The Internet has become so versatile in this day and age that you could easily make money online if you just have a working computer and a decent web connection. There are actually real opportunities to generate income using the worldwide web and you can get in on the action without a fuss if you just have the right know-how.

If you’re looking to jump on the online money-making bandwagon, then this is the place to be. Make sure you check out the rest of this article to learn a few superb examples that will help you get started in no time at all.

Become a blogger.

Blogging is perhaps the most common method of making money using the Internet nowadays. Apart from giving you the opportunity to have free online exposure and write about the things that interest you, monetizing your blog is also an option if you’re already driving a lot of traffic to it.

While there is no set amount how much money you will get your hands on through blogging, you can expect to earn a decent supplemental income along the way if you already have a sizable following of eager readers. Plus, you can also potentially lease advertising space to people who are selling products and services online if you have the same target audience as they do.

Engage in affiliate marketing.

Selling other people’s products using your website or blog is also a feasible way to make money online. Termed as “affiliate marketing,” you basically allot a space for a web merchant’s ad on your blog and earn a commission each time a customer clicks on it and successfully makes a sale.

You don’t have to possess any technical business skills whatsoever to make your efforts at affiliate marketing profitable. It’s as easy as placing the ad on your website or blog and you’re done. The best thing about it is that you don’t have to attend to any customer service responsibilities, shipping obligations or handling duties, too.

Rent online ad space for PPC.

While renting online ad space is quite similar to affiliate marketing in some aspects, it is a completely different way of earning income off the Internet. This strategy is the best one to go for when you sign up for a pay-per-click (PPC) network.

Unlike affiliate marketing where you only earn a commission when a sale is made, you are paid each time a user clicks on an ad even without buying anything. The amount you make is eventually based on the records made by a tracking code used to log each click made in a specific period of time.

Now that you’ve got a few examples to get you going, why not give one a spin right now and start making money online?

Maintaining an active lifestyle is an important part of a healthy life. There are many benefits attached to leading an active and healthy lifestyle. Very often as people grow older they begin to lead a less active life. This leads to various ailments. The fact is that one can easily lead an active and healthy lifestyle irrespective of how old they are.

Benefits Of An Active Lifestyle

Doctors and health experts are continuously stressing the importance of an active lifestyle because there are so many health benefits associated with it.

o    An active and healthy lifestyle helps us lead a longer and healthier life. Statistics show that those who exercise regularly live longer than those who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Even a moderate amount of activity can do wonders for your health.

o    Exercise helps to control fat and regulate the sugar levels. Thus it helps to prevent diseases like, diabetes and high cholesterol. Diabetes is a serious health problem that usually affects those who lead a sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle.

o    Exercise helps to build muscle strength and stamina. People with muscle strength are able to work longer without tiring out.

o    Regular exercise helps to keep many lifestyle diseases at bay. Regular exercise helps to strengthen the heart muscles, lungs and the respiratory system. An active lifestyle helps prevent heart disease. It is already known that prevention is better than cure.

o    Regular exercise and activity also helps in weight maintenance.

Maintaining an active lifestyle is not that hard if you set your mind to it. Very often it has been seen that as people get older they gradually give up leading an active life. In fact today’s easy lifestyle promotes sedentary lifestyle. One does not have to go to a shop to buy groceries or other stuff. One can just order them online.

Active Lifestyle Through Yoga

However, this does not have to be the case. Yoga for health provides a wonderful and safe way for elderly people to stay fit and healthy.

Yoga can be taken up at any stage in life and when done properly it guarantees health benefits. There is yoga for all kinds of people. Those who are suffering from some physical ailment or those who are completely stressed out can find a yoga program that suits their fitness level.

Yoga helps to build muscle strength and provide flexibility. It relieves stress and improves concentration. Yoga has helped many senior people lead a stress and pain free life. People feel alive and less fatigued after doing yoga. It gives them the energy to lead an active and healthy life.

Yoga basically consists of poses (asanas), breathing exercises (Pranayama) and meditation. When these three things are combined together, it gives us a holistic health program. In yoga, the body is treated as a vehicle that allows us to work and evolve. Yoga helps in this purpose.

Many people believe that yoga is strenuous for old people. However, the fact is that there are poses that are specifically designed to help old people. These poses are easy to perform and have no side effects.

Yoga can truly help you lead an active lifestyle and resolve many of your physical ailments.

During times of economic recession when employment opportunities are minimal and layoffs are abundant, adults naturally seek opportunities to make themselves more marketable to employers. Whether individuals need to acquire new skills to enter an entirely different career field, or they simply want to fine tune skills that they already possess to keep their existing jobs, education is often the solution. However, unemployed or working adults with families and busy lives may have difficulties fitting college courses into their hectic schedules. Recession May Drive More Adults Students to Take Online Classes by Steve Kolowich is an article that discusses the reasons many adult students will choose online learning in the current economy. In this article, I will summarize Kolowich’s article. I will also provide an analysis of what I think has created this enrollment trend: cost, convenience, and completion.

Article Summary

Adults often choose times of economic hardship to go to school. Currently, more adults are selecting two-year colleges and private for-profit colleges than traditional four-year universities for their educational needs. Many of these students will take online courses. The 2008 Sloan Survey of Online Learning anticipated that all types of colleges would experience increases in enrollments, but non-traditional schools could see the greatest jumps in enrollments. Elaine Allen, one of the report’s authors, attributes this to the fact that non-traditional schools offer online classes.

Online classes offer many conveniences that traditional college courses do not. Students can take online classes at times that work for them. They do not have to leave their homes to go to school. They are still able to care for the needs of their families. Individuals can save on gas by not having to drive to campuses.

Online enrollment has been steadily increasing since 2003. More than a fifth of all students enrolled in higher education were taking at least one online course in 2007. Over half of the colleges surveyed in 2007 thought that it was critical to offer online courses to students. In addition, 70% of the colleges noticed an increase of student interest in online learning. Students are beginning to choose colleges specifically for their online programs.

Cost

Because of the recession, jobs are scarce. Tough economic times put “more people in the pipeline, looking, and hoping for opportunities” (Stevenson, 2008). Taking classes or earning a degree gives individuals an edge over the competition in the job market. “The majority of continuing education students today are most concerned with first getting into the academic pipeline” (Stevenson, 2008). Adults enroll in programs that offer classes to complete degrees they did not finish in the past. “A lot of people want to increase their skill levels or get that degree they didn’t have. The threat of losing their jobs can be as big a motivator as the actuality” (Kolowich, 2009). The cost of losing a job or not obtaining a new job is greater than the cost of education. In addition, non-traditional colleges offering online courses often cost about the same of even less than traditional universities.

Unemployment benefits often pay educational costs during the first year of unemployment. Unemployed individuals can use these benefits to take classes. Some companies give educational benefits to employees that they had to layoff. Former employees can use these benefits to learn new skills. Individuals are able to enroll in classes without worrying about how to pay for them.

Convenience

Many adults who would like to go to traditional universities to earn degrees are unable due to busy schedules. They have to work or search for new jobs. They have children to care for and households to run. “They may prefer to go into the classroom but they need to work or stay at home and they don’t have the time. An online education may be their only chance to get a degree” (Johnson, 2006).

Online courses offer much more flexibility than traditional classroom classes. Students can participate on days that are convenient for them. If they have to do their schoolwork early in the morning before going to work or late at night after the children are asleep, they can. Online courses still have participation requirements and assignments with due dates, but if students know that they will be busy on days assignments are due, they can simply do these ahead of time.

Many online programs allow students to take only one or two courses at a time to be “full-time.” This allows busy adults to focus on a minimal amount of subjects. Their other responsibilities would make it difficult to take four to five classes at one time as is necessary to be full-time at traditional universities.

Students do not have to leave their homes or jobs to attend online classes. They can participate in class from anywhere that has a computer with internet access. Time is not wasted driving to campuses, finding parking, and walking to classes. Parents do not have to worry about finding childcare for their children during class times. Students do not have to rush from work to school to home feeling as if they are constantly on the go. Online classes offer conveniences like these that traditional courses cannot.

Completion

According to Stevenson (2008), “today’s non-traditional student is interested in one thing: completion, completion, completion.” Adult students want to earn or complete their degrees as quickly as possible. “Students earning a bachelor’s degree from University of Phoenix take one class at a time for five weeks per course” (Johnson, 2006). This means that students can complete up to 10 – three credit courses in a year or 30 semester credits. Accelerated online degree programs like this are a big attraction to individuals who desire to complete degrees quickly.

Conclusion

Because of our country’s current economic recession, more often adults are enrolling in degree programs. Some hope to find new jobs, while others aspire to keep the jobs they have. Education is an effective way increase employment opportunities. Many of these individuals choose to attend non-traditional colleges. Non-traditional schools offer several advantages to benefit the busy adult. These advantages include cost, convenience, and completion. Non-traditional institutions “tend to offer programs that have traditionally been tailored to serve working adults” (Kolowich, 2009). Online courses offered by many of these schools are the ideal educational alternative for busy adults.

References

Johnson, F. (2003, August 21). Online Education Helps Fight Enrollment Dip. Enterprise/Salt Lake City, 36(7), 9. Retrieved August 1, 2009, from Regional Business News database.

Kolowich, S. (2009, January 16). Recession May Drive More Adult Students to Take Online Classes. Chronicle of Higher Education, 55(19), A11-A11. Retrieved August 1, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Stevenson, J. (2008, September 15). Streamline the Pipeline. Business West, 25(9), 38. Retrieved August, 1, 2009, from Regional Business News database.