I'm Slowly Breaking Away From PTC, PTBs, etc.

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So, it's been months since I stumbled onto online money making opportunities. It's not easy to make money online, as most would pass it off to be. For many of us, we've most likely been duped at one point or another but that's really just part of the learning curve. You eventually learn how to spot the differences between a scam and a legit offer. Some catch on faster than others simply because we're all on different learning planes. It doesn't necessarily make one smarter than the other. Anyway, I've been quiet and inactive here for a month or so, mainly because my day job has been stealing me away from my beloved mylotters (HAH! - Well, I do have some good friends here and no, not being sarcastic). Apart from my being busy with my day job, which is really burning me out to the core, I've also decided to dedicate time and invest in building something...well, a little "make money online" empire of my own. Needless to say, my venture into it is slowly picking up. I'm happy thus far with what I have accomplished and I do believe I am on the right track. I'm not interested in posting payment proofs or what not because I am merely sharing my story. I am not posting affiliate links here or on my profile in whatsoever manner. Blogging/ Paid to Post/ Get Paid To/ Pay Per Click sites are no longer on my top money makers, because why do that when you can earn so much more, without the constant risk of a PTC/GPT site becoming a scam and only earning more than a dollar or two with PTPs. The reason why I've chosen to stick with mylot is because I actually like it. Not only because it's informative but to me, this has been a stepping stone and so I would like to remain loyal. Add to that, I think this post can help some people somehow. Everyone starts off somewhere but it's only a handful of people who put what they know into action. Many are too scared to make the leap and some are just too skeptic to move forward. Either way, justify your risks by only losing what you can afford, be it time or money. Realistically, there are NO offers on the internet that will make you money for free or without investment. It's just a catchy phrase to say it's free when really, you do need to invest; be it your time, or maybe even your hard earned money. That said, always be aware of what you're getting yourself into. I am currently into affiliate marketing and have found a good mentor to teach me along the way. At first, I was apprehensive to join affiliate networks because I was afraid of getting rejected and having no chance whatsoever to sign up again. Well, guess what? I got into a few networks without a website (domain) of my own, in my first application. So, there's proof that you never know until you try. And if you do fail in your first attempt, always remember that the ones who never fail are the ones who never try. My best advice for anyone would be to stop spending on the wrong things. What you need is proper education on affiliate marketing. Many spend so much on clickbank ebooks and softwares. The truth behind that is, "super affiliates" make a killing selling over priced materials to newbies like you and me. Other people then promote their stuff and that's only because they earn large commissions. They don't care about YOUR welfare. They care about how much goes into their pockets. You should know this yourself if you're a clickbanker. Many of those "affiliates" who promote products havent even tried the product in question. Do not prioritize buying ebook after ebook. What you NEED is proper education. To my surprise, there are only really a few posts here about wealthy affiliate university -- and again, to my surprise, not many people responded to it. So let me just go over it very quickly. If I were to choose 2 programs to recommend to newbies, it would either be Wealthy Affiliate or Site Build It. However, Wealthy Affiliate is the better option. See, if you rationalize your spending, you can opt for a $40 USD membership (its cheaper if you buy a 1 yr membership) on WA where you can access tons and tons and tonnnnsssss of resources that are updated daily. You can also get in touch with REAL people who have succeeded in internet marketing and those who struggle just like most of us do. You can even exchange messages, get coaching and FIND a coach. For $300USD, that's really not a bad price for you to get structured education instead of buying ebook after ebook which usually costs between $47 to $97USD or more. Then you have to "go fish" for other information you need to succeed. Worse yet, you'll need to buy it again. As for SBI, well, it's a great program because what it teaches you is the fundamentals to anything in internet marketing which is the C-T-P-M formula (Content-Traffic-Presell-Monetize). It's also a great program but I found that the WA forums are a great place to network and get live feedback/critique/advice. That to me is my tipping point. Look over the two and evaluate for yourselves. This is just my point of view. And again, NO, I am not promoting any affiliate links here whatsoever. My purpose is to give insight because during the time I was painstakingly trying to find LEGIT info, it was hard. I know it's hard. I've been there. Both courses are priced at roughly around $300USD each and you get EDUCATION. Whereas, if you upgrade your PTC account and buy referrals, you can only go so far. You just basically rent, upgrade. If a site dies, you look for another one and then the vicious cycle continues. It doesn't work for everyone. Not all of us can afford to dump $1000 + in neobux and hope that our "recycle strategy" works out. Once you have understood the mechanics of affiliate marketing, you can easily jump from one niche to another, going from different networks to another, too. There are many reputable networks out there that don't die out as easy as a PTC/GPT site does. Lastly, in ending my post, I would also like to stress that you have to be realistic. No one succeeds in anything in the first try and no one ever succeeds without hard work and without failure. Know your limits. If you're not disciplined and focus, internet marketing is not for you. If you think you have what it takes, the perseverance and the desire to learn, the "CAN DO" attitude, I highly recommend that you start taking the necessary steps to moving from PTCs, GPTs, etc to real internet marketing. All of us will have varying results because of different choices in topic, product, promotion, etc. It doesn't matter, really. As long as you keep at it and enrich your knowledge, you will then have worked out a system that's best suited for you and before you know it, you're raking in hundreds to thousands a month. I don't consider myself a guru. In fact, I'm still learning. This is what I've come to understand thus far and I thought to share it here on mylot in hopes it may inspire and help others. So, when anyone of you gets annoyed with PTC posts here, try and be objective. Some people just really wanna earn some extra cash. They may even be having financial difficulties. Just be objective and no need to be rude. I have to admit that I do find it annoying when people DONT read the TOS on sites and they come on here posting referral links. That's an indication whether one has the chance to succeed...and I'll leave you with that thought. Given that you're still reading this, I just want to say thanks and I hope whatever insight I have offered has given insight, hope or a positive feeling that internet marketing is not saturated and even a newbie can get in. It's never too late. I don't know if I'll be on for a while after this post, but we'll see. Happy mylotting to all and I wish everyone the best of success for 2010. (I wasn't here to ring in the new year nor was I able to do a quick Happy New Year greeting - I s_ck, I know.) Cheers.