There's a lot of confusion and controversy about fair, ethical use of articles and other forms of content on the Internet - particularly content that you haven't created yourself.

Broadly, in content marketing (just as in life itself) there are two categories of people:

* those who exploit a situation

* those who make the world a better place

Now, I'm not getting into a debate or discourse on which is better, holier or more 'right'. Which path you opt to tread is entirely your choice - and might depend upon factors I don't know and cannot imagine. Just understand there are 2 paths.

Those who exploit the prevailing content marketing scenario are focussed on one thing - and that alone. They want to get high ranking on search engines for competitive keywords (ones that offer multiple quick ways to make money from visitors) and drive floods of traffic to their sites... never mind how they do it.

And there are many tactics to achieve this end - using scripts and software, innovatively mixed together, to throw up 'junk content sites' that often make very little sense, look ugly or repulsive (on purpose) and are geared to doing one thing well - getting visitors to click on income producing links that are placed on these websites.

This approach is profitable. There are many folks who were banking 5-figure checks every month based with this strategy.

There's a downside. These sites may not last for long in search engines. The owners will always be scrambling to stay ahead of the game - and should not mind if they lose the cash-generating high traffic magnets overnight. Just build some more.

If this sounds like working for money, you're right. It is. Don't confuse this with a real 'infopreneur business'.

Sure, you'll make money - maybe a lot of it. But you don't have a sustained process to acquire clients, make repeat sales to them, build a list, and achieve steady growth across a longer time frame.

The other category of people are the ones who 'make the Internet a better place' - and do this by adding valuable content to the Web.

While this is a harder path to tread, in the longer term it is more sustainable and can be scaled up over time. There's some hard work involved while things get going, but after a while it can be organized to be 'set and forget' simple.

That's the difference. With this strategy, in the end the result is a high quality, content-rich website. A useful online resource many people visit over and over again because it truly adds value to their lives in some way. A place people tell other people to go for quality information and support. A portal that search engines will find and reward, sooner or later. A website that could become an authority on the niche topic it is built around.

This kind of site will easily be able to create a sense of online community amongst users, nurture a loyal following and have staying power. And this can become the kernel for a business built around that theme.

Which model do you want to follow?

As I said before, it's your choice to make. Both are lucrative models. Both need some work. Both have some significant operational and strategic differences. Most important, they are philosophically distinct.

And your choice of one over the other is a reflection of your own attitude and approach towards your online infopreneur business.

Just make sure you're clear about which kind you're going after, as much of what you'll do will be determined by this decision.