Back in the 90’s everyone was excited about what the internet could do for them. Some people loved the idea of being able to communicate with people cheaply across the world. Others delighted in the encyclopedia of knowledge that was now open to the masses. Businesses saw it as a golden opportunity. Tech geniuses saw it as a way to make their mark on the world. But things have changed and perhaps for the better. Now most people have internet access. If they choose to, the majority can learn how to make using the internet profitable. How profitable? It is an interesting question that we are keen to explore. Does the dot-com millionaire or billionaire still exist?

We know they used to. The owner of Google made billions online. Mark Zuckerberg, too. But they had an original, fresh idea and the tech ability to make it happen. If you know how to make programs, and apps odds are you can make a decent living. But is it possible to now make money online, even without a lot of technical knowledge?

There are certainly success stories around. Take Anoosh Kashefi, for instance. He owns a blog that was specifically created to show people how to make money online. It seems to simple. Set up a blog. Gain some readers. Get some advertising and now you have your very own online money making machine. But when something sounds this easy, you have to wonder, is it true?

We did. So we started doing some research. How much money do the top blog owners make? Enough money to make your eyes water, that is for sure. They make millions per year. Ah, but then a little bit lower down the food chain there are bloggers that make less than one hundred thousand per year. Further down it drops to twenty thousand. Until you reach the point where you discover that the average blogger will make less than ten pounds per day. Now, it seems clear what internet blogging is. It is not a miracle making machine. It is a mirror of society. There are the absurdly rich, the wealthy, the middle class and the working class.

But that is not where this story ends. There are companies online selling ways to make your blog profitable and get rich quick online. You will pay a fixed amount, and they assure you that their product will enable you to quit your job and do a couple hours work a day from home. Then they tell you this is how they made their money. You will be shown a video that demonstrates how they did it and lets you listen to success stories. They may offer you money back guarantees with peculiar wording. For instance, they will offer to buy your website off you if you are not satisfied. Our guess is they will buy it for how much it is worth, not how much you paid them. It does not stop there. If you research their service online, you will find blog after blog after blog with five-star reviews.

We came across one in particular. On the front page was a well-dressed business woman, supposedly the owner of the site. Apparently she is a top marketing analysis. We ran the picture through a search engine and found the woman is actually a model. The owner of the site has no digital footprint. It is a web page set up purely to sell a product.

To conclude, it is still possible to make money online. But you need to be realistic. Working online is still working. Unless you are lucky or do have that next big idea, it will take some time and effort. Put in the effort you may indeed make enough to afford that overpriced watch. But ultimately, nothing worth having is easy to gain.