Imagine this. You've worked hard to become a respected leader in the internet marketing niche. You've spent years building your business and a newsletter list of eager people awaiting your latest recommendations. You've built a solid reputation on teaching others how to prosper in their online ventures by providing quality information, while maintaining a sense of down-to-earth friendliness. You've done something that many aspire to do ? earn the trust of thousands.

And then you decide to send out an invitation to your list inviting them to spend a huge chunk of money to hang out with you at a swanky shindig at the Playboy mansion. A notorious internet marketing character known as the Rich Jerk has extended a special invitation to you and some of your buddies to attend the party for free ? if you can get three suckers, er . . . customers from your list to buy a $2,000 ticket.

Normally (you tell yourself), you wouldn't do this kind of thing, but for the sake of ?networking? and marketing your business, you'll make the sacrifice and attend the party on the Rich Jerk's terms.

The Rich Jerk has given you some tips on how to promote this party to your list. It's a little on the crude side, but you go along, because this is a chance in a life time for you to have a little fun. Right now your mind is filled with visions of scantily clad women mixing and mingling with you and your buddies while you enjoy copious amounts of alcohol and food. You're sure glad RJ came up with that confidentiality agreement for attendees so that anything you do or say at this party is strictly confidential.

You plan on getting your groove on in a big way.

You hastily compose your email message to your list and happily include the link to the Rich Jerk's Playboy party sales page. You've read his sales letter and while you yourself would never use this kind of language in your own promotions, you see no harm in promoting his crude style letter to your list, because after all, it's all in good fun. Plus, there's a charity involved. A percentage of earnings from this party will go to the Urban Health Institute. A charity you've never heard of and don't bother checking out to see if it's legitimate. You just assume it's all on the up and up.

Okay, it's late and you've just finished your email message. You smile to yourself knowing that when your trusted prospects wake up tomorrow and read this message, there will be much excitement. You're confident that you'll quickly get your three sales because you can always count on a certain percentage of your list to always buy anything you promote. Ooo boy, you feel a rush of excitement course through your body as you press the submit button. It's in the bag now.

?Bunnies, here I come!?

The next day, you lazily stroll to your laptop, with orange juice in hand, and eagerly check to see if you've made any sales to the party. Wow. You've already made a dozen sales. You put your orange juice down and let out your glee.

?Wahoo!?

You open your email to read the responses and realize that you've . . . just stepped into a firestorm of controversy. Instead of your list loving this opportunity, you find the opposite.

Plenty of people are indignant that you would have anything to do with an event like this. They tell you bluntly that they are unsubscribing to your list because they don't like being exposed to such crude, insulting language. Many also feel it's not professional to hold an internet marketing event at a place associated with the Playboy image.

And by the way, did you bother to think about all the teenagers that are on your list who look up to you as a role model?

Women in particular are upset with you because the language you used in your own email message to promote this party is insulting, plus they find the sales letter down right demeaning to women. Surely, you didn't forget that half of your list consists of women ? oh wait, you did.

Others are upset because the Rich Jerk's sales letter clearly states ?no gays allowed?. Are you supporting blatant discrimination against gay people?

There goes another chunk of your list.

Some have tried checking out the charity to see for themselves if it's legitimate, and unfortunately, find it's not even listed with the IRS as a bonafide charity.

You are surprised and alarmed at the reaction you are getting and decide to call some of your guru friends who are also promoting this party. They too are feeling the backlash.

Now you've got to decide what to do. As a respected internet marketing guru, you've got to either stand your ground and tell people why you're attending this party. Or, backtrack and do some serious damage control.

Either way, you've learned a valuable lesson: Think before you promote.

Reputations that take years to build can be destroyed overnight by the mere careless press of a button. Being perceived as someone who condones intolerance and obnoxious behavior can do long-term damage to internet marketers who don't carefully consider promoting things that smack of controversy.

The internet as a whole is made up of a vast amount of people from all colors and stripes. People who are willing to spend their money with teachers who hold themselves up to be respectable leaders. Gurus with any sense should know that when they decide to take a walk on the wild side, they might get burned.