- Current Ethical Issues in Internet Marketing -
The Meaning of Ethics and the Ethical Code
at Organization Makes Sense

Current ethical issues in Internet marketing are related to transparency and openess in disclosing financial interest or gain in product endorsements.

At the core of the meaning of ethics is the nature of the relationships we have and how those relationships are conducted. Since the internet is not a transparent place, all the relationships that affect the nature of the content on a website may not be easily identified by you, the visitor.

The purpose of this section of the website is to disclose the nature of those relationships to you so that you are fully aware and informed when making decisions, or considering the veracity of information presented here.

Current Ethical Issues in Internet Marketing
The Meaning of Ethics

The true meaning of ethics is simply in deciding or evaluating the rightness or wrongness of actions in human relationships. The most important and valued relationship that I have in running this website is the one with you.

However OMS has other relationships that are important to the operation of the website and that contribute to the quality of information presented here for your benefit. Those relationships include the vendors whose products are featured here as well as companies who pay for advertising on this site.

One of the best ways to address the current ethical issues of openess and transparency is in a disclosure statement such as the one that follows. This disclosure explains how this commercial enterprise is structured for financial gain and how this might affect the nature of the information presented here.

Current Ethical Issues in Internet Marketing
The OMS Ethical Code and Disclosure

The OMS ethical code is based on the principles of openess and transparency. This is consistent with the moral principle of veracity which is more commonly understood to be "truth telling".

This policy is valid from 21 October 2009 and addresses some of the most common current ethical issues in internet marketing such as paid advertisements, product endorsements, and ghost writing.

Content

The content on this website is personally written by me. I believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. I have clearly identified that I am not a professional organizer but I do bring certain expertise to the topic. You can read more about me here.

Paid Advertisements

From time to time advertisers may pay to have ads placed on this site. My compensation for a paid advertisement comes from the payment for the ad and not from any sales that result from your click through to the advertiser.

Any paid advertisements will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content. Inclusion of a paid advertisement on this website does not imply endorsement of the product or service of the advertiser. All ads are reviewed by me for suitability to the main concept theme of www.organization-makes-sense.com and I only include ads that I think may be of interest to site visitors.

Paid advertisers do not influence the content of this website as that is solely under my control.

Information presented here is taken from the established literature. Any views and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

Compensation for Product Endorsements

This website is a commercial enterprise and is my own business. I do receive financial compensation when you purchase products that are featured on this website but I am not compensated to provide opinions on the products or services offered for sale here. I seek out products that I think will be of value to my site visitors and review them based on basic standards that I endorse such as ease of use and maximizing space efficiency. I have not necessarily used or tested each product.

Product Claims

Any claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service is received from the manufacturer or the provider of the product and this information should be verified with them.

If you have experience with a product offered for sale on this website that was not positive contact me and let me know about your experience.

Third Party Advertisements

Compensation is also received from third party advertisements. Third party means that Company 1 pays Company 2 to place ads on this site, and I am paid directly by Company 2 not by Company 1 who purchased the ad.

These ads are clearly identified. I have some control over these ads but it is limited. I do try to screen them to make sure the content is suitable for the website theme.

Current Ethical Issues
My Personal Ethical Code of Conduct

I have fully disclosed elsewhere on this site that I am not a professional organizer and I do not provide organizing services or consultation on a fee for service basis. I do however follow the ethical code for the National Association of Professional Organizers as it is consistent with my personal values.

The purpose of this website is simple. I want to be able to provide high quality content about organizing in a way that you might not have thought about it before. I also want to be able to provide products that can help you bring about order to your life and your environment.

The purpose of this website is not counselling or therapy of any sort. If you contact me for advice on organizing or clutter problems I will do the best I can to help you.

Many clutter problems are deeply rooted in emotions and issues of self esteem and sometimes even in pathology such as depression or obsessive compulsive behaviour. Treatment of such disorders is beyond the scope of this website and my own expertise, and I will inform you about that if I think it is relevant to your situation.

Privacy constitutes another one of the many current issues in internet marketing. Please read the OMS privacy policy.

by Beverly OMalley

updated Nov 13, 2012