Some of those get-paid-to-surf programs suck
And some of them don't. Feel free to email me and I'll tell you my opinion on some of the make-money-while-on-the web programs that didn't work for me (usually because their software messed up my computer). On the other hand, I get checks every month from these companies and find their programs to be legitimate and easy to use.
AllAdvantage.com: This used to be the best program, but now with all of the changes they made my checks are almost invisible. I did however use my browsing for entries into their sweepstakes and won 60 bucks. So, who knows?
TheMail.com: I was a major pusher of this "get paid to use email" program. However, after using their service to store some of my important documents and emails, I logged in to discover that all of my email disappeared. Try this one at your own risk.
zWallet.com : Another easy to use free email service that pays. If you use it to read all your junk mail, you can make a fortune (okay, maybe just a few extra bucks).
mValue: This program never worked well for me. Usually it just crashed my computer.
Ignifuge: This one is great if you don't want to be annoyed by non-stop banner ads. They pay you for visiting their home page, and for your referrals. Just set their page as your start page and you're guaranteed to generate revenue.
UtopiAD: Utopiad used to work. Now it doesn't. At least not for me.