Exchange

(Reading time: 2 – 2 minutes)

There is an important principle which is too often overlooked in any income-generating endeavor.

That principle is EXCHANGE.

Fair exchange is when you give something and someone else gives you something of equal or similar value in return.

It’s even better when you give something a bit better quality or more valuable than what you have received.

Trying to get money for nothing is not only dishonest. In the long run, it is unworkable.

What kind of person tries to get money for nothing? Right – a thief, a robber, a criminal.

That doesn’t mean that everyone who plays the lottery is a criminal.

But I could imagine that if someone attempted to live off of lotteries, inheritance, gifts, or any of the more unscrupulous money-making ideas, one could eventually lean toward criminality.

Why? Because criminals try to get things for themselves without giving anything to others in return.

There are shades of gray, between the straight-out put-me-in-jail-tomorrow criminal, and the honest tradesman.

Online, we often refer to these shades of gray as “Get Rich Quick Schemes,” “Scams,” “Spam,” “Black Hat,” “Hype,” “B.S.,” etc.

A common denominator of many scams and unethical ways to “make money online” are that they promote the idea that one should receive money without offering anything valuable in return.

Think about it for a second.

When you see a home-based business opportunity, you often try to sniff out the scams.

Well one fast way of filtering out a lot of garbage is by just asking yourself – “Does this person recommend I give little or nothing of value in exchange for income?”

If the answer is yes – steer clear.

Even if you only earn money from ad revenue on your site – well, as long as you are providing useful information, entertainment, or something of value, you are giving something in exchange for that money. Right? You are also providing the advertisers with an opportunity to promote their own products.

Honesty pays off in the end. And it also feels better.

Anna Williams is a blogger, webmaster, photographer, and poet. She has lived and traveled in four continents, and currently lives in a forest, in the Pacific Northwest. Visit her personal blog, view photos, or read poetry. Anna offers website development and related services.