I remember several years ago thinking to myself that it would be so great if I could just work from home, use my computer, and make money online to supplement my income. Like most people, I got onto the internet and started looking for ways to make money online.

The first thing that occurred to me in my search was that there were so many advertisements out there for this and that online business and how to make millions if you just join this special program. To be honest, it was too overwhelming for me and I gave up on the thought that I would ever find something legitimate and easy to learn.

However, over the few years that followed, I continued to have this notion at the back of my mind that people are really making money on the internet – that it can actually be done, and maybe I could do it too if I just commit myself to learning.

So back onto the internet I went on my quest to learn about some ways to make money online. I stumbled across this great e-book called Google Cash that got me very excited about starting an online business. But after some careful consideration I realized that it would be easy to lose money with this system if you were not careful and didn't know what you were doing.

Once again, I put my notion that I could make money online aside. It kept nagging me though, so I went to the library to read some books on ways to make money on the internet. These books got me really excited as well, nearly to the point of taking action. But it still wasn't enough!

Finally, at a time in my life when I felt I had the finances and life circumstances that could support and maintain an online business, I went back to the internet search and found a program that has helped me learn all I know today about internet marketing and online businesses, and has helped me make money online.

This long drawn out tale of mine does have a purpose, and that is that you do have to do your research before jumping into any online money-making program, and sometimes the thought processes and life circumstances have to be just right when you decide to venture into something like this.

So what are some decent ways to make money online you ask after you've done all your research?

Well, one of the ways to make money online is to get an actual online job, as opposed to an online business, such as doing data entry work, or taking online surveys. There are literally thousands of companies online that will hire you to fill out forms or give your opinions.

Another way to make money online is to set up your own store and sell other people's products for a commission. Usually you get a website on which you place the products you want to promote, and when people click on those products and make a purchase, you get a share of the profits.

If you like to write, you can make a good income online simply by having a blog or blogs and placing Adsense ads on them. The more you post to blogs, the higher you can expect your website or blog's rankings to be in the search engines. The higher your blog is ranked in the search engines, the more traffic you will have, and the more traffic you have, the more potential sales for you!

You can also use Google Adwords to advertise anything – your products, services, or your website and this will bring you hoards of hungry traffic and buyers to your site.

You can use the popular ebay and other auction sites to auction off your products for a pretty penny!

You can join many of the programs online that will start you on the road to internet riches through affiliate selling. Many of these programs will have a website set up for you with the sales pitch and links all taken care of for you.

Again, you have to be careful to do your homework here and find out what is legitimate or not by asking good questions. If you are paying anything to join the program, make sure that you are getting something valuable in return for the fee that makes it worthwhile.

You can create your own products and services and sell those online rather than selling other people's products and services.

You may decide that a good way to make money online is to join a multi-level marketing company where you have to recruit prospects and build a downline. If that's your cup of tea, then by all means, go for it because you can make an incredible income from these programs. Just be sure they are not pyramid schemes and that they offer something of value that is spread out throughout the network, and that not all the top dogs get all the loot!

The list surely goes on, but this is an introduction to some legitimate ways to make money online. If you know what you're getting into before you start out, you will be in a much better position to make good decisions about which programs or online opportunities you want to be a part of.