate with other turkers.

My Favorite Earning Websites

Mechanical Turk – This is the one that got me started with earning online and it’s still the best if you just want some quick and easy cash in your bank account, even if the pay rates are not as a lucrative as they used to be.

Bubblews – This is the new kid on the block and another site where you can start earning straight away.  It’s very quick and easy to use and many people love it as an earner.  Getting a payment takes longer nowadays, however, since they raised the threshold from $25 to $50.

Hubpages – You won’t earn quickly from this content site, but I have done well from it over time. It’s a “passive income” site, that means that you build up your written articles (known as hubs) gradually and earn from advertising.  Hubpages make everything easy for you, all you have to do is work out what people want to read and write it.

Squidoo – HubPages’ biggest rival and my biggest earner for a long time.  The good times came to an end when the site got slapped by Google in late Summer 2013 and suddenly went into decline.  I do believe that I’ve seen some tentative signs of a recovery recently, however.

Website Hosts and Blogging 

HostGator – As I mentioned above, this is my favorite host and the best place for a beginner to put together their own blog or website.  You can install Wordpress with just a click, it literally takes just 5 minutes to be up and running!  In all the years I’ve used Hostgator, I’ve never had any significant issues regarding reliability, or problems with their customer service.

Bluehost – Also highly rated and many experts’ favorite host.  HostGator edges it for me, but I will admit that it’s a close run thing.

Wordpress – Excellent open source blogging platform, making it easy to set up your own blog/website without having to know any computer coding.  What’s more, it’s free.

Images for use Online

Royalty free photos are essential for making sites and articles attractive.  Taking your own photos is good, but not always practical, so it helps to have other sources of photos.  Below are the ones that I use.

Creative Commons images via Flickr/Wikipedia – Many of the photos on Flickr and Wikipedia can be used, but you have to familiarize yourself with the different sorts of licenses that they are published under. 

Pixabay – The choice of images can be a little bit limited, but they are all royalty-free and available for use.

iStockPhoto – You have to pay a small amount for these, but it’s worth it for the superior range and quality of the images.

 

3 Books That Have Inspired and Informed Me

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rouse and Chris Garrett.  The book on blogging that everyone needs to read, by legendary blogger, Darren Rouse.

The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau.  So many nuggets of knowledge in this book, I keep going back to it!

Moonlighting on the Internet by Yanik Silver.  It is difficult to put this book down, once you start it, so many inspiring ideas!

Affiliate Advertising

The affiliate programs listed below are three of the biggest and most popular one to be used by bloggers/website owners, including myself, to generate income.

Amazon Associates –  One of the most popular programs for “passive” earners and quite possibly one of the most lucrative.

Google Adsense – Another favorite of “passive” earners, Adsense posts ads that are “relevant” to the person visiting that webpage, if they click on the ad, you earn a small payment.  You need a lot of clicks to earn a significant amount of money, however.

Clickbank – Another popular way of earning online via affiliate advertising.  Clickback has literally thousands of products for you to promote or review and every time that someone buys one that you have linked to, you get a cut.

Disclosure: Some of the above links are affiliate links.  That means that if you use them to buy a product or service, I may receive a small commission.  There is no cost to yourself, however, financial or otherwise.  I only recommend products and services that I myself have used and found to be helpful in achieving earning goals.  I appreciate everyone who uses my affiliate links and thank them for their support.