Some things to keep in mind (especially if you’re entirely new to all of this)

• Create a dedicated email account for your GPT activities because you will receive a lot of messages. You may also need to have several throwaway addresses to complete various offers (which involve signing up for things that will give you tons of spam). Having a P.O. box and/or Google Voice number is a plus, but not necessary.
  
• Don’t register on too many sites at once or you’ll feel overwhelmed. Start off with one or two places, then add other ones later on, once you’re comfortable using the sites you originally started with. (Trust me on this; I made the same mistake when I started on my adventure back in mid-August.)
  
• Trial and error is the only way you can figure out how to establish a solid money-making routine for yourself, especially as all websites work differently for each individual.
  
• Although plenty of scams are out there, you need to be willing to do some research, take a few small risks, and see what happens. Only then can you determine if the site is worth your time and effort.
  
• Write down your referral URLs on a card and keep it handy in your wallet, or make a note of them on your smartphone in case you get an opportunity to promote the sites you’re using in real life.
  
• Many GPT and PTC websites have strict policies limiting registrations to one account per computer / internet connection / household. If you are going to refer your relatives or offline friends, make sure they don’t sign up on your computer, or the site will think you’ve created multiple accounts and will permanently ban you for that. Have them complete the registration process at their home.
  
• Adding to the above, if you and your relatives or real-life friends have accounts on the same money sites, make sure neither of you logs into your own accounts with each other’s internet connections. That means don’t use your account on their computer, and don’t let your friend/relative use their account on your computer. This can cause the both of you to be banned for multiple account usage.
  
• Using proxies / VPN is an easy way to get banned from many GPT and PTC websites.
  
• Don’t access your account on shared/public internet connections unless you’re sure no one has ever logged on to those sites and that your IP address is not known to be part of a VPN. Use this advanced proxy check to confirm the latter. Otherwise, you face an increased risk of being suspended from the site.
  
• Constant disqualification on surveys is normal and happens to everyone. Don’t give up on them so easily! Common reasons a survey suddenly terminates halfway through include: failing attention/human checks, providing inconsistent answers, speeding through questions, taking a break halfway through (rarely but can happen), quota already met while you were still answering questions. Some people here have said you’re better off answering surveys on Amazon Mechanical Turk because you almost never get screened out; however, there are requesters who post surveys that disqualify certain participants or outright reject all submissions to get free data (both of which will get them nasty turkopticon reviews anyway). Everything I know about taking paid surveys, I learned from Darkstar2 on ClixSense, a Canadian guy who has been at this for years and used to work in market research.
  

Sites I use that have paid to me

• ClixSense, a PTC/GPT hybrid, is my favourite money site. Users are paid to click and view ads as well as complete offers, surveys, and tasks. It also has a ClixGrid game, where you click on a square up to 30 times/day (60 for premium), view an ad for 10 seconds (5 for premium), and hope (if you’re lucky!) to win a few cents. I joined on December 1, 2012 and made a little over $20 in my first month. I earned $5 on my first week, reached $8 by week 2, and had $15 on Christmas. Upgraded to premium in my second month and made another $50. Altogether I earned $1000 in my first year alone. This ClixSense tutorial is a good introduction to the site, although it’s a bit Canadian-centric and some of the things mentioned (like casino search tasks and paid-to-call offers) may not be available to everyone.
  
• Neobux is the most reputable *bux-type PTC website. Other legitimate ones that follow a similar model exist, but many of them tank within two years, and known scammy owners tend to open new *buxes every now and then. Sites like Neobux are such slow earners that many people decide to invest money in renting referrals, though it’s possible to turn a profit simply doing CrowdFlower tasks because Neobux offers the best rate outside of CF’s own channel. Keep in mind Neobux has strict policies on inactivity (make sure to click all orange [self-sponsored] ads according to U.S. Eastern time each day!) and how many computers you can access your account from (best to stick to your home internet connection). Newly registered users who sign up and do nothing after 72 hours are permanently suspended; other inactive accounts are suspended after 60 days.
  
• PollBuzzer pays $1 for each question answered. All you have to do is click on the answer in your email. It’s that simple! Even though PB has not sent me a single question, 2 of my 24 referrals became successful conversions (refs who answered four questions), so I got $2 just for promoting this site. It’s worth providing your demographic info in case it ever feels like contacting you.