Is It Better To Comment Or Not?

Great question Catherine and the comments are very enlightening. Like a few people previously stated...how you word your comments can go a long way. Most of the time, I choose not to comment, unless I have a rapport with that person, I will send a PM, not blast them on the front page.

That is why I don't state 'opinion', I point to the red flags if someone wants to continue even after having the red flags pointed out to them (often right in the TOS of the very program that they are promoting without ever investigating it first). then it is their choice to continue but the new person next to them about to be scammed deserves to have that information before he becomes a victim.

I often think with all the comings and goings of these scams that i'm looking at the 97% right the

Have an opened mind and show kindness. If it is a hype nonsense program in your eyes, keep in mind your opinion is not always right.
You might say something like: I haven't had any luck with this kind of program. I am looking forward to your sharing some true success with it. I keep hearing that if it's too good to be true, it usually isn't doable. It will be great to prove the odds wrong. Especially since all online business is up against the odds of 97% failure stats.

@Nancy - someone new to the Internet marketing may not know who to ask. Plus, why would you ask about an opportunity you have all ready joined and are promoting. Obviously they believe all the sales hype or they wouldn't have joined. Perhaps with a little tact and a nudge in the right direction, they will see the error in judgment on their own.

Yes, please warn me about the hornet's nest. But otherwise like Phillipe says be constructive. And I am going to go a step further and get you guys real upset.... wait until they ask you what you think. By just telling they are being scammed your come off a scolding parent or a jealous rival. But by waiting for them to ask for your advice....you become the leader.

Nice analogy Cheryl.

@Nancy when someone is running a scam they are hurting not only their victims, but every honest marketer on the internet because we all end up getting tarred with the same brush.

But more importantly, would you like someone to stand by idly watching you get ready to stick your hand in a hornet's nest and then after you have been stung say "Oh by the way that is a hornet's nest." Or would you rather have them give you that information before you get stung so you can avoid the pain?

I peopl

@Nancy, something not necessarily nice but constructive can do the job too

My father always taught me if you can't say anything nice, don't say it. Why stomp on someone else's dream?

Anne - I think this is an important topic for everyone. As online marketers, I feel, it is our duty to help others avoid drastic mistakes and educate people on programs which will never succeed.

Perhaps if each of us take the time to point out the underlying flaws in an obvious money grabbing program, we can make Internet Marketing stronger than ever.

Thank you all.. I'm learning much from your insights.. ^_^

Thanks for this topic, Catherine :)

As long as your comment is noted as your opinion and not just jumping on someone for promoting junk programs when obviously they are still online, I think it's worth doing. I see programs every day that I think are scams, but they have passed the test of time for many years and still going strong. If they were that bad, wouldn't they eventually be removed? I also find way too many instances of people screaming SCAM in a very authoritative voice, when they have no clue what they are talking about

@Paul the sad part is that there are dozens of reputable MLM Companies out there that have been in business for decades and are still going strong. The black eye that MLM has comes from these fly by night unsustainable scams that have saturated the internet.

@Catherine Some of us really don't care how much retaliation we get, because in the end the facts bear us out. People see that we had the integrity to speak when others wouldn't. They also see that the ones pushing it now have mud on t

Paul, that is funny, because that is Exactly how I feel sometimes.....like I am hiding my head in the sand. I think part of not commenting is, as Phillipe mentions, people are afraid of some kind of retaliation . I know this has crossed my mind, as well.

This is a great and informative post that needed to get out there, its high time we call things like they are instead of playing the Ostrich hiding our heads in the sand saying its none of our business. In reality, its all of our business because the industry already has a black eye that we're fighting against on a daily basis. Hence that infamous question: IS THIS MLM?

I do the research and I will depend on reputable third party. It's not rocket science to figure out that paying $20 today is not going to generate millions for you in 6 months. That is simple math. Something that we all learn in grade school.

And the warnings are there. The FTC, AARP, and other organizations have posted the red flags time and time again. I don't just talk to talk I give facts. But no matter what you say what facts you give speaking out is going caise people to attack yo

If I read an article that I happen to like, I will at least top it. I try not to make a comment unless I have something of value to contribute.

"Are any of us truly going to take the time to investigate every program with Huge Claims in the Headline."

Many times I rely on other people having done the research, especially when it's people who are reliable in reporting their findings, and not friends of the author :)

Dawie, please come back soon :)

I agree with you Catherine as this is a good point. My position would be to just comment to them as to whether they have investigated the claims that they are stating as true. I would also let them know that their future credibility with their team could hinge on whether they personally pass or fail with the programs they promote.

With a private message, you definitely protect the poster from public humiliation. This does give the person an opportunity to investigate and make a more informed decision.

Perhaps a gentle comment about checking facts might warn others from jumping on board a bogus opportunity. followed by a private message pleading for due diligence. But, as Neville points out, "some research needs to be done to make sure that the gut feeling you get from a dodgy program has more than just that gut feeli