The Internet can be an amazing tool for people who know how to utilize it's positive points.

Many people across the planet have learned to use it to earn a full-time income. In many cases they have completely replaced their full-time jobs.

The internet is a huge place, and there are many many opportunities available. Some are free. Some are not.

I've always asked myself though, "Why should I spend money to work for someone else? Isn't that flawed logically?"

So, I started looking around. How can I make real money - a significant income - without spending anything? I mean, it has to be possible right? Is there something people don't want me to know?

After some searching, I have found several legitimate, realistic ways to make a real income online.

That said, don't expect to get rich or start making huge money quickly. But, if you keep at it, I know you will succeed.

ClickBank is an excellent site for business and online merchants looking to make some money. Here, businesses list products they have up for sale. As someone wanting to earn money, you can create an account and find products to promote on behalf of those businesses.

This is commonly known as affiliate marketing. You can promote a seller's product and then get paid for making a sale. The amount you get paid varies from seller to seller.

The great thing about ClickBank is there is certainly no shortage of products to promote. No matter what your interest, there is a product you can sell.

ClickBank pays you directly. You don't have to depend on sellers to pay you. So you never have to worry that a particular seller will 'forget' to send you your commissions.

On ClickBank, the income potential is virtually limitless. Millions of people make an honest living online by using ClickBank alone!

Like anything, there is no guarantee that you will succeed, but you have nothing to lose. So, why not give it a shot?

PayDotCom is the brainchild of Mike Filsaime, a very successful marketing professional. It was spawned as an alternative to ClickBank. Thus, works on many of the same principles and philosophy.

Business list their products, and you can pick products to promote and sell. You are paid commissions per sale.

The key difference, however, is that you are not paid directly by PayDotCom. You are paid by individual sellers. This introduces the risk of not being paid for your efforts if the seller 'forgets' or refuses to pay up.

For this reason, I prefer Clickbank over PayDotCom. However, there are thousands of affiliates worldwide that swear by PDC.

Similar to Clickbank, the income potential for PayDotCom is limitless.

The word 'blog' is short for web-log. It is, essentially, an online journal on which you can write whatever you want. There are blogs on the Internet about every topic under the sun.

You can set up your own blog in just a few minutes through Blogger.com or Wordpress.com. Both are excellent free sites that let you write your heart out.

Once you have your blog set up, sign up for Google's Adsense program. Adsense is a free service that lets website owners and bloggers make extra money by placing small ads on their sites. You will be paid directly by Google according to the number of clicks the ads on your site/blog receive.

Don't expect to earn a huge amount from Adsense at first. You have to have a substantial number of visitors to earn much. However, don't forget to advertise your blog to the world. More visitors means more money earned from the ads on your site. Digg.com and Propeller.com are great ways to get the word out.

As your blog ages and gets more traffic, you will see your Adsense income increase in turn.

If you like to write, this one is ridiculously easy 'work.'

Website owners are always hungry for new content. Many are even willing to pay for it - and pay BIG.

Sign up with Constant-Content, Helium, and AssociatedContent.

These sites are amazing free resources that connect writers with people who are want to buy articles. Each of these sites has a job board on which wanted articles are listed with prices buyers are willing to pay you.

For example, someone may post on the job board a request for an article about dishwashers. The listed price is $75. If you follow the guidelines provided by the buyer, write a quality article, and are among the first to submit the finished work, you will be paid $75 for your time and effort.

Requested article length can range from a few hundred to several thousand words. The profit potential per article you write can range from $5 to $200+ depending on a given author's budget.

These sites also allow you to write and upload articles that are not for a specific buyer. These articles will be displayed on the website and earn you money as ads are shown with them. I advise you to take advantage of this feature as you can improve your online presence and build up your portfolio. Doing so will establish you as an authority in your subject and, possibly, even earn you more jobs down the road.

The income potential from any one of these sites can be from a few cents to several hundred dollars a month - depending largely on how much you are willing to write. Definitely spend some time looking at each site.

One caveat, however: Do not post the same article on multiple sites. Doing so can dramatically hurt your reputation and search engine ranking!

These methods have been great for me.

But, there is no sure fire formula for making money online. While I sincerely hope they help you, no one can guarantee that they will.

The best thing to do is to keep at it. Don't get discouraged if progress seems slow. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?

If you keep at it and try to have fun with it, I think you will like what you see.