How To Clean An Infected Computer

How To Clean An Infected Computer....


Cleaning an infected computer today has become harder than ever. To effectively clean your system you must first learn a little about what you are trying to get rid of and what tools you need to get the job done. I'm going to try to give you some of the background, followed by the basics of getting rid of these pests.

Today there are a variety of things that can infect your computer such as viruses, worms, trojans and spyware. I refer to all of them as malware since that word seems to best describe them and covers both viral and spyware related issues. I find it best to use a multi-pronged approach to fighting malware, so I use several software programs to find and get rid of them. Hopefully, by giving you a little of the background, you will be able to learn what tools to use and when to use them so that you may clean your computer of the malware you may encounter.

Viruses were the first computer bugs, and anti-virus (AV) software was made specifically to detect and get rid of these. Worms are a little different than viruses, which is one reason why AV software has had a harder time catching them. Next came trojan horses, usually just called trojans. These are very different than both viruses and worms. They actually take advantage of the weaknesses that are inherent in AV software. For one, most trojans actually try to hide from being detected by AV software. They also work "smarter" by creating hidden copies of themselves so that when they do get detected and cleaned, they can re-infect the computer with the hidden copy right after the AV software cleans the original infection. Basically, trojans are AV software's worst nightmare simply because AV software wasn't designed to specifically go after this type of threat. Today, AV software is much better at detecting all types of malware. With the release of AVG 8.x.xxx... it now combines both an antivirus with an antispyware scan to help users fight both viral and spyware related issues.

Spyware isn't a new breed of malware. It is simply a combination of various computer exploits and they utilize various combinations of scripts, trojans and worms. Currently they take advantage of trojans the most since they are harder to detect and clean properly. Anti-spyware (AS) software was created specifically for detecting and cleaning this type of malware, so when it comes to trojans and some worms, AS or a combined AV/AS software is much better equipped to fight these than the AV only types of software such as the earlier versions of AVG.

A new varient of spyware is the Rogue type of malware software. This type of software pretends to be useful utils like antispyware, antivirus, hard drive and/or registry cleaning utilities but really their only goal is to sell you their useless software or to install other spyware onto your system. They do this by falsely stating you are infected by something or have other issues that could affect the performance of your system. They usually are installed using the "drive by installation" method that happens when you may visit various malicious websites, often installing without your knowledge.

There is also another type of detection that AVG and most good AS softwares will detect and they are only detected because of their potential security risk if a user was unaware of their existance. AVG calls this type of software Potentially Unwanted Programs ( PUPs )... others may refer to them as hacktools, riskware, or simply "not-a-virus". These are normally very useful utilities.. but since they can also be used for harm, AVG and other utils will detect them so the user is aware of their existance. Examples of these are utilities to recover forgotten passwords, forgotten software keys ( like the Windows install key ), IP scanners, remote control software and a variety of similar utils. If you have any of these installed or on your system, you will want to exclude them from detection with whichever utility you are scanning for malware with... or at the very least do not have them removed when you are cleaning the system up. Remember that these are not malware and do not do damage to your system BUT if you are unaware of their existance, it could be a sign that a hacker may have placed them on your system to do harm. A quick rule of thumb, if you are aware of their existance leave them on your system... if not quarantine them and check out what they really are later.

I suppose I should also cover one last subject before moving on to the cleanup steps... Tracking Cookies. AVG as well as most antispyware utils do detect these and each has a specific but different list of the ones they will find. These ARE NOT MALWARE.. they can do no harm or damage to your system. They do however represent a potential invasion of your privacy since they can be used to track your internet browsing habits. So unless you have setup your browser to block them or use a specialized utility to do that... you will always find these detected. So do not be alarmed by their presence.. clear them if you want ( I always clear mine )... but also understand that they will likely return the next time you happen to visit a website that may use them.

First, you will need to get some software programs to help you. The following programs are what I use personally. Not only do I trust them, but they are also free for personal use. The companies that provide the free software, also provide software that they sell for use in a commercial environment. Usually, the free versions are just as good but simply don't have as many of the extra features which make the commercial versions even more attractive to use.

Anti-Spyware Software

For Windows 98 & later

• Spybot S&D - You can find it at [www.spybot.info] Latest version is v1.6.2.46

( NOTE: When installing Spybot, I recommend that you disable the option for TeaTimer which is enabled by default so it doesn't affect your cleaning efforts. If you wish you can enable it later but do so only after you finish cleaning the system. )

For Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows XP & Vista only

• MalwareByte's Anti-Malware - You can find it at [www.malwarebytes.org] Latest version is v1.34

Anti-Virus Software

For Windows 2000, Windows XP (inc. 64bit version) & Vista (inc. 64bit version)

• AVG Technologies Free Edition - You can find it at [free.grisoft.com] - English version, [gratis.avg.it] - Italian version, [free.avg.de] - German version, [gratuit.avg.fr] - French version, [free.avg.com] - Japanese version, [free.avg.com] - Brazilian Portuguese version, [free.avg.com] - Dutch version, [free.avg.com] - Latin America Spanish version, [free.avg.com] - Polish version, [free.avg.es] - Spanish version, [free.avg.com] - Portuguese version, [free.avg.cz] - Czech version, [www.avg.com.tr] - Turkish version, [www.avg.in] - Indian (English) version, [www.avgkorea.com] - Korean version & [www.avgtaiwan.com] - Taiwanese version Latest version is v8.5.387

First you will want to download each of the above programs and then install them. After you install them, you MUST update them so you will have the latest protection. If you don't update these programs and you are infected with the latest parasites, you will not be able to effectively detect and clean them from your computer, so remember to update, update, update. Most if not all of the definition files for these utils are now updated daily.

Now that you have downloaded, installed and updated all of the above utils... Print this article so you can refer to it later and disconnect your computer from the internet. This is an important step and will remove one way that a malware may use to re-infect your computer.

With the release of AVG 8.x now combining both antivirus and antispyware into one product, I have now switched from scanning with it last, to scanning with it first since it now detects more malware than any of the others. I also use the different AS software packages in a specific order so that I go after the tougher problems first and the easiest ones last.

Turn off System Restore

• WinME and WinXP have a cool feature called System Restore. It is used to restore your computer to an earlier configuration in case of a problem. The only problem is that it wasn't made with malware in mind, and often it can't tell the difference between an infected file and a good file, so it can as easily restore an infected file if it had been in a protected area, effectively re-infecting your computer right after you have cleaned it. Because of this, it is recommended to turn off System Restore before you test, and when you're done, turn it back on so you are still protected from standard computer problems.

• For WindowsME

Click Start, Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the System icon. The System Properties dialog box appears.

NOTE: If the System icon is not visible, click "View all Control Panel options" to display it.

Click the Performance tab, and then click File System.
Click the Troubleshooting tab, and then check Disable System Restore.
Click OK. Click Yes, when you are prompted to restart Windows.

• For WindowsXP

Click Start.
Right-click the My Computer icon, and then click Properties.
Click the System Restore tab.
Check "Turn off System Restore" or "Turn off System Restore on all drives."
Click Apply.
When turning off System Restore, the existing restore points will be deleted. Click Yes to do this.
Click OK.

• For Win Vista

1. Open System by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking System.
2. In the left pane, click System Protection. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. To turn on System Protection for a hard disk, select the check box next to the disk, and then click OK.


Carefully Look at Windows Add/Remove programs for suspicious programs

• Many of the spyware threats actually install into your system just like a regular program. Many may appear to be utilities that you may think are helpful but in reality aren't. Look for add-an toolbars, while toolbars like those provided by Google, MSN, Yahoo and other are great utils, there are many more that aren't and if in doubt check it out to see if ones you have are parasitic. Another common exploit are the Search helpers, WinTools, Gator products, IE Helper, Comet Cursor and many others just to name a very few. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) programs are another common source for these and even the ones that doen't come with spyware themselves are a high security risk that may lead to your system being infected or to spread infections like these. Remove all suspicious programs, if you accidentaly remove the wrong item, you may always re-install them later.

Run Disk Clean-Up

• This actually comes with Windows and has been installed by default since Windows 98. You can find it by clicking the Start Button and then going to Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Disk Clean-up. I recommend selecting all of its options except the ones for Office Setup Files and Compress Old Files if you have them. While you may select those if you wish, they aren't as important. This will clean up all of the temporary files so your testing will go faster, and may also delete any spyware that may hiding there if the spyware isn't already running. To clear systems that have System Restore you will need to select the second tab and click the button for clearing this.

Run AVG 8.x.xxx

• Most antivirus programs, including AVG, by default have their settings to only scan executable files in an attempt to speed up looking for infections. While most of the time this is just fine, the newest threats that can infect your computer have started getting sneaky on how they hide their files making it easier for them to reinfect your system if your antivirus program detected and removed their executable file. To help also detect these "backup" files that the infection leaves on your system, you should in my opinion, make a couple of changes to what your AVG scans during these tests from just executable files to all files.

• To change AVG's settings during a scan, open AVG's User Interface.
Click the Computer scanner tab, then under the Scan whole computer area, select Change scan settings. Unselect Scan infectable files only and select all other checkmarks with the Automatically heal/remove infections and Scan for Tracking Cookies as options I'll let you decide if you want enabled or not.

• Now AVG will scan all of the files when you scan your computer. This will take longer to complete, but I feel it is a small price to pay for the added security it provides.

Run MalwareByte's Anti-Malware

• Select to perform a Full Scan and then click the Scan button. This is another specialized util that not only targets Rogue spyware but other malware as well. This currently targets malware and rogues from 931+ vendors ( the malware authors ). The malware that is targeted in this category is very actively being updated by their authors because of the potential they have for making money. As with all antispyware utils, update this often and before each use to help give you the edge in fighting these malware.

Run Spybot Search and Destroy

• When you run it, it will automatically select all the spyware that it finds, if there is something you don't want to get rid of for some reason, deselect it and then let Spybot fix all of the rest of the problems that it finds. This program also will ask to restart your computer so it can test again if it has problems removing something, so let it.

• Run the scans again in Safe Mode. This will keep many of the parasites from loading and being able to hide from your protection software. To access Safe Mode on most versions of Windows, start tapping the [F8] key after you first start or restart your system, start tapping it before you ever see a Windows Splash Screen and continue until you get the Menu where you may select it from the list. On WinNT, this is called VGA mode and on Win2k you actually start tapping just after the first splash screen shows. For Detailed instructions see Restarting Your Computer in Safe Mode

These procedures should have cleaned most cases of infection that you will find. Yes I said MOST because there are some infections that are very hard to detect and remove. Generally, if you have one of these, you will need the assistance of an expert to help you get rid of it.

When you believe you are finished, remember to turn System Restore back on if you had turned it off.

I recommend testing for parasites as often as you can, probably at least once a month if not more. The sooner you catch them, the less damage they can do to your computer, and the less chance of a hacker finding your sensitive information such as checking account info, passwords, etc.

Windows Tip

Windows itself, by default, hides certain files, system folders or file extentions from the user to make it easier to navigate. If you are having to find an infected file or just one you are looking for, this can cause you to not find it. If you wish you may change this to show all of the files on your computer.

Open your My Computer icon (Either from your desktop or the Start Menu)
Click the Tools menu and select Folder Options(on older systems it may be in the View menu)
Select the View tab and scroll through the Advanced settings
Enable or disable the following (using a checkmark to enable)

enable - Show hidden files and folders
disable - Hide extentions for known file types
disable - Hide protected operating system files (WinME and WinXP only)

Now click Apply and Ok

For Win Vista info. see this link [www.howtogeek.com].

How to find an embedded infection

AVG 8 Free now detects infections in areas that it was unable to before. The most notable are ones embedded inside of archives. Since AVG can't determine if you created the archive or if it was a parasite that created it, they leave these alone so you may have a chance to recover uninfected files from the archive and then you simply delete the archive when done. Infections that are inside of an archive aren't a direct threat to your system unless the file gets extracted to allow it to run. Grisoft has chose this method because it is safer for your data that the archive may contain.

For someone that is new to looking for these embedded infections, it can be a little confusing with the way that AVG will list the file because it also must include the archive file name that contains it in the full path/filename. The following is an example that I made up to highlight the info so you will know which filename to look for so you may either extract files and or delete the correct file. I will color code these for you, but AVG will not.

AVG will give you a name like...

C:\Windows\Temp\InfectedArchive.cab:\InfectedFile.exe

The location of the file is in C:\Windows\Temp
The archive that contains the infection is InfectedArchive.cab
And the actual infected file inside of the archive is InfectedFile.exe

Note the ":\" that seperates the archive from the file it contains.
After you have recovered any files inside of the archive that you may want to keep (other than the infected one that is) just simple delete the whole archive.. in this example the file to delete would be InfectedArchive.cab

It looks harder than it really is.. just remember the file you want to look for is named just before the last ":\"

Most of the time, you won't have any files to recover inside of the archives. The only time this isn't true is if it is an archive that you had created yourself. If you didn't create it.. just delete and move on.

Anti Virus Smadav

Keep Care Your PC with Smadav 6.3 | Update Smadav
Joe Engressia, Tuesday, September 8, 2009

smadavlogo.jpgDownload Anti Virus Smadav Rev 6.3 September 2009

This is the awaited, SmadAV Rev 6.3 2009 For those who have not already and download previous Anti virus SmadAV Rev 6 2009. Smadav parties have done some bug fixes & false alarm on the revision this time. When you find a bug or LOCAL NEW VIRUS that has not been detected Smadav Rev 6 2009, please report them immediately on this site www.smadav.net. So, for ALL USERS SMADAV recommended the ROUTINE / EVERY DAY visit to this site to download the latest revision Smadav Rev 6.3 2009.


Included in Smadav rev 6.3 2009 Engine :

Eradicating more than 100 last local virus on Agustus 2009
The Viruses are album bokep, yuyun, fullhouse, sandra dewi, mbah surip, etc.
Scanner
Super Fast and became the fastest in the WORLD (Can be your own).
Smart Protection
It has smart protection that is better than smadav Rev 6
Registry Cleaner
Smadav Rev 6.3 2009 has supported Windows Vista
Cleaner
Not only remove but also Clearing (Heal) document from the virus.
Protector
Protect your computer from virus attacks at any time, you will feel safe.
Update
now, You can update via Internet or off line as well as AVG, Avira.
Intelligence
A Smadav like "The Virus Exterminator" is on your computer.
Portable
Smadav can be used in Windows ME/2000/NT/XP/Vista. No need to install.
SmadLock Flashdisk
Once locked with Smadav, Your USB flash will be safe to go everywhere without fear of virus infection. Features the latest in the WORLD

Related Link to Download Smadav :

* Download Smadav 6.3 2009
http://www.smadav.net/smadav63.zip

* Download The Last Update Smadav 2009
http://tolearnfree.blogspot.com/search/label/Anti Virus

Clean Virus With Avast

avast! Virus Cleaner - free virus removal tool

avast! Virus Cleaner is available free for every user. This tool will help you remove selected worm infections from your computer.
Free virus & worm removal tool

If, despite all the security measures you take, your computer gets infected by a virus or worm, it is necessary to disinfect your system somehow. While for some viruses the only 100% reliable method of disinfection is restoring your system from backups, for many common infections this is not really necessary and the virus/worm can be removed quite easily.

Removing the infection
The worms often schedule themselves to be run automatically when you start your operating system; some of them even register themselves to be run when any other application is started. Removing such a worm is not as simple as deleting it - when you just delete the worm file, your operating system might not be able to start your applications (such as Explorer) any more.

So, in order to properly remove the worm from your computer, it is often necessary to make additional fixes in your system registry, delete the links from your Startup Folder etc. Here the avast! Virus Cleaner comes - it will find and remove selected worms from your computer, as well as fix the registry and startup items to make sure your system will work correctly after the disinfection.

Many worms - when activated - create additional working files on your hard disk. Even though these files alone are harmless, they are useless and they should not be there. When avast! Virus Cleaner detects and removes a known worm from your computer, its working/temporary files are removed as well. The same applies for worm-specific registry entries etc.

List of known worms
avast! Virus Cleaner is currently (in version 1.0.211) able to identify and remove the following worm families:

* Win32:Badtrans [Wrm]
* Win32:Beagle [Wrm] (aka Bagle), variants A-Z, AA-AH
* Win32:Blaster [Wrm] (aka Lovsan), variants A-I
* Win32:BugBear [Wrm], including B-I variants
* Win32:Ganda [Wrm]
* Win32:Klez [Wrm], all variants (including variants of Win32:Elkern)
* Win32:MiMail [Wrm], variants A, C, E, I-N, Q, S-V
* Win32:Mydoom [Wrm] (variants A, B, D, F-N - including the trojan horse)
* Win32:Nachi [Wrm] (aka Welchia, variants A-L)
* Win32:NetSky [Wrm] (aka Moodown, variants A-Z, AA-AD)
* Win32:Nimda [Wrm]
* Win32:Opas [Wrm] (aka Opasoft, Opaserv)
* Win32:Parite (aka Pinfi), variants A-C
* Win32:Sasser [Wrm] (variants A-G)
* Win32:Scold [Wrm]
* Win32:Sinowal [Trj] - variants AA, AB
* Win32:Sircam [Wrm]
* Win32:Sober [Wrm], variants A-I, J-K
* Win32:Sobig [Wrm], including variants B-F
* Win32:Swen [Wrm], including UPX-packed variants
* Win32:Tenga
* Win32:Yaha [Wrm] (aka Lentin), all variants
* Win32:Zafi [Wrm] (variants A-D)

Disinfection process in detail
By default, avast! Virus Cleaner does all the work automatically. When you start it and press the "Start scanning" button, the following will be done:

1. The operating system memory will be scanned, and if any known worm is found, the worm process is terminated - thus avoiding further spreading. If it is not possible to terminate the worm process (it could happen e.g. with Nimda worm that uses a fake library to run inside other processes), the worm will be deactivated in memory to stop its spreading.
2. Your local hard disks will be scanned.
3. The "startup items" (such as the system registry, Startup Folder(s), etc.) will be scanned. References to worms found in memory or on disk will be removed or fixed.
4. Infected files, identified in point 2, will be removed or fixed (as needed).
5. Additional working/temporary files created by the identified worms will be removed.
6. If restarting the computer is needed to finish the disinfection process (e.g. when a file could not be removed because it was currently in use, or if the deactivated worm process is still present), the user is notified and asked whether the restart should be done immediately.

avast! Virus Cleaner - Main Window

For experienced users, various command-line arguments can be used to customize the program behavior. The list of command-line arguments will be displayed when started with /? parameter. Note: the command-line arguments are intended for experienced users only! Changing the default parameters may result in incomplete disinfection that may render your operating system nonfunctional, as noted above.

Important notes

1. During the scanning process, it is highly recommended not to start any applications. As already pointed out, some worms will start automatically when any other application is started. Running worm processes are terminated/deactivated only during the first phase of the avast! Virus Cleaner scanning; if you activate the worm again in the middle of the scanning process (by starting another application, such as Notepad, Explorer, ...), the worm will probably not be removed from your computer!
2. Turn off any resident (on-access) antivirus protection before running avast! Virus Cleaner. avast! Virus Cleaner has to access the infected files to be able to identify and remove them. The resident protection, however, might not permit it - and the worm could not be removed from your computer! Do not forget to activate the resident protection again after avast! Virus Cleaner has finished the disinfection.
3. avast! Virus Cleaner should be used in case you know or suspect that your computer is infected. It is not meant as an antivirus solution for everyday use! Use e.g. avast! 4 Home/Professional to protect your computer.
4. To work correctly, the Cleaner requires administrator privileges when running on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 operating systems. On an infected computer, however, it might not be wise to log in as a privileged user (administrator) - it may help the worm to spread even further. Therefore, you can start avast! Cleaner as a restricted user and enter the administrator login name and password directly into an avast! Virus Cleaner dialog; in such a case, the Cleaner will be run with the privileged user access rights - however, the privileged user will not be actually logged on, and none of his/her startup files will be processed.

Solving other problems
If you have deleted a virus or worm file associated to a vital file type - and now you cannot run your applications anymore, avast! Virus Cleaner may help you as well. All you have to do is run avast! Virus Cleaner "somehow". If, for example, only the association for .EXE files has been corrupted, you may run the avast! Virus Cleaner by renaming it to a .COM file. The other extensions you may try are .SCR, .BAT, .PIF (on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003, you may try .CMD as well). If none of these extensions works (Windows is still reporting "Cannot find 'xyz.exe'" when you try to start the tool), you can use avast! Virus Cleaner itself as a replacement for the missing file. However, you have to know the name of the missing file to do that; if you know it, just rename the avast! Virus Cleaner file to the missing name (and move it to the corresponding folder, if necessary). Now, starting any application should bring up avast! Virus Cleaner instead. As soon as it starts, it detects that some of the vital file associations are corrupted, reports the problem and allows you to fix it immediately.
avast! Virus Cleaner Free Download
http://www.avast.com/eng/down_cleaner.html

Please download the free avast! Virus Cleaner tool from this page.
The latest version is 1.0.211, built on 11.5.2007.

Make Money Online

How to Make Money Online

Welcome to one of the few “make money online” websites that actually encourages you to slow down and plan out your online journey.

The goal of this website is to explain exactly how to make money online, and how you can earn money by just signing up and reviewing products. I’ll be talking about the two ways I’ve earned money online — no theory, just actual instructions. Specifically, I’ll teach you how to:

* Make Money Fast With Project Payday.

* Build a Money-Making Website.

No, you don’t have to be a computer genius or have vast technical knowledge. If you have email, then you have the “technical” skills required to make money online — you don’t have to be a “geek” to earn money on the Internet. Plus, I’ve made it easier by writing completely free instructions guiding you every step of the way.

Quick-Start Guide to Making Money Online

Though there are thousands of websites dealing with earning money online, there are really only 2 ways to make money online that I endorse. If you want a small amount of money quickly, go with the first method. If you want a long-term full-time income, go with the second method.

Method 1: Project Payday

If your goal is to make a few hundred in a relatively short time-frame, then trying to make money fast is your best bet, which is why I’ve partnered with them to help you build an instant income. In an economy like what we’re seeing now, businesses are simply dying to get new customers.

They’re so desperate to advertise that they’re willing to give you an “incentive” just to check out their offers. Most of these websites are slanted in the business’ favor. However, there are a few websites that are now offering you free incentives. You sign up, you DON’T pay anything, and you can make a few hundred dollars.

Project Payday is a great example of this — and it’s free. You won’t get rich, but you can make $2,500 or so per month if you’re willing to check out the products. Again, it’s free — don’t pay any website to do this, considering you can sign up to Project Payday for free.

Note: if you do what they say and you can’t make money, let them know. They’ll give you $100 free as a guarantee.

Method 2: Build a Website Business

That said, out of the thousands of “online opportunities” out there, the best way to make money online is with your own website. This is how I earn my income online. This, however, isn’t good if you need quick money, or want to get rich quick. Building a website takes a ton of planning, a ton of work, and a ton of time.

It can take up to a year before you see a full-time income. It took me about 6 months. But it’s also a passive income.

I can stop working right now and go to the pool, but my websites will all still be up and earning an income from advertisements — my business makes money without me now. That’s the biggest pull. To learn more about building a website, read to the end of this page, or check out my 1o-step website plan.
How to Pick and Choose a Program

When it comes to picking out a way to make money, remember that you’re trying to make money, not spend money. In other words, only pick a project that guarantees that you’ll make money, and is free to sign up. Otherwise, make very, very sure you trust a program before giving them a red cent.

Thousands have learned this the hard way.

Don’t be a statistic. Sign up to learn more about a project before you spend money — if you ever do. Become acquainted with other similar programs before making a decision.

Check out free programs like Project Payday before “paid” programs. Ten minutes of research can save you hours of headache, and let you choose the right program so you can actually make money rather than get burned.
Making Money Online With a Website

The vast majority of this website is about starting your own website. The reason is simple: it’s the best way to make money online. Anyone can do it, it’s a passive income, and you can get started instantly. It’s not a job; it’s a business.

There are a lot of myths about websites, blogging and making money online in general. Check out my article How Websites Make Money Online to learn more about how websites actually make money.
Who Can Make Money Online?

Absolutely anyone can make money online. It’s an old myth that you have to be a “computer geek” to own a website, or have to be a genius to make money with a free program like Project Payday. Those days are over. If you can do email, then you can set up your own website.

That said, making money online with a website isn’t for everyone. You have to be willing to look ahead, make plans, and work hard. If you just want to slap a blog together, write a few things to put on it, and then forget it ever existed, you’re probably best sticking with Project Payday.

Project Payday is free, so there isn’t any risk. But starting a website costs anywhere from $100 to $300. This is still dirt cheap considering you’re starting a business, but if you aren’t willing to work at it, it’s just a waste.

Making money online isn’t about “getting rich quick”. If that’s what you’re after, it’s not possible. After all, if we could all get rich quick and easily, then we’d all be rich.

That said, you can achieve almost any online income goals if you’re willing to plan well and work hard. If anything, making money with a website is an anti-get-rich-quick scheme because you’ll have to work hard at it for a long period of time. It just takes a good plan and a strong work ethic.
What’s The Best Way to Make Money Online?

If the above sounds discouraging, don’t lose heart. Starting a website was the best financial decision of my life — so much that I’ve made this page a part of my financial planning website. I think everyone right now should at least try to start a website. Bill Gates once said:

“This is a fantastic time to be entering the business world, because business is going to change more in the next 10 years than it has in the last 50.”

As I’ve described above, the best way to make money online is with a website. A website only has to be created once, and it exists indefinitely. That means rather than getting paid “by the hour” or “by the day” you get paid forever. Work once, earn forever.

That’s why, in a nutshell, making money online has grown to extraordinary popularity in the past few years. It let’s anyone build a passive income online.
What Should I Do Now?

To help you in the website department, I wrote an article that details every step you’ll need to take to build a money-making website. It will hold your hand throughout the entire process. It’s called the ten-step plan. So what should you do right now? One of two things:

* Sign up for Project Payday. Sign up for Project Payday to make money to get started. After you make money with the program, make sure to come back to put your money to good use.

* Start up your website. When you buy your hosting and domain (you buy them together at the same time), make sure to come back here and keep reading.

Before you keep reading, I want to say something personal: the biggest mistake I made when trying out making money online for myself was that I waited nearly an entire year before I finally acted. I don’t even want to think about how much money I wasted by not being decisive. Wasting time is wasting money.

Before you get up from the computer, promise yourself to make a single real step towards making money online. I’ve received dozens of emails from people who said they’ve made this page their “home” page in order to constantly remind them to take action and actually start making money online, rather than put it off.

So take action… otherwise, you’ll hate yourself in 12 months. So either sign up for Project Payday or build a website like the ones I’ve built. Congratulations on your decision to make money online, and good luck!

Make Money

Blogging for DollarsHow do bloggers make money?
By Michael AggerPosted Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008, at 6:28 PM ET

Professional blogger. Click image to expand.Professional bloggers face pressure to produce quantity over qualityLast week, the blog search engine Technorati released its 2008 State of the Blogosphere report with the slightly menacing promise to "deliver even deeper insights into the blogging mind." Bloggers create 900,000 blog posts a day worldwide, and some of them are actually making money. Blogs with 100,000 or more unique visitors a month earn an average of $75,000 annually—though that figure is skewed by the small percentage of blogs that make more than $200,000 a year. The estimates from a 2007 Business Week article are older but juicier: The LOLcat empire rakes in $5,600 per month; Overheard in New York gets $8,100 per month; and Perez Hilton, gossip king, scoops up $111,000 per month.
Print This ArticlePRINTDiscuss in the FrayDISCUSSEmail to a FriendE-MAILGet Slate RSS FeedsRSSShare This ArticleRECOMMEND...Single PageSINGLE PAGE
Yahoo! BuzzFacebook FacebookPost to MySpace!MySpaceMixx MixxDigg DiggReddit RedditDel.icio.us del.icio.usFurl FurlMa.gnolia.com Ma.gnoliaSphere SphereStumble UponStumbleUponCLOSE

With this kind of cash sloshing around, one wonders: What does it take to live the dream—to write what I know, and then watch the money flow?

From the perspective of someone who doesn't blog, blogging seems attractive. Bloggers such as Jason Kottke ($5,300/month) and the Fug girls ($6,240/month) pursue what naturally interests them without many constraints on length or style. While those two are genuine stars of the blogging world, there are plenty of smaller, personal blogs that bring in decent change with the Amazon Associates program (you receive a referral fee if someone buys a book, CD, etc. via a link from your blog) and search ads from Google. (The big G analyzes your site and places relevant ads; you get paid if people click on them.) Google-ad profiteering is an entire universe in and of itself—one blogger by the name of Shoemoney became famous (well, Digg-famous) when he posted a picture of himself with a check from Google for $132,994.97 for one month of clicks.

Blogs with decent traffic and a voice are also getting snapped up by blog-ad networks, which in turn package them as niche audiences to advertisers. On Blogads, advertisers can choose the "Blogs for Dudes!" hive or the "Jewish Republican Channel." Federated Media groups blogs into subjects such as "Parenting" and "News 2.0"; there is also a boutique network for blogs that don't want to cover themselves with ads called The Deck. These networks present blogs as "grassroots intellectual economy" and describe their audiences as loyal, engaged, and likely to see ads as not just ads, but useful bits of information. This may be a comfort to squeamish indie bloggers since it hints that putting ads on your site is not selling out but helping out.

While monetizing your blog may be easier than ever, all of this comes with an ever-present hammer: the need to drive traffic. This month, the writer/blogger/productivity thinker Merlin Mann opened a window onto his angst with an anniversary post. Mann is best-known as the creator of the Hipster PDA (index cards clipped together by a binder clip)* and his Inbox Zero talk (turn your e-mail into actions). In a post titled "Four Years," Mann sketches out how his site, 43 Folders, grew from a personal dumping ground for his "mental sausage" into a full-featured destination for productivity nerds and life-hackers. In 2005, he experienced a key transition:

At some point that year, 43f became the surreal and unexpected circus tent under which my family began drawing an increasing amount of its income. This was weird, but it was also exactly as gratifying as it sounds. Which is to say, "very." But, my small measure of something like success did not go unnoticed. In fact, the popularity of small blogs like 43 Folders contributed to the arrival of a gentrifying wagon train of carpetbaggers, speculators, and confidence men, all eager to pan the web's glistening riverbed for easy gold. And, brother, did these guys love to post and post and post.

Mann's problem was especially acute. His income was partially dependent on advertising, and ads are sold on a cost-per-impression basis. That is, the more traffic you have, the more ads you can sell (and also the more chances that someone will click on one of the Google ads or affiliate links on your site). But a site that teaches you how to streamline your tasks and free your time yet constantly shovels new posts, lists, and information at you is oxymoronic—and also kind of moronic.

Mann could have overlooked this contradiction, but he chose instead to live his advice. Declaring an end to "productivity pr0n," Mann has promised fewer, better posts and rolled out a new mission statement: "43 Folders is Merlin Mann's website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work." The further irony here is that Mann's less-is-more strategy may prove to be more profitable. The usability guru Jakob Nielsen has long recommended that experts "write articles, not blog postings," with the idea that demonstrating expertise is the best way to distinguish yourself from Internet amateurs and ultimately persuade someone to pay you for your insights. In Mann's case, that might mean less ad revenue but more speaking engagements.

Once a blog hobbyist goes pro, he or she faces a daily pressure to churn out new material. In the wrong mind, that can lead to top-10 lists, recycled ideas, half-baked notions, lots of viral videos, and a general increase in information pollution. Is there any way out of this scenario? In 2005, Jason Kottke announced that he had quit his job to blog full-time and asked his readers to become "micropatrons" at a suggested rate of $30. He received $39,900 from 1,450 people but abandoned the experiment after a year. Kottke is vague about the reasons why he swore off micropatronage, but he suggests that he was worried that people wouldn't donate year after year. In order to build a bigger audience and potential new donors, he would have had to do some of the cheesy things to drive traffic (i.e., "Top Five Best" posts) and/or become a cult of personality (overshare, start flame wars, social network relentlessly). These days, he accepts ads as part of the Deck network.

The bloggers at the vanguard of the post-quality-vs.-post-quantity debate are those who work for Nick Denton's Gawker media. This year, Denton introduced a new pay system that gave his bloggers a base salary and also paid them a quarterly bonus based upon the amount of page views their items receive. Or to oversimplify, they were being paid by popularity. (To follow the complicated ins and outs of the "blogonomics" of the Gawker pay structure, read Felix Salmon's Portfolio blog.) The memo explains the decision as an effort to reward and encourage more original, scoopy items, but, as Denton's writers and ex-writers quickly pointed out, there's not an obvious correlation between quality and page views. Despite a few exceptions, such as the Tom Cruise Scientology video, no one can predict a Web hit.

Do we get the blogs we deserve? We vote by click, after all. Perhaps we shouldn't look at all those top 10 lists and Britney Spears photos. Successful blogs, such as Zen Habits, tend to balance the more fast-food type posts with longer, more complex ideas that will presumably keep readers coming back—although there are plenty of people who make a living posting dubious crap. Perhaps the escape route out of a hit-driven blogosphere is all of our newfound "friends." The Internet has always been very good at counting page views but not so great at assigning value to what's actually in those pages. Facebook, FriendFeed, StumbleUpon, and the sharing feature of Google Reader have their annoying, nudgy aspects, but they allow us to rely on one another to sort out what is interesting and worthy. Put it on a T-shirt: Friends Don't Let Friends Read Bad Content.