Avoiding Online Scams

IMPORTANT! Internet marketing is NOT a business. Nope. It is a tool - and not a business in and of itself. Marketing on the internet is simply a tactic, and one that may be very effective if used wisely to advertize some product or service. The business itself is about the product or service offered - marketing is just about the way it is advertized. The wisdom of using internet marketing includes many skills and systems, but the very foundation of it all is INTEGRITY.

One can use the most advanced systems and latest innovative technology, yet in the end there must be integrity for long-term success. In fact, I'm pleased to see that a few of the top so-called gurus in the internet marketing game have now been 'caught with their pants down' due to a steady stream of unbiased reviews from Internet Marketing Report Card. These guys are slick marketers, but in the end they did not have integrity - did not follow through as promised with quality services/products. The steady stream of testimonials from real people about their experiences revealed the facts beyond their hyped claims and scams.

Most people trying to make money online have found themselves overwhelmed by all the hyped claims of easy money. It's hard to learn the real story about the products, services and people. Most anyone who has been online for awhile has a story about getting scammed by people who are just out to make a quick buck.

IM (Internet Marketing) Report Card provides what is needed to avoid those scams and find the real opportunities that are worth your time and money. They review and discuss every single popular Internet marketing related product, service, person or "guru", and biz-opp and present them in categories in order to make your search simple. There is nothing for sale there.

IM Report Card also allows members to assist in measuring the merits of a product or service by grading it and sharing their own personal experiences. IMRC is a community of internet marketers who are tired of all the scams out there, and who help each other out to avoid them.

If you've been working online for long, you've noticed that there's quite frequently some very highly promoted new "launch" of some new have-to-have product or service. These launches are done by a relatively small group of 20-30 people, so-called "gurus" with huge mailing lists who pitch each others products regularly within very slick marketing tactics. There are another 50-100 smaller players who operate quite differently, but essentially what they do is the same thing. These people are serial product developers who crank out new products every few months, then in many cases disappear to create a new one. While they are very slick marketers, they offer little in substance nor support. Wouldn't you want some real evidence about these folks BEFORE investing time and money?

Many of the most highly promoted Internet marketing and "make money online" products and services are developed and "launched" by a relatively small group of people. These are the so-called "gurus." There are about 20-30 people that fall into this group. No names will be mentioned here, yet I'm guessing you might know a few already. They promote launches like crazy for each other using massive e-mail lists, and the messages tend to to be quite convincing... IF you don't know where to get unbiased reviews. IM Report Card is the ONLY resource for reliable and unbiased information.

Then there are another 50-100 smaller players who operate a little differently, but essentially do the same thing. These people have no interest in being a "guru", but they are serial product developers and crank out new products every few months.

Don't drown in the sea of so-called review websites. They have an agenda. This one doesn't. Get real & truly unbiased reviews before losing any more time and money to the online sharks.

The vast majority of these products simply do not work as advertised. Most are promoted using extremely deceptive marketing tactics, and the people who buy these products don't SEE real evidence of these claimed results. So then the product eventually starts to get a bad reputation as customers talk about it on forums, blogs, etc. and sales drop off sharply. In order to keep making lots of money these guys need to keep cranking out new launches every few months. So they 'pimp' them to each others' lists with hard-sell slick marketing sales pages, regardless of quality, and that product launch game continues. It is really a disturbing process!

Get the REAL story in unbiased reviews, no hype!

Online review websites became the rage around the end of 2007 to create these fake review sites. The concept worked well for some, and so that practice exploded to the point of thousands of them cluttering up cyberspace. It works something like this...on the site the author will claim to be a reviewer of similar products to the one promoted there. After 'reviewing' the similar product, then there's the inevitable statement... so here's what you should buy instead. In many cases, no actual research was done for the review since it was never meant to be one in the first place, but instead just a ploy to sell a product or service. Many people tend to believe whatever they read in print as fact, and these site owners play on that innocence to sell based on their fake and biased reviews. Real review sites such as IM Report Card will reduce the muscle of these fake reviewers as well as the scam artists. Join in and make a difference in cyberspace.

Members of the industry watchdog site IM Report Card constantly monitor and report on over 2,000 Internet marketing products and people.

I recommend this online community because it is legit and a valuable resource that I've come to rely on for factual information from real people. While IM Report Card does provide a system for members to use banners and such to recommend it if they choose, it is not an affiliate program in the sense of making money from promoting it. Initially the program did start out that way, but was changed later due to an influx of spam. Members do still earn points for things like submitting reviews and comments or bringing new quality members to the site who do the same. However the points can then be exchanged for products rather than cash. The very mission of the site is to avoid hyped claims and sift what is real from what is junk.

Members of IM Report Card are expected to comment or rate only products, services or people they've had first-hand experience with, and to include specific details about that experience. These comments and ratings are monitored by real people, and if accepted and published then they are rewarded on a point system. At this point I have now already commented on or rated those programs I know first-hand about, so those ratings are slowing down. By the way, the higher the QUALITY of comments, the higher point values they earn. Some of my comments were submitted in a rush, not wise since you can only comment one time.

Online reviews are generally followed by affiliate links, we know that. Yet they simply are not allowed at IM Report Card. That's because they insist that the reviews will remain unbiased, that there will be no agenda within the reviews posted there. There's no advantage to post fake reviews or hype. Now that the site has grown, it has gained attention from both sides... those getting lousy reviews are complaining (then clean up your act) and those getting excellent reviews are posting them on their websites (well-earned).

True Story: Once I was reading a review, and noticed what was obviously an affiliate link attached to it. Being fairly new at the time, I wondered whether I had misunderstood something. So I contacted the site and asked about that procedure. I received an immediate personal response asking me for specific information about which review and the exact page. Once I responded, I received another message of sincere apology for the oversight. The link was immediately removed and I was asked to continue reporting it to them should I ever view such in the future. That got my attention, and I now rely on those reviews more than ever.

If you're sick of being scammed by all of the unethical "make money online" marketers out there, then consider this... Get a free account with IM Report Card and get involved there. As a community, this site is making it increasingly difficult for the creators of lousy products to keep ripping people off. Even better is that the attention is shifted to quality people and services, those who truly do provide valuable products and services and care about their customers.

If we all just do a little, then collectively we can restore ethical programs that have real benefit for all of us. Create a free account and join us. You will make your own internet marketing journey more rewarding, and you'll be helping lots of other people at the same time.

Marketing relies on internet chatter, reviews and word-of-mouth. Wear a quality filter by being very careful who you listen to about any online marketing product or service.

This community resource not only points out the scams, but highlights those programs that HAVE worked for people with specific details about their experiences. Those services, people and products that have been tested and are considered legit will be discussed, graded and reviewed in detail with no vested interest, no agenda, no affiliate links. Whenever you are considering a certain type of project, training, or resource - this community would be the perfect place to get good advice.