In a way, the Internet Marketing world is even wilder and woollier than the Wild West of the 19th century. Changes come faster and faster with each new technology, innovation or social connection. In fact, social networks have exploded across the World Wide Web in a way that could not have been predicted a few short years ago. Web logs (blogs) and social networking Web sites have interconnected people, information and commerce in an entirely new way. What used to be static and unchanging is now organic and fast moving.

Now good and bad news both travel equally fast. Funny "viral" videos and audio recordings of bad customer service calls become the focus of the evening news, once these media are uploaded to the 'Net. Simple, novel and innovative ideas can become multibillion-dollar businesses in a very short period of time. YouTube is an example of how sharing something for free can become the source of riches undreamed by the owners: Google paid $1.65 Billion for it!

There are a bewildering number of ways to "monetize" the Internet: blogs, Web pages, affiliate programs, membership sites, classified advertising, article marketing, tech support, Web hosting and literally thousands of other means make money for people. It's possible to give something away for free and get paid when that person uses it, thanks to revenue sharing and automation. This is not the place to discuss how that works. For now, it's enough for you to know that such things are not only possible, they are actionable.

More importantly, you need to know that traditional methods of doing business can be done online. The sale of products and services can now be aimed at a worldwide market, instead of being limited to the reach of postal services, broadcast radio & television, newspapers and word of mouth. Anyone with the skill and knowledge to target a group of "hungry" buyers, no matter where in the world they are, can get paid for supplying the goods and services desired by these people.

Acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to make money online is equally simple - but not easy. Sifting through all the offers for "get rich quick" systems, methods and turnkey businesses requires caution and patience. Without some guidance from a friend or disinterested third party as to what's hot and what's not (or worse, what's lies), a person new to online commerce can waste a great deal of time and money searching for the right answers.

Thankfully, social networking site, discussion forums, interest groups and blogs have sprung up in nearly every area of interest and curiosity. By simply typing "internet marketing" and adding "group", "forum", or "blog" in a search engine's input field, a user can find thousands to millions of sources of real people's opinions on these subjects.

Need to know if some "Jerk" has the key to instant success? Ask around at a forum or do a search of past discussions of that person's name. You'll find people quite ready to weigh in with their opinions, experience and advice. Taken with a grain of salt, you'll soon know if the information you get from them is good for you, or not.

In the recent past, the Internet seemed to be becoming a place where too much information threatened to drown out valuable knowledge. Now, with real people filtering the different "niches" they know well, it's become a manageable flood. "Authority" sites have become the source for finding what's real. Of course, discovering who's a real authority and who's not requires common sense and a feel for the "ring of truth" in what's being said. Take my word for it!