Colom Newbie

1. If the person selling you 'make money online' information doesn't even have a decent Alexa ranking, it shows he can't drive traffic to his site. (these can be 'faked', but it's a start) Alexa rankings are not entirely accurate since only visitors who have the Alexa toolbar installed are counted, but then again almost everyone (outside of the Internet marketing/geek market) is playing on the same level playing field.

2. Look out for testimonials (genuine ones). If testimonials have URL's, do a WHOIS check to see if the website is not actually owned by the same person peddling the product.

3. Does this person have a business name or a company registered? Do a check at your local business registration website. Any person doing business illegally or doesn't have a business name is likely not to be serious about it (not to mention, they might get into trouble later on)

4. Do a check at the Better Business Bureau if the person claims to be a 'big company' or gives the impression of having a 'big office, with lots of employees'

5. Do a check on Google for the name of the supposed 'guru'. Check out his Facebook profile, his MySpace profile, and try to size up whether he's the real deal (you'll pick up certain 'cues' on whether they are genuine, such as their wall posts, personal profile etc) :)

Frankly, I'd bet that most 'make money online' schemes are fly-by-night. But hey, we already knew that!

So be careful before you buy the next product on 'making money online' or 'getting rich quick'. You don't wan t to be burnt, you actually want to make a living online right?