If you have writing skills at all, you can make some extra money writing online. You don't have to be a college english major. If you possess basic spelling and grammar abilities (there's always spellcheck) and especially if you are particularly knowledgeable about a certain subject, the Internet is an incredible tool for earning cash. Following are some sites you might want to check out. Be sure to read what others have written so you'll know what is expected. Then go ahead and put your two cents in.
Blogging - Blogging has become very popular. Making money as a blogger often requires time and a following. But you have to start somewhere. There are several blogging platforms available and they are free to use. Learn all you can about blogging and find the right niche and who knows? Here are some links so you can begin -
Blogger.com - You can create your own blog easily here. They offer a variety of templates and layouts for you to choose from. You can take advantage of the tours and video tutorials to get you started. Here's the link - http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g
Wordpress.com - Wordpress is a reputable blogging platform used by scores of folks from all walks of life. It is user-friendly with excellent support. They offer a forum for sharing or asking questions and many interesting features even for free. Here's the link - http://wordpress.com/
Serendipity - Serendipity is a weblog application that prides itself on being easy to use. It's a good place to learn. While not as well-known as Blogger or Wordpress, it has outstanding support and numerous templates and other features making Serendipity a great place to blog. Here's the link - http://www.s9y.org/
Article Writing -Writing articles for various online venues is both a fun and easy way to make extra money. It is best to find yourself a writing "home" where you can learn about revenue sharing and hone your writing skills. There are many writing sites looking for and accepting articles. I write mostly for HubPages because it is where I am comfortable. It takes time and persistence to make any money through Google's Adsense program but is well worth the effort. Here are some places you might want to try -
HubPages - HubPages welcomes magazine-style articles on almost any subject. Writers earn through a revenue sharing program and also by becoming Ebay and Amazon affiliates. One of the greatest perks in writing for HubPages is the support and feedback from other writers. It is also a smart place to learn about anything you might want to know. Here's the link - http://hubpages.com/tour/hubpages
Helium - Helium is another writing platform that uses revenue sharing to pay writers. They offer several contests every week and various topics are available to write about. Writers can also get paid for referring others to join. Again this is a good place to hone your writing skills but you have to write a lot to make any real money. Here's the link - http://www.helium.com/
Triond - Triond is another superb writing site. You create unique content for them and they will publish it to the most relevant website for the subject matter. You can build a portfolio with them and they accept photography and music as well. They share 50% of the advertising revenue with you so there is potential to earn. Their community is active and helpful. Here's the link -http://www.triond.com/info/how-it-works
Squidoo - Squidoo writers are very loyal to the site. It is perhaps because the community of writers there are encouraging and supportive. You get to choose themes and colors for the pages you create. You can write reviews or an article about your home town. The sky's the limit. Articles here are referred as lenses. It's a great place to link back to other articles you have written too. Here's the link - http://www.squidoo.com/
Textbroker - Textbroker is very different than all of the above. It is strictly an article mill where website owners request short articles from writers for little pay. And unlike the above, you don't retain any rights to what you write. But if you don't mind writing quick short articles of about 300 words or more and if you're a fast writer, you can make some extra scratch money. The pay is usually somewhere between $2 and $12 per article. The subject matters are often dry but pretty easy to write. Here's the link - http://www.textbroker.com/
Blogging - Blogging has become very popular. Making money as a blogger often requires time and a following. But you have to start somewhere. There are several blogging platforms available and they are free to use. Learn all you can about blogging and find the right niche and who knows? Here are some links so you can begin -
Blogger.com - You can create your own blog easily here. They offer a variety of templates and layouts for you to choose from. You can take advantage of the tours and video tutorials to get you started. Here's the link - http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g
Wordpress.com - Wordpress is a reputable blogging platform used by scores of folks from all walks of life. It is user-friendly with excellent support. They offer a forum for sharing or asking questions and many interesting features even for free. Here's the link - http://wordpress.com/
Serendipity - Serendipity is a weblog application that prides itself on being easy to use. It's a good place to learn. While not as well-known as Blogger or Wordpress, it has outstanding support and numerous templates and other features making Serendipity a great place to blog. Here's the link - http://www.s9y.org/
Article Writing -Writing articles for various online venues is both a fun and easy way to make extra money. It is best to find yourself a writing "home" where you can learn about revenue sharing and hone your writing skills. There are many writing sites looking for and accepting articles. I write mostly for HubPages because it is where I am comfortable. It takes time and persistence to make any money through Google's Adsense program but is well worth the effort. Here are some places you might want to try -
HubPages - HubPages welcomes magazine-style articles on almost any subject. Writers earn through a revenue sharing program and also by becoming Ebay and Amazon affiliates. One of the greatest perks in writing for HubPages is the support and feedback from other writers. It is also a smart place to learn about anything you might want to know. Here's the link - http://hubpages.com/tour/hubpages
Helium - Helium is another writing platform that uses revenue sharing to pay writers. They offer several contests every week and various topics are available to write about. Writers can also get paid for referring others to join. Again this is a good place to hone your writing skills but you have to write a lot to make any real money. Here's the link - http://www.helium.com/
Triond - Triond is another superb writing site. You create unique content for them and they will publish it to the most relevant website for the subject matter. You can build a portfolio with them and they accept photography and music as well. They share 50% of the advertising revenue with you so there is potential to earn. Their community is active and helpful. Here's the link -http://www.triond.com/info/how-it-works
Squidoo - Squidoo writers are very loyal to the site. It is perhaps because the community of writers there are encouraging and supportive. You get to choose themes and colors for the pages you create. You can write reviews or an article about your home town. The sky's the limit. Articles here are referred as lenses. It's a great place to link back to other articles you have written too. Here's the link - http://www.squidoo.com/
Textbroker - Textbroker is very different than all of the above. It is strictly an article mill where website owners request short articles from writers for little pay. And unlike the above, you don't retain any rights to what you write. But if you don't mind writing quick short articles of about 300 words or more and if you're a fast writer, you can make some extra scratch money. The pay is usually somewhere between $2 and $12 per article. The subject matters are often dry but pretty easy to write. Here's the link - http://www.textbroker.com/