Money makes the world go around, and money is the reason that so many people have looked to the internet to start a business. Online, everything is easier, as one can make a sale without ever speaking to a person or closing a deal. Therefore, it often becomes easier for individuals to compromise their morals and/or take the easy way out in order to earn an extra dollar. However, those who always look for the quick dollar will ultimately shoot themselves in the foot, as it results in short term cash, and it never builds any long-term wealth.

Underhanded, short-term methods of earning money online are commonly known as "blackhat" methods. While they are not always considered immoral, they often break the traditional rules of internet marketing. Blackhat methods find loopholes in the system of the internet and attempt to exploit them. As a result, they can result in very large sums of cash very quickly. However, blackhat methods can be easy to abuse, and marketers can carry them to a point that cause harm to others. Because the internet makes it possible to carry on business without seeing or speaking to other people, it is easy to justify the harm that blackhat methods can cause to other people.

The downfall of blackhat methods occurs when the exploitable loopholes are closed. When the opportunity to exploit becomes impossible, the marketer has to rethink his or her strategy. When a blackhat strategy becomes obsolete, those who were counting on it to produce a steady stream of income are left in the dark back at ground zero.

The answer to this dilemma is to produce long-term income generating systems. An internet marketer's job is not simply to make money, but to find problems and solve them. One does this by connecting buyers with products that will meet their needs and/or serve their desires. In doing so, a commission, and large amounts of money, can be generated. If one recognizes the role that he or she plays as an affiliate, he or she can build up a network of income producing systems that are sustainable for the long term

While it can be a temptation for internet marketers to pursue blackhat methods because of their potential for quick cash, it can be a dangerous road and a slippery slope. Instead, a better way to build a business online is in the development of long term income producers that not only pay the bills, but they meet the needs of customers.