However, about a month ago I ran across the same claim once again. I had some spare time, so I decided to investigate it, and concluded that they weren't scams after all. In fact, they sounded like very good ideas to me, so I signed up. In doing so, I've discovered that these aren't scams. They're just really smart ideas, and all you have to do is look at small ad banners on your screen to get a decent amount of money for nothing.

All the programs I've found work in a similar fashion. You sign up, giving them just basic information about yourself like your name and address so they know where to send the money, and then download a small application that will deliver the advertisements to you. Some require you to wait awhile before you get your bar, whereas others allow you to download them right away. When you run them, they display either a docked or floating bar that contains a banner ad much like those you see on web pages. As long as they're running and you are online and not idle (some have additional criteria), you get credit for time, and at the end of the month, if your balance exceeds a certain amount, they'll send you a check. Unpaid balances carry over to the next month.

All of these programs also have a referal program, in which you get money if you're able to sign up others. Usually, you get a smaller amount per hour that your referals are on, but with enough referals you can make quite a bit of money without having to do anything yourself.

I put off using these for quite a long time. However, I finally realized that I didn't have anything to lose. It only takes a few seconds to sign up and download the software, and you'll be on your way to getting some money for nothing. You only have to have them on when you want to make money, and even if you aren't connected to the Internet often, why not make some money for the time you are online? I figure you've got nothing to lose, and money to gain.