Ever wish that was there was a way to make extra money by using your net connection? Perhaps you’ve even dreamed of finding a way to earn that doesn’t involve the daily commute and rat race. Well, there is a way but it involves a lot of hard work to begin with.

Don’t get interested in the hundreds of offers to make a fortune by doing some repetitive task online – those only make money for the ones running the show. Be independent and try blogging (short for web logging – once an online diary but now it can mean anything that is regularly updated with new information).

Blogging is a buzz word of the moment and there are all sorts of stories about it floating around, some true, some laughably false. As a way to put your thoughts online, it’s fine and you could get much enjoyment from it. But, as a means to make money, it has to be taken much more seriously than that. It requires determination and commitment to succeed in this field.

Before you start, you should find out as much as possible about the pitfalls and possibilities inherent in blogging. And there is no better way to learn about it than at Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger. Darren started with a personal blog, an online diary, became interested in the new medium and began to look at ways to make it pay. He started a few blogs, and then ProBlogger as a way of passing on what he had learned to others trying to do the same thing.

ProBlogger is now the best source of information on earning from blogs and there is no better place to start if you want to try blogging. Be warned however: Darren pulls no punches and does not pretend that it is easy!

When buying an expensive item like a computer, especially when it is to be a gift, you want to be sure that you’re getting your money’s worth. As with most markets, the computer sales world is a minefield of traps and deals that look good but do not deliver. Before making your purchase, know what you want (and need) and the options for buying it.

The big companies are not necessarily the way to go with computers. They may have the muscle to force suppliers’ prices down but they also became big by making sure that their profit remains healthy. Often your local computer store can offer you a better deal; plus you have the benefit of the personal touch – usually a small store is owned and run by someone who knows computers inside out and is happy to share that knowledge.

The best advice I can give you, however, is to know exactly how much you are prepared to spend and then do the research on the net to find the best deal for that price. Don’t worry too much about obscure technical descriptions; generally the higher the figures attached to a component, the better it will perform. Make sure that the price quoted includes a monitor. Very often computer prices are made to seem low by separating out the monitor and making it an extra purchase.

I could write pages of details on the various things to look for but that is not really my intent here. It is enough that you are aware that the purchase of a computer is not something to be done in a hurry.

Marketwatch dot com has a good article on the basics of computer buying. It’s well worth a read.