Hey Now! Nice to see ya again. Have you checked out my sister site, MLM Blog?
I am posting more of this article from The Truth About Amway than I normally would because I think that this is important. MLM companies don’t know what to do with the Internet (in this case it’s not just Amway thinking like it is still the 90′s):
In the 21st century, not being able to have a blog or website actively talking about your business is just plain weird.
The Social Media guidelines unfortunately have further violations of the don’t be weird rule. On a page called The Rules of Conduct Applied to Social Media the guide explains a few things that are violations of the Amway Rules of Conduct. For example -
no posting any pictures of Amway products
no posting any Amway logosFrom the perspective of a prospect investigating the products or business this is weird – particularly given non-IBO bloggers and journalists are free to do this, indeed are encouraged to do so! Some more -
no showing of the plan without physical presence
no sponsoring without physical presence
Yup, all those LOAs offering the ability to show the plan over the internet (a perfectly sensible thing to do!) are violating the rules. That’s weird. It’s clear Amway’s rules still need some work and in particular some proper definitions. In some sections they clearly imply that the entire internet is considered a broadcast medium technology, in other places such a definition would be inherently contradictory – it would for example ban me using email or my VOIP telephone to call a friend and invite them to a business meeting! Talk about weird. One gets the impression that a few too many lawyers have been involved in the rule-marking process.
When rules are unclear or contradictory, it invites people to break them. Once one is broken, it’s easier to break others – something nobody should want. The new Social Media guidelines are a good step in the right direction, but the underlying problem of Amway’s outdated rules still need to be addressed. What’s most disappointing about it is that North America is probably the most advanced Amway affiliate in this area.
It’s nearly 2010, Amway. The Internet isn’t new anymore. There’s smply no excuses for there not to be clear, modern, consistent guidelines. Amway – don’t be weird.
It’s too bad that Amway doesn’t want to change their outdated policies. I think they’re afraid of change – especially with something that their staff isn’t too familiar with – social media. I’ve talked to them over the phone and it’s hard to find a person that really knows about marketing online. You would think that they would allow people to build their business online…but they have too many restrictions.