NONE: Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Question of ethics...
Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Question of ethics...
Michael J. Sexton (preinc_at_mail.albany.net)
Fri, 8 Aug 1997 10:52:30 -0500 (CDT)
At 04:40 PM 8/7/97 -0500, you wrote:
>
> My first posting. I was just told by my upline in a multi-level
>marketing company that I should use META tags to increase traffic to
>my webpage. He said that I should use keywords and that those keywords
>should include the names of other MLM companies. I find this highly
>unethical and a waste of time. I know that I get very hot, when I
>perform a search only to wade through a thousand things that I don't
>want to get to the one or two that I do.
This sounds like we need more specifics before we can generate an opinion.
Some companies have names that become synonomous (sp?) with the product.
For example, I would certainly use the word "Xerox" as a keyword in a
copier company's site, even if they only sell Canon copiers. Everyone has
said at some time that they are "xeroxing" a document, even when they are
using a Savin copier.
Trademark lawyers would call this a fair use. The word has an alternative
meaning to the trademarked name "Xerox." My first question is whether the
names of these companies are in a similar catagory to Xerox. Are these
alternative names for a product? Also, are these names somehow connected
to the product that is sold? If you sell software then you will need to use
the term "Windows" in you keywords even if Microsoft has the trademark for
the name in association with software. You will miss too much traffic from
search engines by leaving terms so intimatly connected to your site or
product off the keywords list.
My guess is that these MLM companies are not in either of these catagories.
Clearly you need to use META tags to increase traffic. I doubt anyone would
take any issue with that statement. You need to watch trademarked names,
however. In addition to the moral issues, it seems that they may raise
some legal issues if you use their names to generate business. If they
failed to trademark the name however, I really think that you can use it
in your META tags. This is business, not a monastary. I probably stand
at the extreme end of the spectrum here when I say that this is not about
being fair, it is about making profit. If your competiton made a mistake
(by not obtaining a copyright or trademark), it is not your job to fix it
for them. Indeed, if I failed to put this material into a site that I was
designing for someone else, I would feel I was acting immorally and failed
to do my job by failing to give my client every advantage I can give them.
Mike (despite the big ears, I am not a Ferengi) Sexton
****************************************************************************
Michael J. Sexton
E-mail: preinc_at_albany.net Voice: 518-478-9401
33 Crannell Avenue
Delmar, NY 12054
http://www.albany.net/~preinc/resume.htm
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