Network marketing

My short piece of sensible advice about the essential differences between network marketing companies and pyramids schemes seems to have scored a direct hit on two readers. Anonymous victim number 1, launches a tirade against me, who he/she has never met, citing me as "not a busy man," and citing the letter as "unimportant".

Obviously the letter was very important to him/her, but what he/she means is that I have had the audacity to tell him/her what he/she knows in his/her inner self -- he/she is the victim of a money game, where the only winners are those who dream up the scheme. Amazingly he/she then launches into an attack on herbs, saying "they do not heal" and are "scams". Clearly, although an Indonesian, anonymous victim number one has never heard of jamu (herbal medicine). For his/her information I do not "have a company" -- the two names were mentioned as obvious bona fide MLM companies.

Finally, he/she, clearly an expert, accuses me of not knowing anything about the "subject". What I do know is that there are countless victims all over the world from similar pyramid schemes -- a recent example is the country of Albania, crippled by a government backed pyramid scheme. His/her reference to Italian certificates "healing patients" is beyond my comprehension. To you, I would say, try to learn to be inoffensive when you are exposed, and devote your energies to use your obvious networking ability to work with bona fide organizations, whoever you may choose.

Anonymous victim number 2, claiming not to be a member of the company I mentioned, but knowing all about it, also explains to his/her satisfaction by saying that if we pay US$120, we will get back $120, obviously a very exciting prospect of making money. However, he/she does, unintentionally, offer an explanation by calling it a "game". I have had the same explanation from a person in authority in the Italian Embassy, and, although most intelligent people would see it as a game without hope, and an expensive game, I ask you all: Why promote it as a business opportunity, which promises to help you reach the "peak" of your desires? I would ask you anonymous, angry persons to look at the mathematics again, and realize the basic point that the experience of Western countries in protecting their consumers has shown every time that if you have to pay money to earn money with only a chance that you might get the money, it is deemed illegal, exactly as in this case. My other piece of advice is get on the herbs, whether patented or traditional, so you can face challenges face to face, and with a measure of calm when you are wrong.

Finally, I am not anonymous, and I would be happy to meet you in person (should you wish me to) and explain the difference between network marketing (MLM) and pyramids. Meanwhile, after all that, I need a glass of jamu...

BILL GUERIN

Jakarta