So much about making money online. We all know that some people are able to, but that's a long process and something that we will talk about some other time. However, this new business of winning prizes online is something and is all the rage. More so because businesses are making their presence felt in social networking sites like Facebook as a way of reaching out to more customers.

I've tried some of these Facebook contests myself and it's a no-brainer for people who spend most of their time online. What have you got to lose, right? I have to admit that the prizes are very irresistible - from iPads to mobile phones and all-expenses paid vacations.

I wasn't too convinced that online contests were the "in" thing until it reached my blog too. Suddenly, companies wanted to tie up with me for readers who made link ups and comments to my blog. In return, readers will get gift certificates and XX products. Of course, it was something I couldn't refuse since blog contests were a good way of generating traffic. I could lure in first-time visitors and give something back to readers who have followed me all this time.

Even if it was as simple as winning a journal or a hair remover, I was surprised with the comments that poured in. It was then that I realized some people spent their time winning these contests. Scratch that. More like it was already a career to them! I can even feel the joy of persons who received their winning packages. After all, there's nothing greater than a freebie with free shipping to boot, lol.

I certainly envied Martha (not her real name), a mom and office worker who spent her time making sure she joined every online contest. She had a blog but posts were dedicated mainly to joining the various promos that populated the blogosphere. She seemed to have a lucky streak as she won everything, from free dinners to free hotel accommodations for her family, with a yacht cruise to boot.

You may ask, how to win these online contests? They do vary, depending on the mechanics. If winners are drawn at random through web services like the list randomizer in random.org , you'd have to leave it up to fate. Some are judged through such metrics as the quality of the entries and blog traffic.

Some require cross-posting to such sites as Twitter, Tumbler and of course FB. Most of the promos on Facebook now seem to require one to generate the most number of Likes in order to win.

If you're the proponent, be tech-savvy and safeguard the contest against fraud in order to preserve the contest's integrity. Reports of people assuming different identities is quite common.In one instance, I was surprised to find several entries for my blog contest coming from one IP address and within minutes of each other. Most recently, blogger Chuvaness had to suspend the awarding of prizes for her mega promo because some of the participants admitted to photoshopping the required screenshots.

Contests are supposed to be fun and exciting. But is not just fun when up for grabs are big ticket items like LCD TVs and Macs. Sleuth around sites like Facebook and you know what's being given away in this social networking-crazy world. The face of marketing will never be the same again.Even more ironic, you can actually gain more joining these contests than depending on Google AdSense to earn you more money for your blog.

So we say have fun and give it a try! Follow your favorite blogs and subscribe to different brands on Facebook. We also recommend checking out the following blogs/websites which aggregates the different promotions happening around the internet:

http://boy-kuripot.blogspot.com
http://hitabargain.com
http://www.promo.com.ph
http://mukhangpera.com

(Thanks for all your feedback! For comments and inquiries, email annalyn.jusay@gmail.com)