Put Honesty and Integrity Above Everything Else

A couple of days ago I was reading The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman, and I came across a very interesting passage:

When individuals are empowered to inform themselves on all these new ways, it is enormously flattening, but also enormously frightening. Why? Because people will be able to drill down for information about you and me that used to be either impossible or very difficult to locate. (…) You never know anymore what kind of electronic footprints your are leaving in databases that you assume are private and will now, or soon will be, searchable.

After reading it I realized that the message is particularly important to web workers. It is not rare to find bloggers, website owners and online marketers trying to make money or become popular online using controversial - let alone unethical - techniques.

Just think about sploggers and content thieves, spammers, scammers, shady affiliate marketers and so on. Sure they might be earning some money on the short run, but at what cost? One slip and you will ruin your reputation for good. And there are no erasers on the Internet.

Here is what Thomas Friedman concluded:

Live your life honestly, because whatever you do, whatever mistakes you make, will be searchable one day.

So the next time a “smart” idea comes into your mind, think twice. Honesty and integrity should come above everything else.