Do Not Go To Jail
DO NOT GO TO JAIL
LEGAL MATTERS
I will of course start this page with a disclaimer stating that you should always consult the proper legal assistance, get your financial advice from a skilled accountant and see your doctor for all health related issues. In short, the opinions stated on this page and on this entire web site are for your amusement only and it is your sole responsibility to seek the proper professional opinions for your concerns. TheBigInternetMarketingGame.com web site cannot be held responsible for any problems you are encountering in your life and or business. By staying on this site, you are agreeing to its terms of service and legal disclaimers.
This being said, there are a few things you need to know when starting web sites and an internet marketing business if you want to stay out of trouble.
1) It is a very wise decision to separate your family owning from your internet marketing business. Internet marketing can be costly to begin with and there are also risks of losing money. In your internet marketing venture, always make sure your family’s basic needs are met (housing, transportation, vacation money, etc) before you invest in your business.
Too often, we have seen hopeful Newbies spending tens of thousands of dollars on their credit cards buying every program that they most probably will not even study.
2) When doing research on the net or the library, make sure you always respect the copyrights of the owner of either texts, pictures, video or audio material, etc. A friend of mine had to pay thousands of dollars because one of his webmasters posted a picture that he did not own the rights to on his websites. Always make sure if you outsource work that the person who does the work has created original content that is not infringing any copyright laws. The bottom line is that the owner of the site (YOU) will be the one getting in trouble for what other people do on your website.
3) There will always be people who are looking for a way to scam you and get your hard-earned money. You have to protect yourself from their greediness.
Stephen Pierce was doing great in digital marketing until he got a shocker. On his website, he openly talks in his bio that he was devastated when he “got fined 50 000$ by the FTC for not having the proper trading risk disclaimers at the bottom of his websites.” You can read his story here: http://stephenpierceinc.com/about-me/
He openly shares his experience to help other digital marketers avoid such legal issues.
Of course, you will need a good attorney if you are in doubt or when your internet businesses get bigger to protect yourself. There are services like Legalshield.com that offer discounted legal aid but you have to realize that usually you could be assigned to an inexperienced lawyer.
Another very successful digital marketer who is open about having been sued by the FTC is Frank Kern. Take a moment to read his story here: http://the-internet-marketing-2016.blogspot.com/2016/07/frank-kern-ftc-scandal.html
He shares with other digital marketers in a video some pearls about digital marketing in an interview he did with an ex-FTC employee. Take the time to listen to it. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1796051393774773
There are many ways you can protect yourself and your family from financial problems. Incorporating a company such as a LLC can be a solution. Such options need to be discussed with your attorney and accountant and are way beyond the scope of this web site.
The other very important element is to have the proper disclosures, affiliate disclosures, earning disclaimers, privacy policy, GDPR compliance etc.
Take a moment now to check every site you visit for their disclaimers and take note of what they are saying.
You can compile a file for your own personal use of each disclosure: medical, affiliate, earnings etc. This file is not to be copied. It is just examples.
There is a plugin that offers to create your disclosure pages in WordPress Freshstart by checking a couple of boxes.
HERE IS YOUR CALL TO ACTION
1) Browse the internet and go on web sites and pay attention to their disclaimers, earning disclaimers, legal terms of service, privacy policies, etc. Notice their content and take note of what you need.
2) If you have not done so already, read Stephen Pierce’s interview on legal matters for internet marketers.
3) Make sure you and your family are protected by seeking the proper legal advice. Ask yourself is you should create a LLC to separate you from your company?
See you on the next square!
Nathalie