YouTube is best known for its myriad silly videos and amateur video blogs. Its 100 million viewers prove its astounding success, but owner Google has been trying to class the site up and expand its scope. The plan isn't just about finally letting you upload high definition videos; they introduced something called the Partner Program, by which folks who consistently make popular videos can earn money from the ads shown around their work. Google makes the advertising deals and places the ads on the appropriate videos themselves, but if it's your video you get to reap rewards, and sometimes that means thousands of dollars.

An article in the New York Times looks at this phenomenon with impressed wonder, reporting that a man named Michael Buckley who hosts a humorous celeb gossip show called "What the Buck" quit his day job as a music promoter after he began making six figures through the Partner Program. If you're looking to escape the grind too, be aware that it's a long and painful process. You have to gain popularity before you can be accepted to the program, so count on months of hard work before you earn anything. But if that doesn't deter you and you still want to pursue the dream, you can read about the Partner Program at YouTube's website.

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