What is the best way to get started?
Q: What is the best way to get started making money online?
A: Let's start off with the answer to the unspoken (and more important) question implied by the above: what's the worst way to get started making money online? Buying something.
"But they're telling me I can make thousands of dollars from home by following their proven system!" you say? Fine, drop the five hundred they're asking for, make little to no return off of it, then come back here when you're done. We'll wait - this page isn't going anywhere.
The whole point to this is that before you jump into doing anything, the best way you can get started is by learning; we've said this over and over here on the site, but it's worth repeating: the first thing you have to do is research. If you don't know what you're doing, you'll just be throwing money away.
Why not learn from the guys with the proven program, then? Because despite whatever they might say to the contrary on their websites, they do not care whether or not you make any money with their product. They want your money. They're marketers, not philanthropists, and you've got to remember that. If you buy the five-hundred dollar system and it fails, they'll just tell you that it's your fault for not following their system - which never fails - precisely, and move on to the next customer.
So who do you learn from, then? Other people just like you, who are looking to get into Internet marketing. There are tons of communities and internet forums out there dedicated to Internet marketing. They're free (at least they should be, and stay away if they aren't), and you'll get to hear and see the results of what real people are doing.
You'll also have the added benefit of being able to check out the ubiquitous five-hundred dollar program before you buy it. It's never too hard to run into someone else on a forum who's tried a system out, and by participating in communities like these, you can start to learn what works and what's just junk. So if you're serious, get out there, find a community or two, and get involved in the discussion. If you really want to make money online rather than just throwing it away, there's no better way to begin.