We went over basics: good product, good price, good web site, good affiliates. "It's got to be something," I said, "what's your linking strategy?" She told me that she was using three different banners, and assured me that they looked really nice. "They're probably great," I assured her, "but fact is, no matter how nice they are, they're still banners."

So what's wrong with banners? Nothing really, except that they've become a little too common and people have started to ignore them. If you do use banners, you've got to make sure they're eye-catching and professional. Try using rotating banners as a nice improvement on basic. These banners download alternate images from a group each time page is accessed, making ad look a little different each time. Use rotating pictures of different products you offer. This is a nice effect which might grab attention of a repeat visitor who ignored you first time.

I've known any number of successful Internet entrepreneurs who got started earning profits online while still working demanding full-time jobs. Kevin Needham of Memail.com became a major name on Web while still holding down his government job. The media often tells story of Jim Daniels who started his online publishing empire while working as a middle-manager for a tech firm.

Kevin Nunley was a DJ at an oldies station when his articles started appearing on AOL. Superstar Internet biz person and tech consultant Kate Schultz was a corporate manager when she began posting her own ads online.

The moral of these stories is don't let your busy life stand in way of your desire to earn extra money or even a good living online. The Internet will bend, twist, and adapt for you more than any other kind of business.

But you have to go at it right way or you will wind up spending way more time and money than you intended. Here is a simple plan to get you earning online while working at it just 10 to 20 minutes each day.

1. Choose your affiliate program wisely. You will want one main program you can promote intensively. It is much easier to make an impact with one good program you market heavily than spreading yourself too thin over a dozen or more programs.

Right now affiliates report their biggest earners are information products that tell affiliate program members and others how to earn better profits. Ken Envoy's "Make Your Site Sell" course, Corey Rudl's "Insider Secrets," and Jim Daniels' big "Make A Living Online" are real winners in this category.

You can also do well working with a company that represents many products and other affiliate programs. Check many affiliate products and services housed under ClickBank.com umbrella. QuinStreet.com features direct marketing services and ecommerce technology.

2. Market to friends and associates using a simple signature file in your email. This is dirt simple yet incredibly powerful. Email messages have a very personal quality that sells. Your email program will let you set this up.