I field emails and phone calls weekly from people who have signed up for a program or programs online and need help.

Often the case is that the person making contact has joined a program designed specifically to address the questions they are asking me. In the back of my brain, I'm often thinking, "What's not right with this scenario?"

A program - membership or otherwise - must have a few fundamentals to be considered legitimate online. It must give you something in return for you giving someone money. It's that simple. There must be an equitable exchange - information, software, products - something that says you are getting value for your money.

When considering joining any online program, there are two questions you need to address, whether it is a membership site or not. These two questions are:

1. What is the program giving you in return for your money?

2. Other than promoting that program to others will it also show you how to make money online for any business?

Hence the dilemma presented above. This person arrived at the membership site sales page. They had predefined reasons for hunting for a membership in the first place. Then, hit with an offer they cannot refuse (vast amounts of cash for telling others about that membership) they totally forgot why they needed it in the first place.

It's true. As the individual was reading about the membership program, and all it's exciting details, somewhere along the way they forgot why they were hunting for a membership, and they got caught up in some fantastic offer of income that might result from their plugging said program to others.

Conversely, the other scenario is the hunter had no intention of building a business. He or she was merely looking for an "easier road." Find something to promote and tell others. This creates a problem though, you are an affiliate only and not the owner of the membership or product.

This is the background painted for you, but the problem does not stop there. In the rush to tell others about their wonderful find, they totally neglect to educate themselves on the finer points of what that program (membership or not) has to offer.

As I talk or write back and forth with someone, I can tell from the conversation whether someone is - harsh as it may sound - lazy or hard working and determined.

Keep your priorities firmly in mind. If you joined to learn how to build your own business, sure tell others about your membership, but use the tools (assuming the site delivers the goods) to do just that... build your business.

If, conversely, you joined purely for the allure of telling others and thus gaining financial benefits for yourself in the telling, at least know what you're offering. Believe it or not, morally you do have that responsibility. Know thy product.

If your reason for joining was just the allure of making money with that membership or program, then at the least learn everything there is to know about what you propose to sell. When others join under you, I would hope that you'd agree that you have a moral responsibility to that downline individual to help them succeed, too.

You can't do that if you don't know what or why you joined.

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