Today the computer is seen by millions as the next gold rush. People are flooding to get their piece of the pie.

With a 97% failure rate in the MLM industry, a fact most don’t want to acknowledge. People are losing their money long before they start earning anything, if they ever do.

So, it makes sense that the lure of “You too can earn an extra … blah, blah, blah a month by just getting on the Internet and promoting your companies products.” is appealing to many.  Sounds all too familiar to the “all you have to do is… and you will be wealthier than you ever imagined.” that we all heard in the past.

This hype mentality has been a big part of the shady reputation that network marketing companies have brought upon themselves.

I find the basic flaw to most, if not all of MLM is that the word marketing is used, but never taught.

Most network marketers are totally untrained in the field of marketing. The most training I ever received was how to peddle what my company produced. I was taught, “if you put a mirror under their nose and it fogs up, they’re a prospect.”  The Internet sequel to this is, “If they have a computer, and are on line, they’re a prospect.”

When someone begins Internet network marketing, and still hasn’t a clue about marketing, chances are they will, in no time at all, find themselves frustrated. They may even find themselves more out of luck because, face it, to many of us, new to the Internet, we have a lot more to learn then when we were told to drag a person to a hotel meeting.

I believe that the Internet is the future for MLM. Internet network marketing. It offers people the ability to reach many more people than was ever possible , anywhere, anytime. What needs to be taught, and should have been taught in the old school, is social marketing. I don’t just mean using social sites, but learning how to be vigilant in building not just a business but relationships.

Without the focus being on, what’s in it for the person we are talking to, we are no better than the outrages MLM enthusiast, who caused friends to cross the street, to avoid being asked to another meeting.

It’s been said, “there is power in knowledge,” and most people over 40, are pretty clueless, when they first arrive on the net, They need a great deal of education to learn not just skills and techniques, but theory and etiquette to do this correctly.

I see a major need for skilled Internet gurus, to mentor and guide these often insecure Internet fledgelings with step by step instruction, in all aspects of Internet network marketing.

I could say, “it’s up to them to avail themselves to all the resources out there.” Why do I care whether they get the extra help? The main reason, is because I know what it’s like to feel hopeless and terrified when you first start using the Internet.

I thought I could just go out there and spew my product information to the millions with the sole purpose of making the big bucks. I was a stranger in a strange land, to put it mildly.

I also feel a desire to take part in sparing the Internet all the unprofessional baggage these people will be flooding the net with, until they get that it’s not always about selling.

What I’ve realized through my experience, is that it takes time and hard work to learn what you need. No matter how fast you can surf, or how easy it may seem at first, this is not a get rich over night experience. This is especially true, if you want to have your presence seen out there on the the world wide web. Even more so, if one of your goals is to be respected as a valuable resource to others.

I believe those who first invest in their own education about marketing on line, through mentors, books, seminars, tutorials, will be the ones that avoid failing. If for no other reason than to be a good resource of information. Isn’t that what ultimately makes the net such a powerful tool, people providing value for people.

This brings me to my final point. One of the qualities about the Internet that appeals to me is that with it, the individual can truly own their business. Their on line business can reflect not just their network marketing company, but who they are as a person, with all the knowledge and expertise they have gained through living.