I have heard of several “Internet Marketing Gurus” who have been fined large amounts for those types of misleading ads, and some have been enjoined from marketing in the “make money online” field.

I don’t know if those stories are true.

Yes, if someone wants to get around the law, it’s just a matter of looking for loopholes and taking risks. Sometimes just a matter of taking risks even if you know what you’re doing is both wrong and illegal.

After all, they never expect to get caught and punished.

Maybe a good bit of that will be stopped.

Act on your dream!

JD

If they get the really bad guys, then it’s all good. If they go after regular people,… well, at that point, I’ll be voting someone out of office and someone else in, and I’ll then be hoping for changes.
Mitch´s last blog ..June Statistics; The More Things Stay The Same

Inept or not, the FTC carries the full weight of the government behind them and they have all they lawyers they need to make a point – if that’s what they intend to do.

I agree that marketing on the Internet needs to be cleaned up. I’ve said that for a long time.

But, what worries me is what they may do and how they may go about it. Being inept just makes it worse, in my opinion.

If they set out to make an example of some people, others may be caught inadvertently and suffer the consequences.

People who willingly break the law deserve to be punished. People who are making a few dollars per month to supplement their income should not be punished. Educated and/or warned, yes, punished, no.

It’s the unintended side effects of governmental action that make me keep thinking about this topic.

Act on your dream!

JD

Okay, let me clarify my positions. One, I think the FTC is an inept government branch that needs a major overhaul. They’ll mess this up just like they’ve messed up TV and radio.

Two, there’s no way they can monitor every blog. They’re going to pick out a pretty good number, though, maybe the top 100,000, to see what’s up with those folks. Lists like the Gurudaq will give them some place to start, since those are the guys always talking about the big money they make.

If they take down one Jeff Paul, they’ll have finally done something good. Frankly, though, I think they’re going to mess that one up also.
Mitch´s last blog ..Social Media, SEO And Your Business in 90 Minutes

I agree with you that this could be very serious, even for those of us who play by the rules.

I’m just hoping the FTC will put out guidelines before they proceed with enforcement so we can be sure we are in compliance.

Act on your dream!

JD