Make Money Online Doing the ChaCha

Special thanks to friend CyberGwen for informing me of the following way to make money online...

This isn't quite Dancing with the Stars online, instead it's a website called "ChaCha", a place where people go to get answers. You might ask, "Isn't that handled by Google already?" Well, yes and no. Google is a very powerful search engine, but many people search and search for what they want and can't quite get the answer they are looking for. Sometimes you find yourself with a ton of listings that mention the terms you searched, but you don't have the precise info you wanted. ChaCha makes sure they do.

ChaCha is geared mostly to the mobile phone/computer user looking for info on the go. An example the site gives is: "What hotel in downtown Cleveland has a business center?" Some people may find themselves sifting through search results to get the answer they really need, and if you're simply using a mobile phone, you want an answer faster. With ChaCha, a live guide will help the person get the info quickly and accurately, or at least send them along the proper path for it. ChaCha is free to use. If you'd like to try it from your own cell phone, text your question to 242-242 (spells ‘ChaCha’) or call 1-800-2ChaCha (800-224-2242) from your mobile phone to ask any question and you will receive the answer as a text message. Standard text message rates or voice minutes may apply. The ChaCha site also offers a search engine box as well which serves the same purpose as texting or calling in your query.

Now to make money with ChaCha, you'll first need to register as a guide, be accepted, and then pass their tests to get in. Almost seems like an elite spy academy or Mission Impossible. The application to become a guide asks for your particulars such as name, email, zip code, level of education, interests, internet connection, times available and other pertinent info. I'm currently in the app review process, and then I'll get the series of tests afterwards, to make sure I'm a good fit for ChaCha's community. Once I'm in, the ChaCha begins!



According to my friend, and the source for writing this entry about ChaCha, she earns 20 cents per query she handles, but it can add up quickly. You could see it as fun, and a new type of instant message game, where you're getting payed to do an online scavenger hunt. It may become a nuisance to some to be interrupted online if they do a lot of other work. However, the great part about making money at ChaCha is that you're on your own schedule. You can log in for 15 minutes or 15 hours and field search queries that come your way. According to the site's Fast Facts there's about 30,000 people working as guides already, in each of the 50 states. One of the notable names on their team of investors is Jeff Bezos who we all know as the man behind online retailer, Amazon.com.

I'll provide more of an update about my experiences with ChaCha once my application status changes. But it looks like yet another worthwhile and legitimate way to earn yourself some extra income, especially if you enjoy finding info online. Or you can also go the more traditional route and launch into one of the careers offered at ChaCha, which has its homebase in Indiana. But, if you'd rather just look stylish than work for ChaCha, they also offer "ChaCha gear", a special section of the site which sells Specialty Tees, Active Wear and Accessories.

The Tax Man Cometh

I enjoy most of the monthly holidays like Christmas, Easter, my birthday, V-day, the 4th of July and Thanksgiving. However, there's one holiday in particular most of us dread and don't really celebrate often: April 15th or "Tax Due Date".

This year I did something I've never done before with regards to filing my taxes, I filed an extension. The reasons are due to my recent move, some tax documents I needed were misplaced. So now with the due date 2 days away, I am extending so I can get those documents in and do my taxes soon after. The drawbacks are there could be a late fee, and month to month interest is charged until you file your Federal return.

To file an extension, you'll need to know your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) from 2006, your estimated tax owed this year, and your federal tax payments made. You may also need to file an extension for your state taxes. Make sure to refer to your state's gov site for more info, as each state differs in its rules. For my state, there was no need to file the state extension if you don't expect to owe state taxes AND you filed the federal extension.

Once you've filled out the e-file extension form you'll most likely be asked to pay some money towards your federal tax owed (payment must be over $1). You also may be charged a fee, which in my case was $3.95, payable by bank account or CC. And now I wait to make sure the extension goes through!

If you need to file an extension of your own, check out www.irs.gov where they list out several free e-file sites which include Form 4868, the form for a federal extension. I'll keep you updated on any progress or issues that arise with this...

Hopefully you all are done filing b now and getting some moolah back...Good luck with the process!

The Cow is Selling Out!

Ok not really, but the Monetizer learned of some unfortunate news via a blog email update Friday; John Cow has decided to sell his blog. Apologies in advance for a bit of a rant and several puns, but the Cow is easily one of my favorite blogs due to its high creativity factor.

There's two blogs I always check on a daily basis by the email updates. Lately, it's been all I've had time for with all my blogging and other projects, bill paying, research, checking emails, catching up with friends and all that good stuff. The two blogs I make sure to stay with are Courtney Tuttle and John Chow. Court's got extremely valuable and helpful info on SEO, in fact he's the best around for great tips and info to get your traffic rolling in. I also look to John Cow as one of the benchmarks in terms of the internet marketing & MMO niche due to his highly regarded blogging creativity. He snatched up a great idea and URL with Johnchow.com, which ranks 1st for "John Chow". His clever move payed off in terms of typo traffic and the spoof factor of "Making Mooney Online". He really milked the idea and has one of the more stylishly layed out blogs around.

So anyhow, the news came from the Cow blog on Friday that JohnCow.com is officially up for sale. Unfortunately April Fool's day was over a week ago so this is no joke. The Cow is getting tired and needs a break, possibly to stray from his current territory to "greener pastures". He's making a move to Australia and needs several months away from the internet to get situated. So some lucky buyer can snatch up a great opportunity now. The blog has impressive stats as Cow points out in his post about the sale:

The stats:

* PageRank 3
* Alexa 22,100
* Compete 41,020
* Technorati 1696, Authority 1457
* 382 Posts
* 13,417 Comments
* 47,412 Backlinks (Yahoo!)
* 2,830 indexed pages (Google)
* Average of 40K uniques per month (without social media)

Whoever buys the Cow has some big hoofs to fill. While milk may do a blogger good, will the new blogger be able to deliver the milk like John Cow has? This remains to be seen and it could be quite a tough task. It also makes me curious what the Cow will do after leaving the blog. Start a new blog? Get a 9-5? Or simply retire from online ventures? That could be tough to do as well. I know that blogging can be addictive and if you've started a project and then sell it off, if may be sorely missed. You'll eventually want to return to the field because you have that constant hunger.

Now here's the real "beef" of this Cow story with regards to making money online... there's a nice little referral/commission reward if you help bring the buyer to the Cow. You could net anywhere from $1,200 to $2,500 for yourself which definitely is nice pocket change, so consider writing up your own post, emailing your contacts or using your social media connections.

So with this Monetizer post I raise my glass of milk in toast to the great work of John Cow which I've enjoyed day in and day out.. I also hope that whoever buys Johncow.com knows what they're doing and gives more of the make mooney posts many of us have come to love...

The Big Give: Making Money & Giving Back

"I can't help the poor if I'm one of them, so I got rich and gave back to em, that's the win-win" - Moment of Clarity, Jay-Z

Big Give or Go home. That's the motto of Oprah Winfrey's interesting new reality game show that airs Sunday nights at 9PM on ABC. It's been running several weeks now, but covers an important aspect of moneymaking that many overlook; the concept of giving back.

Many of the books which discuss wealth acquisition also delve into the topic of giving in order to receive. Roberty Kiyosaki, author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", says that most often you'll find that once you've given a donation to your church or other charity, you'll find the gift somehow returns to you with interest. That doesn't mean if you donate $1 to a church, expect to find a bag full of 100 dollar bills, but that you may have some act of gratitude come back to you for your charitable expression.

On Oprah's "The Big Give" contestants are given a unique challenge each week. They are usually given the names of specific people or locations with a set amount of funds, and told to give as big as they can. The goal is to see who can give the biggest by improving life for the community, family or individual. On this past week's episode the four remaining contestants helped give big to two individuals suffering with cancer. One woman got her wish to play piano on stage in the famous Carnegie Hall theater in NYC. The audience included her family and friends, and Natalie King Cole surprised her on stage.

There was a second man who the team also gave big to, also suffering with cancer. He was worried about his piling up medical bills and his mortgage with a wife and kids. The contestants used the help of Jada Pinkett-Smith and Donald Trump. The man and his family were treated to a fun-filled day in New York which included shopping sprees and a ride in Mr. Trump's very own helicopter around NYC. The day ended with the man's entire extended family arriving to see him via horse-drawn buggies. The team then let him know that his mortgage was payed off (thanks to celebrity donations), and that he would have money for his kids' college funds. In addition, he was given a brand new Ford truck.

It's now down to 3 contestants on the show, one of whom is Cameron Johnson, a dot com millionaire and entrepreneur. After reading his book months ago, I was familiar with Cameron and realize that entrepreneurs do have the powers to give big. That's not to say everyone doesn't have this charitable power, but the entrepreneur can usually network with many connections and is good at project management. They also tend to be good at raising up capital to start up ventures, and most companies have trouble saying no when asked to contribute to a charitable function. I'm expecting to see Cameron as the winner, however he really doesn't need the 1 million dollars that Oprah will surprise the final contestant with. So maybe he'll turn around and give big.

The Big Give is down to just 3 contestants and resumes Sunday at 9PM EST on ABC. The Monetizer also encourages you to take a look at the extra earnings they make online and consider earmarking $5 to send to a charity you truly believe in. Or if you'd prefer donating time and help, Oprah's Big Give site also offers printable Good Deed Coupons" here. Remember it's not just about making money, but what you do with that money you make.