We live in the age of the Internet. So much communication
passes across the Internet, it seems natural to join in.
However, the
IBOAI Board and
Amway
Global established zero-tolerance rules to prohibit
harmful online activities. These are the IBO Best Practices
Online Rules.
Limited Use of E-mail
Rule 4.2.3 prohibits the use of unsolicited e-mails,
commonly called “spam.” Actually, federal regulations
require businesses to have a pre-existing personal or
business relationship with someone to use e-mail for
commerce. E-mail is a quick, convenient way to stay in
touch, but you need to have the recipient’s permission and
provide a way to stop receiving messages if they so choose.
There are penalties for not complying with federal
regulations. No one likes to see their inbox become clogged
with unwanted e-mail, so there is a public relations
downside to ignoring this rule, too.
Limited Use of Websites
Rule 4.3.2 prohibits the use of unauthorized websites. You
may create a website to order products or allow your
customers to do so, as long as it meets the requirements
published in the
IBO Websites or
Electronic Communications Bulletin and otherwise
complies with the Rules of Conduct. It must also be approved
by Amway Global. You may also maintain a Web log (blog), as
long as it doesn’t overtly promote your business.
Limited Use of Advertising
Rule 9.8 limits the kinds of advertising an IBO can do,
including online advertising. Online advertising can include
sponsored searches on Google, Yahoo, MSN, or other search
engines, or more traditional ads on other websites. There
are few exceptions to the rule, all advertising monitored by
Amway Global to whom you must submit a written proposal
along with copies of any proposed ads.
See the
Rules of Conduct on the Amway Global website (requires
log-in) for full details on these Rules.
Keeping it Personal
These Best Practices allow us to use what’s great about the
Internet while keeping to a minimum what’s not. They fit
well into what has always been a person-to-person business
made more accessible by technology but not dominated by it.
Note: One of the criteria for achieving Amway Global
Accreditation is applying Best Practices. In this series,
IBOAI explores the Amway Global Best Practices and how to
apply them to your IBO business.
