Check mail. Get money. Chat with your friend Poonam. Get money. Log on to see what Ganguly's score looks like. Get money. Surf like a maniac. Get money.

Sounds like something straight out of Ripley's Believe it or Not? You'd better believe it this time, because earning while you surf is real, and it's here. It's a new fad (aren't they all?), but one that's catching on fast. After all, there are no risks, no prior investments, and money for the taking simply by doing whatever it is you do online anyway.

The downside, if you can really call it that, is filling up those personal details as you go along. Then again, for free money, I know people who'd sit all day and write their names a million times over!

Before a whole bunch of Indian sites like Elabh (http://www.elabh.com/) and Chequemail (http://www.chequemail.com/) to Rupees4Surfing (http://www.rupees4surfing.com) and FreeKamaal (www.freekamaal.com), the trend began, like most trends, in the wild, wild west.

Alladvantage (www.alladvantage.com ) to Beenz (www.beenz.com), they came, saw, and hooked a lot of surfers while they were at it. And Indian players weren't too far behind. Uthplanet (www.uthplanet.com) offered its version of online money called Yenom, while Netwala (www.netwala.com) launched the Erupee.

Pankaj Bhasin, Manager, Sales and Marketing at Elabh.com, says that theirs was the first site to offer cash to registered surfers. All one has to do is download their Advertising Bar that remains on one's browser and clocks user time. Registered members get paid five bucks per hour, while a referral system gets them additional points.

The all-important question, then, is 'How does it work?' Well, there's advertising, revenues for which can come only with eyeballs. Clock a couple of million page views, and you've got money flowing in.

To get back to the surfers, there's substantial income to be made from referrals and their incidentals. Referrals are groups or a network originating from you. Each new person adds to your points so, the more people you get, the more you earn. Adds Bhasin, "From time to time, we have schemes where existing members can make as many referrals as they can. Once these register with us, members start earning by surfing. We also pay a percentage to their referees. Members can therefore earn money not just for surfing but for referrals as well." The sad thing is the limit to what you can earn. Elabh currently limits the hours you can clock, in a month, to a mere 15.

Methods differ from site to site. Some offer points immediately on registration, increasing them every time you log on thereafter. The redemption of amassed points can be either in hard cash, cheques, gift vouchers, coupons, or anything else the sites dream up. Some need a minimum quantum, others have slabs, while still others believe in no restrictions.

What about the privacy factor? With surfers feeding in their personal details, the chances of this being misused are high. People like Rajiv, a 21-year-old designer, disagree. Creator of the site EarnMoney (http://www.dive.to/earnmoney), Rajiv is optimistic: "While sites claim privacy protection, you can't simply assume it's true. However, I have given out my personal details to all of them, and have yet to experience any kind of trouble or loss of privacy."

Another important thing to remember -- before you dash off to surf like crazy -- is that the money comes slowly, only after your secondary users begin to register and pay off. Adds Rajiv, "While it's possible to make the money, it will take a while for this to happen in India. Though most sites say the money will come in soon, I must confess it will involve a bit of waiting."

So, assuming the money's begun to come, how much are we talking about here? Rajiv claims to have earned between $ 2-5 after trying around six services. He says he can expect a cheque only after the amount reaches $ 25 which will, undoubtedly, take a while. Moneyinmail (www.moneyinmail.com), for example, pays him 25 paisa per direct referral, and 4 paisa for every indirect one. Bhasin says, "Once a specific sum of money is accumulated in an account, we dispatch the cheque immediately, through our bankers. This is an automated process and we have disbursed over Rs 1.5 million to 45,000 users till date." The potential of this trend is obvious as the Internet becomes increasingly accessible, with more people logging on in future.

The bottom line, then, is that there may be moolah to be made, provided you have the patience, and a whole lot of friends.

The Hit List SurfGold
Online rewards programme, covering most Asian countries. Get paid for registering, besides shopping and surfing partner sites.

ELabh
Earn money from surfing and referrals.

Money In Mail
Get paid to read mails.

ChequeMail
Register, read and send email to start earning money.

Netwala
Just register to clock 500 erupees.

Earn Rupees
Get paid to surf the net.

Net Earnings
A good collection of sites that pay you to surf, search, email, chat, shop, etc.

Get Paid India
Compilation of sites which pay Indian surfers. Has reviews of these sites, plus an introduction to GetPaid programmes.

International

Making Money From the Web
Listing of sites that pay you to search, mail and surf the net. Includes tips.

SearchCactus
Earn money for searching.

Arcin

All Advantage

Beenz

Go2Earn

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