Throughout the history of network marketing, duplication has been proclaimed as essential. Statements like, "If something is not duplicatable, do not do it" have been set in stone. Then one of the most high profile and most successful network marketers declares duplication is a myth. Is he right and if so, where does that leave us?

I think it is a matter of degree. The degree of duplicatability depends on what you are doing to build your network marketing business. Once upon a time their was no internet. We had to approach our friends, family, work colleagues and talk to anyone who came within 3 feet of us - that is one metre for you metric-heads. These examples demonstrate how our personality played a major role in our rate of success. Since each of us is unique, our personalities cannot be duplicated which lends weight to the argument that duplication is a myth, but then there is the internet.

On the internet everything can be automated. I can set up a, "just add water" marketing system with everything such as suggested headlines and ad copy; how to's on blog marketing, article marketing, search engine optimisation, effective pay per click advertising and much more.

I could make this marketing system available to everybody in my group and by using it they will get very similar results. They can duplicate me - but still only to a degree because - and this may surprise you - of the internet.

As soon as you offer a specific way to do something, word gets out and on the internet, most people will be using it within 48 hours and be competing with each other. The traffic exchanges demonstrate multiple examples of this. That being the case, the more determined and enterprising network marketers look for ways to tweak the system. A typical tweak for example, is to modify advertisements by changing the headlines and the body copy. How does this affect duplication?

Tweaking any part of the system introduces your own ideas and preferences - your personality. As your personality is unique, any changes you make, reduces by degree, the duplicatablity of the system, does it not? Back to the question - where does this leave you and me?

It doesn't change anything for you and me, because duplication never has existed, or at least not for any length of time. Modern technology such as the internet has raised the degree of duplicatability which merely provides for a larger percentage of the population to succeed than ever before. What will change things for you and me is to engage in constant and never ending improvement in everything we do in network marketing, which by default, reduces the degree of duplication.