Like millions of other internet users, I spent several months combing the web, looking for creative ways to make money online. There are so many scams and false claims - many of them packaged in very shiny, attractive packages - that it's virtually impossible to know where to start. After so many searches that lead to the same dead ends, I was exhausted. I'd given up and was ready to go back to a boring 9-5 desk job. There was no way I'd ever be able to make money from the comfort of my own home.

Until I stumbled upon the ACME People Search engine, created by the innovative Tissa Godavitarne.  

It looked sketchy at first.  After coming across so many scams (fortunately, I hadn't actually fallen for any of them), I was wary.  I didn't think it would be possible to earn money from my own search engine - and certainly not the $125 commission that was promised.  But I did some research, saw proof of people making money with this system, and decided to try it. 

1: Affiliatize

For this step, all that's required is to sign up for ClickBank, HD Publishing, and MyLife. This only takes about 5-10 minutes.

2. Monetize

Sign up for a domain name with GDI so you have somewhere to host your free people search engine. Takes about another 5 minutes.

3. Advertise (optional, but recommended)

The third step is the only way to achieve a 100% display rate for your affiliate IDs (aka maximum exposure), and therefore ensures that you're getting the most out of the program. By subscribing with TrialPay or PayPal, you get a 30 day free trial and the $125 commission (though you need to make $75 on your own in order to cash out at $200). You do have the option to ignore this step, which will reduce your display rate to 65%.

This step takes about another 5 minutes. That's 20 minutes max to set up your own search engine and start earning money online.

What really sets ACME People Search apart is how easy it is. Yes, it's initially free, which means you have a chance to test it before investing anything. If you really want to profit from this program, you need to use the tools they provide you with: namely, Wealthy Affiliate (the internet marketing course you can sign up for once you've started with APS) and the support forum. Here, you can share your experiences and read about those of other users.

This support forum is the key. Scams don't have support forums. That was what sold me, personally; by reading other peoples' comments about this innovative technique, I saw proof that it wasn't a scam - and that it was worth investing my own time (and optionally, money) to profit from APS.