2. We get called scammers and MLM'ers all the time now by some retarded bitcoiners. Bitcoiners get called drug dealers by some retarded people all the time too. You can't base your life and your business on what dumb people call you. We already get called names. True with a 1 tier referral system we will get more of it. From a multi-tier system we will get even more of it again. We all had the intelligence and the integrity to repell accusations of being drug dealers because we were involved in crypto. Hopefully we have the intelligence and integrity to repell these accusations too.
This is borderline Straw Man.
If anyone here believes that the negative MLM perceptions will stop at bitcointalk - they have spent far too much time on discussion forums.
Negative attitudes and perceptions of MLM span our entire society and I would guess that this holds for the large majority of the population (especially the demographic that I would consider more likely to be early adopters of any crypto-related financial properties)
3. For those that have the Pavlovian response to MLM, I say get educated first. A pyramid/ponzi has 2 defining characteristics. 1. There is no product and 2. It is impossible to earn more than your referrer. We obviously have a great product, but thee is an easy way to put this fear to bed. Simply have more non-income earning customers than income earning customers. You achieve that by making the business opportunity less attractive. eg: Payout a smaller percentage of fees as rewards and/or increase the upgrade fee. And by structuring the tiers so that the first tier gets a much higher percentage than the other tiers you easily guarantee that producers get paid the most and free loaders get paid the least. ie: people can out earn their referer.
That Pavlovian response is usually quite logical.
I have listed to a couple people pitch their MLM wares, but I have simply had no want or need to belong to a product fiefdom.
Is that what we want with Bitshares?
Because this MLM proposal is worrying me that we are laying the foundation for our potential endgame in a niche product closed ecosystem.
***I agree that you have a good point with (2.), but once Bitshares becomes MLM, when/where are you going to get the opportunity to explain that difference.
I know that I no longer give MLM pitchmen my attention and most people I know are the same.
How do we get around/over that wall once it is in place?
4. Now that you know what an MLM is and is not, know that some of the largest companies in the world are MLM and billions of dollars are generated from MLM each year. It is just a marketing structure. That is all. One that lends itself perfectly to blockchain technology I would think.
Does this impress anyone?
http://www.networkmarketingcentral.com/2013/02/19/top-50-mlm-companies-global-revenue/We are expecting a world/cultural changing product and tool with Bitshares, this approach does not seem to align. I am trying, but I just can't imagine a scenario where the benefits outweigh the potential risks.
5. Because we need to have an upgrade fee to be an earner (point 1) we will never be a nice neat and clean referrel program like Paypal was. Even a single tier program will get called a scam.... a lot.
The big difference is that Paypal has laid the groundwork and precedent - We can more easily define Bitshares referral program as such and we can always refer back to it.
I think most would prefer to have more similarity with Paypal than Amway.
7. Quote from world famous marketer Jay Abraham. "If your marketing doesn't make you uncomfortable you are doing it wrong"
"It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results." - Warren Buffett
Maybe a PayPal-like simplicity will be the best approach?