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Making Sense of Internet Schemes
by Alyson Preston
 If you search the Web for 'work at home' you’ll likely find more results that feature 'Internet schemes' and
multilevel marketing opportunities than ones that list true telecommuting jobs or contract work that can be done at home.
Here are six major Internet schemes:
- Get Paid to Surf the Web
- Affiliate Programs, also called Associate Programs, Referral Programs
- Internet Malls, also called Online Malls, Virtual Malls
- Cash for Receiving Email
- Cash for Including a Graphic Ad in your Emails
- Free Internet Access
These schemes are all portrayed as easy ways to make money at home on your computer (with the exception of Free Internet Access programs, which simply offer free access if you look at some ads). But the truth of the matter is that they either yield a very small amount of money, or require loads and loads of work in order to make any significant cash.
Get Paid to Surf the Web
These are arrangements in which you download the company's software (not always required). The company places a rotating ad banner within your browser window so that whenever you’re on the Web, you see an ad. These companies pay $.50 or more per hour when you’re looking at their ad (or not looking at it) as you surf the Web. Advertisers pay these companies for banner space, and the companies then basically pay you to host a banner on your page.
These programs also offer more money if you sign up other people under you, in a multi-level pyramid-type setup. If you’re online one hour per day, you’ll make $15 a month. Not much, but if you have referred some people, you can make $.05 to $.10 an hour for the time these people are online.
One problem with this scheme is that the ad banner takes up a portion of your viewable screen. If you have a small monitor, this could get annoying after a while. You can always stick a piece of masking tape over the banner if it starts bugging you.
Curious about how this works and how to get involved? Here’s the lowdown.
There is actually a section dedicated to this within Yahoo!.
Affiliate Programs, Associate Programs and Referral Programs
Affiliate programs pay for product sales generated by leads from your Web site. So if someone clicks from your Web site to a commercial site and makes a purchase, you get money. There are various payment systems, ranging from a percentage of the sale to a flat referral fee to a commission. Some programs require payment to join.
There are a huge number of these programs, and many are from familiar companies like Pets.com, Amazon.com, RCA.com, KBkids.com and eToys.com.
The only hitch with these programs is that you have to get people to click on the links from your site, and then they have to buy stuff. Pretty major hitch if you’re not an experienced Webmaster, marketer and salesperson. You may not have to pay to get started, but you won't make any money unless people find and use your Web site.
Internet Malls
Internet or online malls are really an extension of affiliate programs, where you create a Web site where people can shop for whatever affiliate products you list.
While the potential to make money is there, just as with affiliate programs, people have to actually buy stuff through your site in order for you to make money. The only way for your site to get any significant amount of traffic is for you to advertise, market and promote your site.
There are many companies offering comprehensive setup programs that include site design, hosting, e-commerce capabilities and reporting tools. Yahoo! has a whole section listing online store builders and online malls.
Cash for Receiving Email
Internet marketing takes another twist with a program from SendMoreInfo.com that pays you for agreeing to receive email advertisements. First you fill out a form where you check off various areas of interest. Armed with this list, the company then knows which types of email ads to send you.
The money chain originates at the advertiser, who pays the company to email a certain number of ads. When you get an ad in your email, you are paid a small percentage. You can make around $.05 for every email you receive. If you refer others, you will also make $.02 or $.03 for every email they receive. The program pays more if you click on the link in the ad to visit the advertiser's site.
Cash for Including Graphic Ad in your Emails
Epidemic.com works on the same model as "Cash for Receiving Email" except that you include a graphic ad in the outgoing emails you send. You then earn a commission when people click through the ads or make purchases after clicking through. You also make commissions based on the sales of people who sign up to the service through you.
Free Internet Access
Here’s a scheme to save money. This is another one that has its own Yahoo! section:
There are various types of programs that will give you free Internet access, and they are all based on advertising. Some will float a banner ad on the screen whenever you are online. You can browse and use the Web, but the banner will always be there. You may be asked to fill out a form specifying particular areas of interest so that the company can target the ads you see.
Instead of permanent banner ads, other programs cause ads to periodically pop up while you are online, and you will need to click through these ads in order to stay online. 
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