What was the first way you ever made money online?

xanthianne · 2026-08-07T08:27:40+0100

I thought this would be an interesting discussion since everyone here comes from different backgrounds.

Some people started with affiliate marketing. Others got into dropshipping, social media management, SEO, copywriting, blogging, graphic design, video editing, or selling digital products. A few people even made their first dollar from online games.

My first experience taught me that making money online isn’t nearly as easy as social media influencers make it seem. There is definitely a learning curve, and most people fail a few times before they find something that works.

diegowurtz · 2026-08-07T15:51:20+0100

Selling custom RuneScape armor for $5 on PayPal back in 2011. Thought I was a Wall Street prodigy.

islamoore · 2026-08-07T15:51:35+0100

diegowurtz said:
Selling custom RuneScape armor for $5 on PayPal back in 2011. Thought I was a Wall Street prodigy.

I wrote fanfiction and someone paid me $10 on Ko-fi to make two rival characters kiss.

diegowurtz · 2026-08-07T15:52:09+0100

islamoore said:
I wrote fanfiction and someone paid me $10 on Ko-fi to make two rival characters kiss.

The return on investment on that is insane compared to my 40 hours of mining virtual ore.

islamoore · 2026-08-07T15:52:27+0100

diegowurtz said:
The return on investment on that is insane compared to my 40 hours of mining virtual ore.

Supply and demand. Romance drives the global economy.

diegowurtz · 2026-08-07T15:52:42+0100

islamoore said:
Supply and demand. Romance drives the global economy.

Fair. My second hustle was online surveys. Earned $2.40 after 12 hours of work and a severe malware infection.

islamoore · 2026-08-07T15:52:57+0100

diegowurtz said:
Fair. My second hustle was online surveys. Earned $2.40 after 12 hours of work and a severe malware infection.

Classic. I sold drawings of cursed frogs on Tumblr. Made $50 before my mom made me delete the blog.

diegowurtz · 2026-08-07T15:53:15+0100

islamoore said:
Classic. I sold drawings of cursed frogs on Tumblr. Made $50 before my mom made me delete the blog.

Cursed frogs? What made them cursed???

islamoore · 2026-08-07T15:53:33+0100

diegowurtz said:
Cursed frogs? What made them cursed???

They all had realistic human teeth and tiny cowboy boots.

diegowurtz · 2026-08-07T15:53:51+0100

islamoore said:
They all had realistic human teeth and tiny cowboy boots.

Honestly I would pay $5 for a human-toothed frog PNG right now.

islamoore · 2026-08-07T15:54:06+0100

diegowurtz said:
Honestly I would pay $5 for a human-toothed frog PNG right now.

Drop your Venmo, I’m reviving the business.

diegowurtz · 2026-08-07T15:54:20+0100

islamoore said:
Drop your Venmo, I’m reviving the business.

Money sent. But wait, did anyone else try Neopets stock market manipulation or was that just me?

islamoore · 2026-08-07T15:54:50+0100

diegowurtz said:
Money sent. But wait, did anyone else try Neopets stock market manipulation or was that just me?

No, but I traded Club Penguin furniture for Neopets items in a shady Discord server when I was 12.

diegowurtz · 2026-08-07T15:54:59+0100

islamoore said:
No, but I traded Club Penguin furniture for Neopets items in a shady Discord server when I was 12.

Black-market penguin arbitrage. Absolute respect.

islamoore · 2026-08-07T15:55:13+0100

diegowurtz said:
Black-market penguin arbitrage. Absolute respect.

felt like a mob boss. The primary currency was purple velvet igloo couches.

diegowurtz · 2026-08-07T15:55:28+0100

islamoore said:
felt like a mob boss. The primary currency was purple velvet igloo couches.

I once spent three weeks making $15 on Fiverr recording custom video intro voiceovers.

islamoore · 2026-08-07T15:55:43+0100

diegowurtz said:
I once spent three weeks making $15 on Fiverr recording custom video intro voiceovers.

Did you do fake accents or just your normal voice?

islamoore · 2026-08-07T15:55:53+0100

islamoore said:
Did you do fake accents or just your normal voice?

Wait, don't tell me.

diegowurtz · 2026-08-07T15:56:11+0100

islamoore said:
Wait, don't tell me.

A terrible radio DJ voice. “YOU’RE LISTENING TO DJ D-LITE IN THE MORNING!”

islamoore · 2026-08-07T15:56:29+0100

diegowurtz said:
A terrible radio DJ voice. “YOU’RE LISTENING TO DJ D-LITE IN THE MORNING!”

I am begging you to never type that sentence out loud again.

What was the first way you ever made money online?

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