SEMPO Code of Ethics: Not So Black and White by @schachin
Editor note:This anti post is part of a two-part series about the proposed Search Marketing Code of Ethics, as presented by SEMPO at SearchCongress.org. To read the pro viewpoint from Tony Wright and Chris Boggs, click here. This post is not sponsored by any organization or party and was facilitated by the SEJ Editorial Team.Alan Bleiweiss also contributed to thispost. His comments are noted throughout.
As many of you may already know,SEMPO has proposed that we, as search marketers, meet at a Search Congress to discuss the draft and submission of a Code of Ethics. Upon first hearing of this, most of us would admit, Hey, this sounds like a great idea! I am sure the people who created the concept thought this.
We all know there is an issue with unethical practitioners, ones who call themselves SEOs, but in reality are simple con men whofound a business vertical that can bring them fast money with little effort. In the industry we call this practice Snake Oil SEO in polite company anyway. So why not a Code o f Ethics? Wouldnt that be a good thing? Wouldnt that help bring more legitimacy to our industry?
Unfortunately, sometimes what sounds good on paper does not work very well in the real world. As you begin to unravel the concept of what itwould mean to have a Code of Ethics, it starts to lose its appeal. Why? Lets break it down.
Inc. has a definition, which most should find agreeable:
A code of ethics issued by a business is a particular kind of policy statement. A properly framed code is, in effect, a form of legislation within the company binding on its employees, with specific sanctions for violation of the code. If such sanctions are absent, the code is just a list of pieties. The most severe sanction is usually dismissalunless a crime has been committed.
So a code of ethics defines how people will behave and then sanctions those who act outside the confines of the proposed behaviors. Seems simple enough.
After all, doctors needs rules that tell them they have to treat all people without doing harm. Lets say a doctor has to treat the man who broke up his marriage. Without a code of ethics to refer to, treating that man would be based on a personal morality, which in matters of life and death could become highly problematic. The same issues lie in real estate and law. These codes of ethics not only define behavior, but also can be the basis for legal action against anyone who does not adhere to the code of ethics. They are there to protect the consumer from practitioners of bad intent.
In these cases, the code of ethics primarily governs situations that are easy to delineate. Yes, you must treat that patient. Yes, you must represent that client. No, you cannot sell to a new bidder once under contract with the current one. Clearly defined edges are almost necessary for a proper COE. Ethics must have clearly defined edges where something becomes unethical.
How does this apply to Search Marketers?
See more here:
SEMPO Code of Ethics: Not So Black and White by @schachin