Blogging is a great way to make extra money and pay down debt. It gives you a free way to present your knowledge and ideas for others to enjoy and you can gain revenue in a variety of different ways.

This is what I have done so far to build an income from blogging:

Start A Blog
First I suggest getting a blog from either blogger.com or wordpress.com. I use blogger, but that is just because I like the interface. Start putting some decent content about what interests you the most. I currently have two blogs. This one and my one about health. This is because personal finance and health are my two favorite subjects.
Here is a link to check out my health blog if you are interested.

Apply for Google Adsense
Put some content on there and apply for a google adsense account. Use the link below on the left to sign up.

To read more about google adsense read my article, How to Earn from Google Adsense.

Build a Squidoo Lens
You don’t even have to have a website or a blog in order to build a Squidoo lens. The great thing about a squidoo lens is that it can actually make you money!

If you already have a blog or website a Squidoo Lens can help to bring more traffic to your site. If you don’t have a website that can act as a nice one page site for you to promote the programs you belong to such as CashCrate and others.

Sign up for an Affiliate Account with Amazon.com

I mainly did this for my health blog because I talk about health products all the time. I thought this would be a nice way to earn a small income from all of the product reviews I have been doing.

Another great program is Commission Junction. I have made a few bucks here and there from that program as well.

Other Programs

There are a lot more things I can do to help build an income from blogging, but most of them require a site that is at least 3 months old, that has a lot more content than I have and a lot more traffic. So I am going to have to wait on those. I will add them to my list here when I am able to implement them.

One program I am particularly interested is Text Link Ads. With their program you can get paid to put text ads on your site. It is really simple too because all you do is add some code to your site and they do the rest, while you get paid. However your blog needs to be at least 3 months old before you can apply to their program.

For information on how to get traffic to your site using articles read, How to Use Articles to Get Free Traffic.

I tried applying for PayPerPost.com, but they rejected my blog because I don’t receive enough traffic and it is not 90 days old. I will try re-applying around August or September. They pay you to post on certain topics and do reviews about companies and such.

I really like this GPT program. They pay out monthly and you can get paid via PayPal, Check or Amazon Gift Certificate.

Fairy Tale Treasures is a brand new site, just been around since April 2007. The great benefit to that is the fact that you have the opportunity to get a lot of referrals (if you wish to) because not very many people are members yet.

By investing several hours a week completing surveys, reading emails, and trying various products you can make money from the privacy of your home.

My Experience with Fairy Tale Treasures

I decided I wouldn’t even discuss Fairy Tale Treasures on my blog until I had recieved my first payout.

I joined on May 24, 2007 and took my first look around on the site. I got a $1 sign-up bonus right when I signed-up so I knew I only had to get $9 more in order to test out their payout system.

I really like how they have the offers seperated between new offers, free offers, finance offers, biz-ops offers, media offers, technology offers, trials, surveys and the shopping portal.

What I found particularly appealing was the fact that they had a special section just for really fast offers that ONLY require an email address or zip code. Those were paying about $0.60 each and could rack up very quickly.

I did a bunch of those and a few of the short 3-5 minute surveys and I was already at the minimum cash out. I had $10.90 the very next morning!

I emailed the owner to see if I could get an early cashout in order to show that they are legitimate and really do pay here on my blog.

* You must be at least 18 years old

* Only US residents at this time

* Only ONE account per household. If they find more than one account both accounts will be deleted.

* No Proxy Servers

Referral System

Increased your earnings by referring family and friends to Fairy Tale Treasures. When they complete offers you earn additional earnings as follows:

1st level referrals – 12%
2nd level referral – 4%
3rd level referral – 2%

Tips on how to make the most of Fairy Tale Treasures

1. Sign up with your mail email address, but use an alternate email address for the surveys and offers. That way you wont get junk mail in your inbox.

2. After you sign up, read the forums. They have a wealth of information and advice that will make your experience with Fairy Tale Treasures

3. Read my post on Must Read CashCrate Insider Information because the information applies to all Get Paid To sites.

4. If you follow all the tips above still having trouble getting your offers to clear, please visit my post on GPT Troubleshooting.

Big Buck Surveys – About 7-10 pages — complete the survey until you see the message that reads, “Thank you. Your information has been received successfully.”

Consumer Beat – same as Big Buck Surveys — several pages until you see “Thank you. Your information has been received successfully…”

Consumer Expression – complete the survey until you see the message that reads, “Thank you. Your information has been received successfully.” Any additional questions and surveys after this message do NOT need to be completed.

Consumer Promotion Center – Submit the second page.

My Elite Rewards – Submit 2nd page.

My Insider Deals – Enter your info and choose an offer on the 2nd page. Submit — and you are finished.

My Select Gifts – Submit the 2nd page.

Opinion Direct – Continue until you see the message in black at the top that reads, “Thank you. Your information has been received successfully…”

Rewards Gateway – Submit 2nd page.

Survey Networks – Complete the survey until you the message at the top that reads, “Thank you. Your information has been received successfully.”