With the world economy in crisis, the long-term unemployed and under employed are turning to the Internet to make ends meet. Recognizing legitimate opportunities in a sea of clever scams and frauds is a daunting task.

Legitimate doesn’t mean easy, but hard work and persistence go a long way. You may already have the skills to get started on some of these 20 totally scam-free methods to earn money online.

1. Sell what you already own. Sites like eBay bring buyers and sellers together. From collectibles to clothing to automobile parts, eBay stores are easy to set up and use. With tutorials and templates for invoicing, shipping, and marketing, you don’t have to be a tech guru to set up a successful store. Detailed sales and financial reports allow you to see what works and what doesn’t, so you can adjust your strategy accordingly. After you get the hang of it, you can sell your services to other sellers who don’t have the time or inclination to do the work.

2. Sell in-demand products. You don’t need a warehouse or shipping facilities to create a virtual store. A clean, simple website highlighting a niche product or market can perform well with search engines. Drop shippers take the hassle of packing and shipping off your back so you can concentrate on the selling. Before diving in, do some research on drop shippers, popular products, and website design that works.

3. Sell your passion. Are you a crafter? Do you knit…sew…build…create? Sell your creations in your own virtual store. An elegant website with photos of your products tells potential customers you mean business. You can set up a shopping cart or simply take orders over the phone. After you cover your costs, the profit is all yours.

4. Become an affiliate marketer. If you have a website or a blog, you can make extra money through affiliate marketing. You generally receive a commission when a visitor to your site clicks on an advertiser’s widget, banner, or link. Other than promoting your own site, which you would likely be doing anyway, there is very little maintenance on your part.

5. Sell stock photos. Do you have a flair for photography? Photo sites like iStockPhoto pay you when customers download your photos. If you enjoy taking pictures anyway, and you submit quality work,  it can be a good little source of revenue.

6. Be the problem-solving tech geek. Do you live and breathe all things tech? Can you fix a broken link…figure out why a WordPress blog has stopped functioning…fix novice errors in a content management system? What seems fairly easy to you may be a real head-scratcher for someone else who may be willing to pay for your rescue services.

7. Harness the power of social media. If you can set up your own Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+ account, you can do the same for someone else. Local business owners may have the know how but lack the time, or are completely clueless about social media. This is your chance to clue them in. Charge a flat rate to set up an account or a monthly fee to keep it active on a daily basis.

8. Create an advertising platform. If you don’t already have one, create a website or blog or both. Monetize them with Google AdSense and affiliate programs like Amazon. Sell banner ads, links, and sponsored blog posts. It takes a high number of pageviews and a lot of clicks to make money, but it can be a low-maintenance part of your revenue stream.

9. Become a freelance article writer. If you think about it, you’re probably an expert in something. Use that knowledge to create highly targeted articles that you can sell to online publications. Sites like HubPages and Squidoo allow you to set up pages for your topics and share in ad revenue. Other sites allow you to bid on projects. Free article directories don’t pay, but allow you to post articles with a link back to your site. If you’re really confident in your work, start pitching story ideas to online publications that pay.

10. Self-publish eBooks or print-on-demand books. Do you have a story to tell? Self publishing is easier than ever, and eBooks are a growing business. Beyond writing the book, you’ll also have to edit, format, create a cover, and market it, so it’s a huge endeavor. If you do it all yourself there is little cost,  but if you believe in your work, it’s worth the time.

11. Be an editor. Do you like making sure all the i’s are dotted and all the t’s are crossed? Many a self-published author will pay you handsomely to edit a manuscript.

12. Format eBooks for publication. In addition to editors, some indie authors need help in formatting eBooks for publication. For those who lack html coding knowledge, it’s a skill worth paying for.

13. Become a virtual assistant or take on odd jobs. Busy people need help, and the online world is no different. Make a list of all your skills and you’ll soon get an idea of how valuable your services are. Do some research about the world of virtual assistants so you get a feel for how much to charge. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk is simple and fun – you can choose from hundreds of quick tasks that earn small amounts of money. You won’t get rich, but it’s a great filler for spare time.

14. Be the “go to” person in your area of expertise. Whatever your background or area of interest, someone is in need of more information. Be that information broker. Create a dedicated website and blog. Dive into social media and write articles about your topic, using same image for brand identification and linking liberally to your other work. Join services like Help A Report Out (HARO), which put you in touch with writers looking for information and quotes.

15. Sell your designs. If you design logos or websites, you may also want to take advantage of the growing demand of eBook designs and covers for on-demand books.

16. Be a Domain Flipper. Just like house flippers do, you can flip domain names. With a little homework and some common sense, you can buy up high-quality domain names on sites like GoDaddy and resell them at a profit.

17. Transcribe audio files. It’s a bit tedious and requires loads of concentration, but if you can transcribe an audio file into a transcript, there are people who will pay you to do it. Try it out and make sure you’re up to the task before you begin advertising or bidding on jobs.

18. Be an audio editor. If you have a talent for flow and timing for music swells and fades, busy podcasters may be willing to pay for your services.

19. Be a video editor. It takes time and attention to detail in order to edit a video and show it off in its best light. Good video editors can make or break a production, and talented freelancers keep very busy.

20.  Create videos. Videos are all the rage these days and are used to promote everything from books to websites. You can use videos to promote your own marketing ventures or do it for hire. Videos can also attract customers to your existing website or blog.

By combining several of these ideas, you can generate multiple small streams of income that are independent of each other. Keep in mind that the Internet is never stagnant. If you’re in it for the long haul, don’t hesitate to abandon time-sucking projects that no longer work. Stay on the alert for scams, and keep abreast of new trends.

At the marcus evans PR and Media Effectiveness Conference held in Barcelona on 7 and 8 October, 2010 Filip Hruby, head of corporate communications and CSR with Vodafone, Czech Republic said that corporate social responsibity (CSR) can help maximize profits for shareholders.

Filip told delegates that good CSR must be seen and heard, otherwise it doesn´t make sense. Vodafone, Czech Republic is engaging in CSR because research has shown that a third of Czech people will regard a company’s responsible behaviour when considering a purchase.

He said that a telecoms company can´t just silently do good and hope that people will notice. You have to do good and you have to be seen and heard while doing it. Otherwise it’s probably not going to have any positive effect on your reputation or your satisfy your shaleholders.

Filip told the conference that often critics and the media will say that CSR is typical hypocrisy in that companies are doing good and expect publicity reward in return.

However, he pointed out that there is nothing hypocritical about the fact that corporations want to maximize profit of their shareholders, by improving their reputation via investments in public welfare.

At the same time, he emphasises that doing good and publicising it must be in absolute balance because pretending to do good just to get publicity is cynical and hypocritical.

Telecoms is an ever evolving area and one that’s almost unrecognisable from what it was 20 years ago.

Sweeping changes over the years in this sector have seen telecoms go from a world of monopoly fixed line service providers to the fragmented mobile-centric/ Internet-centric business of today.

In our rapidly changing and evolving world traditional telcos and other providers as well as their vendors need to adapt to the current environment and even reinvent themselves along the way.

The marcus evans Telecoms event Telecom Expense Management conference will take place in Berlin on 21-22 September and is designed to help business be financially savvy where telecoms outlays are concerned.

Cutting costs is the main focus of Telecom Expense Management (TEM), but this is easier said than done. Companies need to invest in TEM at a first step, to save money for the company in the long run. Projects to establish a working TEM structure and processes, can take years and as always: there are many ways, but only a few that lead to the desired outcome, which means actually saving expenses due to telecommunication management. If done properly, the ROI is easily measurable within TEM.

This marcus evans Telecoms conference focuses on how to getting started with TEM, how to successfully start the developing process for TEM, where are the pitfalls and what are the expectations? Telco Contract Management – Transparency and cost reduction, Wide Area Network (WAN) and  building global TEM success will also be looked at.

Another dominant and everyday issue is mobile phone costs. Those costs are still very expensive and remain difficult to measure transparently.

How to save costs in a wireless world: the reduction of mobile costs in a global company will be discussed. TEM is also dependent on the right Sourcing Strategies to achieve Telecom Expense effectiveness, another topic outlined at this marcus evans Telecoms conference.

me telecommunications

Communications systems are evolving on unprecedented scale. Service providers in this market operate in a fast-changing environment driven by technology, competition and regulatory change. In the meantime end users are demanding fast, personalised, easy-to-use communications – for the lowest possible cost with quality of service. High-speed data, service innovation and cutting edge business models, broadband access, next-generation networking, business and operational transformation, next generation application strategies, VoIP and multimedia converged services are recurring themes in this market and the challenge for market players is identifying and capitalising on growth opportunities. Our conferences enable our clients to develop strategies to meet end-user demand and generate new revenue while managing capital expenditures and reducing operating expenses.

marcus evans Telecoms tailors cutting-edge conferences for the global telecoms industry. We pride ourselves on our detailed research with industry professionals throughout the world and our ability to consistently deliver quality events that help you stay ahead in this competitive market. Drawing on our expertise as a well established telecoms production division, we consistently offer successful events across a range of topics that tackle the industry’s hottest issues. We ensure that our events are designed to equip you with a ‘tool-kit’ of practical new ideas, insights and approaches which you will be able to take away and immediately apply in your workplace. Our events are designed to provide maximum opportunity to network with prospective clients and peers on both a formal and informal basis and you will hear from speakers that are industry leaders from the most dynamic and successful companies across the globe.

Marketing: Sumreen Riviz