Mike Shanta

Are You an Ethical Person?

A few years ago I attended a vocational school for computer programming. During my last semester there, we were all required to do a speech about the field of computer programming. I chose to do one on the ethics of computer programming, i.e. the industry you chose to work for, the
type of programming you did, etc.

I discussed things like; if you design programs for a company that produces highly gory video games, and that company promotes those games to young people, do you bear any responsibility for violent behavior in those young people? Or do you bear any responsibility if your programming skills are used to slip pornography through the filters that parents put on computers to protect their children
from online porn? What about if you design programs that help online
criminals steal from others, do you bear any responsibility even if
you don't use the program yourself?

In my summation I stated that I felt you did bear responsibility for these things. If you look at the S & L scandals some years ago, and some of the scandals in the big corporations these days, you might draw the conclusion that ethics in business is a thing of the past.

I think those currently making their living in the internet marketing
arena, and those of us trying to break into that arena need to consider
the area of ethics very seriously.

It amazes me how many wonderful opportunities are offered to me each
day. It's great; I can make tons and tons of money each month even if I'm a really lazy person. All I need to do is buy some ebook for a low $47 or put up some mini site and I'll have more money coming in than I'll know what to do with. What makes this so sad is that you can become so cynical from all the unethical offers, that it
makes it hard to recognize the legitimate ones when they come.

Now, let me assure you, there are many ethical internet marketers out there. There are a few of them that I really respect and look forward to their newsletters and offers. But you have really got to watch yourself. One of the things I really respect about the
ethical marketers is they tell you right off, an online business is like any other business, it takes time and hard work to develop.

It's kind of funny also when I get three or four emails within a day
or two telling me how their friend so and so has this great thing going on. It's of course only open to a few people, and fortunately I'm one of the lucky ones. :) It wouldn't even be so bad if they would at least personalize the offer with their own voice a bit,
but they don't. It's exactly the same, word for word, "hey buddy, this ones for you".

You see, a lot of them are not what I would consider ethical business
people. Most of them could really care less about any benefit I might derive from the offer, what they care about is what they can get out of the deal.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with people trying to sell
you or I something. After all, isn't that the idea of internet marketing? But, if I get an offer from someone that I think has a great product and I want to send it along to you, I'm going to do things a little different. First I would send you a note telling you about why I thought the product was a good one. I would then tell you that I was forwarding you a copy of the letter I received so you could get more details about the benefits of the product.

To me, if I really believe in a product, and I want to be honest, that
is the only way that I can endorse it. Being ethical is being honest,
it's treating and dealing with people as you would have them treat or deal with you.

You may get someone to buy something from you with a slick sales letter once. But if the product isn't really something that will benefit them; but you used a slick sales letter to gloss over that fact, it may be the last time you sell them anything.

The moral of the story? If you're going to sell something, make sure it's something that you believe in yourself. If it's an offer from
someone else, don't pretend like the offer comes from you directly, use your own voice lest you sound phoney. Be honest, be ethical, and in the long run it will pay dividens many times over, and in many
areas of your life.

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