I read a very disturbing blog post about the future of Internet marketing

In principle, I do agree with Mr. Shaffer. Things are changing. It is going to get harder for people to "sell the dream". It will still be possible to sell information / software, but it is going to get much harder to sell the dream (big income promises) and only deliver information.

As a glass half full person, I believe this trend helps my own IM business. In about a decade of selling IM related stuff, I've never made promises about how much money people will make if they buy my product.

Hopefully, in the future I won't have to compete against the salesletters that make these kinds of promises.

From an outside perspective, I would think 'legit' business opportunities will benefit from any 'future' regulations and the objective of separating the wheat from the chaff.

IMHO if you are marketing 'honest opportunities' and not 'scamming' people with false claims, bs opportunities, or some 'hyped' up junk... then your cup will overflow, and your business will prosper from it.

99% of make money online opportunities derive from 'information based' peoducts and services (*i.e. training, eBooks, Video Tutorials, etc...) there is no way in hell a payment processor will ever put an end to the consumers right to purchase knowledge based information. Hence, there is no way to really stop "marketers" from supplying the demand.

I welcome the trend.

If you posted a link, source, reference or more reasoning, then your post might be more convincing.

You might be right though, and I at least half hope that you are.

Internet marketer promote make money online product to newbie, newbie become internet marketer and promote make money online product to another newbie, another newbie become internet marketer and promote make money online product to other newbie...

Hmm...a big loop.

The Future of Internet Marketing in 2012 :: Shmooze With Ben

Personally — I think it's a good thing.

I think it an irresponsible use of a persons power to make outlandish claims to, as David Keith said, "Sell the Dream".

The headline, "Make a GODZILLION dollars a day....!!!" ....day's are numbered.

Things are always changing. Some people were crying foul when auto boxes were outlawed, then mass faxes, do not call list, SPAM act. It's just a nature of business.

When hosts start cracking down on MMO sites you will se hosts appear who only cater to MMO and they will make a killing. When Payment processors follow so will there be a new payment providers for MMO merchants.

You dont see porn sites charge people using paypal. They have their own processors and host.

I've read it too, and bits of discussion about it, and plenty of recent discussions about closely related matters.

I think he slightly understates it, and that some of what he predicts will happen soon is already happening now.

I don't find it disturbing, though; I find it very relieving indeed.

It can't come too soon for me.

PayPal (and some other processors) aren't doing this because they want to, or out of bloody-mindedness, but because they need to. Because the financial institutions (cc-companies) and regulatory/legal agencies they deal with are insisting on it, at long last. And what PayPal does today, many others will have to do tomorrow, for the same reason.

We failed, as a "community" (perhaps mostly because we're not really enough of a "community", as internet marketers?) to regulate ourselves effectively, and now it's time for someone else to do it. I really welcome that, because if we can weed out the people who make income claims, and the rest of the undesirables, it'll be far better for all the rest of us, in the long run.

It seems noticeable, to me, that the people who object to this, the ones who are quick to invoke what they see as "excessive intervention" and "nanny statism" and so on, are the ones who've been causing all the problems, with all their hype, unlawful claims, deceptive practices and the rest of it.

Just my perspective as a marketer.

I think not just that but most things you want to do your liberty to do them we be banned that is just normal progression of each society at least my observation of it. As far as I know it's never the other way around (which is what I would wish for).

Life and everything contained in it are always changing. Its just the way things are. You have to be confident in your ability to roll with the punches and adapt or be left behind. I see good things coming out of this change. It could save many people a lot of wasted time and hard earned money while cleaning up the image of Internet Marketing to a lot of people.

2checkout.com is already on top of this. They no longer accept "internet marketing" products.

Sounds like the standard "internet marketing doomsday" propaganda. You can safely ignore it.

Things change all the time. This industry has changed so much over the past few years, and it's going to continue to change.

Internet marketers are smart... They'll find a way... Payment processors who accepts IMers will continue to be established... It's just a matter of keeping abreast and adapting...

I don't wanna believe that, he's a sooth sayer

Well, things change but for sure everything happens and raises for reason.

Internet Marketing is not only the thing that sell "Make Money Online" products. This is a big market which is related to mane areas. I'm happy if payment processors block those kind of MMO crappy products. Most of these sellers earn money by selling it. Actually they don't work with methods which are mentioned products. This is a good move from 2co, paypal etc.

I totally agree with fellow warriors that this might not be a bad thing after all. Those who have honesty and integrity will do just fine and they will and should be rewarded.

Perhaps this is a reminder that we shouldn't put all the eggs in 1 "niche" too.... :-)