Morals In Social Networking?
The year was 1999. It was a hot sweltering day in rural south Mississippi. I had been working24/7 on my cartoon project and living and sleeping in an abandoned aluminum warehouse in rural Mississippi. I believe I had 180 cartoons on the Internet. I couldn’t afford a domain so I got a free sub-domain that had as many pop-up ads as I had cartoons.
I received an email from a Dr. Vinton Cerf. I had no idea who he was. I later discovered hehad invented the Internet in 1969 while a student at Stanford University. He was very well-spoken,kind, humble, and wanted to know if my creative group would make a particular custom cartoon for him that he could hang in his office. We did so.
As the months went by, we spoke on the phone and I learned a great deal about the Internet; things that the so called gurus may not even know. First of all, there are no Internet gurus, according to Dr. Cerf, who now heads the creative department at Google. He said “Especially not me”, and “If you hear someone tout themselves as one, run the other way”. I didn’t know much about the Internet then, I know a bit more now, but he certainly turned out to be correct.
I then asked him questions like “What is the right way, and the wrong way to do business onthe Internet”? He would reply back with a question, “How are you doing business on theInternet?” I replied, “Just like I did so person to person when I worked in retail, real estate, and other sales jobs, in malls and downtown middle-America.” He added, “Then that’s how youdo it on the net, if it is working for you.”
I said, “With all the articles I am reading, there is a certain unwritten moral code we must allfollow.” I could hear him chuckle. “If someone selling you on their moral superiority with regards to the Internet, run the other way. They are not looking after you, their clients, or anyone but them. The “holier than thou” social marketer is the Elmer Gantry of today”.
It didn’t make sense at first, but it surely did later when I was introduced to social networking.I had returned to college as an adult (aged 46) and with Business Information Management as a major, we focused a great deal on blogging, still big at the time, and the upcoming social networking.
MySpace was only a few years old, Facebook had just begun, and in the middle of my education came Twitter. The profs all seemed to think Twitter might be best for business. They were right.
I now had Dr. Cerf, and some of the top professors on the planet; many of whom worked at Google, Microsoft, Dell, HP, and other giants to teach me the “real Internet”. I told them I understood there is no “silent moral code” on the Internet. They concluded I was correct. Most of them had a common thread in doing business on the Internet. There is the same ethical code that exists in brick and mortar buildings. But when you start spouting morals to others, you are putting your foot in your mouth. What is moral in one country is a sin in another. What is moral in one state is considered bad manners in another. What is moral in some towns or cities in the U.S. Wouldn’t even be talked about in another.
These wise men and women, starting with Dr. Cerf, the man who founded it all, seemed to be intotal agreement. Later, upon doing business through social networking, all the information they had purveyed rang true. It never failed. When someone took the posture of moral leadership or “I am the one with the answer” or “My path or you can’t play” or even “Life Coach”, there would usually be trouble and an odd sensation of someone sniffing at my bank account (but telling me I was great and they were only looking after me.” They would usually do a few gimmicky things at no charge and then drop the gauntlet for cash, but before they did, brag to everyone who would listen all the nice free things they did for me, so that then, when they went against their word and started charging exorbitant amounts (that was available on the Internet for free), the guilt trip was made and so was the payment. They were as sneaky as they were charming. It took time to learn, but Dr. Cerf and other executives at Google, MSN, and others taught me to “steer clear” and let them do their dirty laundry to/with others.
I can only thank Dr. Cerf, and all the knowledgeable professors who forewarned me ahead of time, “If you want to find a moral clone of yourself, go to your religious congregation. If you want to find and celebrate differences in people, and do business with them anyway, using common business ethics which ring true in any country, state, or area, go for it. If you want to slug it out with a “moral leader of the Internet”, turn the other way; there are millions more who do it there way, and if it works for them, and yours works for you, it is bound to work for everyone (and everyone will prosper and can celebrate their philosophical differences while working “on the same page” ethically).
——————————————————————————————————————–
Rick London is a freelance writer, cartoonist, entrepreneur, nature lover, mountain climber and outdoorsman. He is the founder of Londons Times Cartoons which has been the #1 ranked offbeat cartoon by Google and MSN since 2005. His site has lured over 8.4 million visitors and has an inventory of over 4500 original cartoons. London also founded Shoes That Amuse, the world’s only shoes featuring famous love quotes. In addition, he co-founded Pen And Ink Inc with his fiance’ Lee Hiller, an organic seo and full service web design company. He owns numerous funny gift shops and even a mega store containing his cartoon collectibles.
