There has never been a better time than now to make income from home with a home based business, which is good news for those whose jobs have disappeared in our current economic crisis.

What are the seven best ways to make money at home?

Writing: The web trades in information and not everyone is good at communicating via the written word. If you have the ability to write well, it is pretty easy to find web writing assignments on the web. The highest paying writing assignments go to those who are experts at copywriting, which is a specific type of writing that uses the written word to persuade, to sell and to make people take action. With Amazon becoming a publisher, this also opens the doors wide for creative writers to market their own ebooks.

Computer and Web Programming: In this age of information technology, those who can write code effectively can keep very busy. Currently the busiest programmers are writing mobile apps for smartphones such as the iPhone and Android phones. Programmers who can work with complicated databases integrated into web applications will also keep busy. Because of the needs of the web, web security experts will always be in demand. Hot computer languages are C++, Objective C, and Java, though scripting languages such as php, javascript and ruby are also hot.

Ecommerce: Sourcing or creating and then selling stuff online will work as long as you can buy or make something that someone else will want, and then put it in front of the target audience. Whether you use Ebay, Etsy, Cafepress, Lulu, or your own ecommerce website to sell your wares, many home based businesses use this model. It works for hard goods, digital goods, art, and information.

Blogging: Yes, it is possible to create a blog around a niche subject you love and then monetize it either using Google Adsense, selling advertising directly, or creating an information product about your subject and selling it through your blog. Though this is not the easiest path, some have succeeded wildly at it. Blogs such as BoingBoing and ICanHasCheezburger are amazingly profitable simply by being amazingly funny. Niche blogs in other areas are also profitable. The key here is constant original content creation, whether by you or by others, and some basic search engine optimization skills.

Commercial Art: Because the web is a visual medium there has never been more need for visual commercial arts than now. Whether it be logo design, teeshirt design, clever web graphics and ad banner design, User Interface (UI) design for computer or web applications, the web runs on graphics. Commercial artists can sell their own designs on a variety of wares through sites such as Cafepress and Lulu or contract to do custom work for others through the freelancer sites.

Animation and Video: Since youtube has become a phenomenon that is on its way to becoming a top search engine in its own right, people who have the talent for video creation, video editing, and animation can stay pretty busy through the freelancer sites. Small to medium businesses realize they have to use youtube to drive traffic to their websites, and most don't have the talent to make or edit videos so that they are effective and engaging.

Language Translation Services: The web is world wide, so if you have good multi-language skills you can easily find translating work. There are online translation agencies dedicated to this task who hire freelancers regularly.

The world wide web makes it easy to make income from home as long as you are determined to do so, have a strong work discipline and ethic, and the ability to use your head, your creative passions, and your computer.