New car cash, college money, family funds -- we all need some extra bucks, and the Internet has created some legitimate new ways to earn them.

In fact, as our ongoing research at RatRaceRebellion.com indicates, there are quite a few valid "gigs" out there (and a lot of bogus ones, too). Here are just a few of the legitimate ones we've found. (As always, you should do your own due diligence, too, before signing up for any job -- on the Internet or on the ground.)

Internet jurors:
Attorneys hire people at home to review their cases before going live in court. These eJurors offer their opinions and feedback, so the attorneys can get an idea of how things might go in front of a real jury.

Some sites to check for this kind of work are:
http://www.zapjury.com/
http://www.virtualjury.com/
http://www.onlineverdict.com/

Get paid to answer questions:
For everyone who has ever uttered the phrase, "If I had a dime for every time I explain this..." there are sites where people will pay you to share your expertise.

Some sites to check for this kind of work are:
http://www.justanswer.com/expert.asp
http://www.knowbrainers.com/experts.php

Mystery shopping:
Some are scams, but many are legitimate. If you like to shop and have a good eye for detail (and the ability to report on what you observe), this can be a fun way to supplement your income.

Some sites to check for this kind of work are:
http://www.shopnchek.com
http://www.kernscheduling.com/

Hosts, event coordinators and concierges in "Virtual Worlds"
Here's your chance to escape the real world …

It may sound strange at first, but there's been enormous growth in artifical worlds -- online communities where people are represented by computer-generated beings called avatars, and organizations like Harvard, Toyota, and IBM give classes, sell products and have meetings in virtual buildings.

As in real life, these virtual worlds often host in-world events, and hire event hosts, liaisons, and event greeters to assist -- all services that you perform online, in the form of your avatar.

Some sites to check for this kind of work are:
http://www.there.com/opening_eventHost.html
http://www.there.com/opening_greeter.html
http://lindenlab.com/employment/concierge/liaisons

People are also opening up stores and speculating in real estate in these virtual worlds, and some are actually making money. For more, see:

BusinessWeek, Second Life's First Millionaire

Entrepreneur Magazine, Starting a Second Life Business

Change can mean money
It's not a very good pun, but it's still a valid point -- the Internet is full of change, both monetary and in new ways of working. Although you may not get rich, if you can keep pace with a modest portion of what's happening online, you can pick up worthwhile money on the side.

And as a bonus, you won't have to burn gas to get there, or dress up for work either (unless, of course, you're an avatar).