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CJConsulting
Forums Member
Joined: 5 Nov 2010
Posts: 39
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#1 · Posted: 2 Dec 2010 13:43
...into a pyramid scheme.
I have been banned from a forum I have belonged to for 2+ years for soliciting people to join an online pyramid scheme when I have done no such thing.
Melaleuca is no pryramid. Even the biggest idiot knows that. I am so hurt right now, The thing is...this interferes with my income and livelihood and I think I have some protections under the law don't I?
There was no initial contact or warning where I could speak with the owner of the forum, and I never solicited anyone. People contacted me only. I always left my signature welcome to PMs, but I never sought out a single person.
What can I do? They are not just defaming me but my company. It affects my income as well. Please help. Someone???
Christi
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shaun
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Joined: 23 Oct 2009
Posts: 128
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#2 · Posted: 2 Dec 2010 16:52
Hi Christi
If you have been banned from a forum then its pretty much the forum owners right to do so.
As far as them defaming Melaleuca and yourself, well people have always called legitimate MLM's scams or pyramids without any basis in fact. It comes with the territory.
I know you are feeling really upset but one forum really shouldn't impact your business. You may need to look at ways to market yourself elsewhere. Have you written articles , youtube videos, hubpages, facebook PPC??perhaps??
All i can say really is soldier on !
There are plenty of forums out there you can be a part of.
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mountainmom5
Joined: 30 Aug 2007
Posts: 3116
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#3 · Posted: 2 Dec 2010 17:12
Hi Christi,
I know it hurts when something like this happens, but you really don't want to rely on only one method of traffic for your business... as I am sure you are realizing by now! 
Take it as an opportunity to learn new methods of marketing where YOU are in control of it, such as the ways that Shaun mentioned above.... blogs and Squidoo are great ways, PLUS there are a ton of work at home forums out there...
Cheers!
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CJConsulting
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Joined: 5 Nov 2010
Posts: 39
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#4 · Posted: 2 Dec 2010 19:28
I do have multiple avenues, and I have multiple income streams as well. Yes, it hurts I see now to just get over it. 
Thanks for your response!
Blessings,
Christi J.
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CJConsulting
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Joined: 5 Nov 2010
Posts: 39
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#5 · Posted: 17 Sep 2011 23:15
Hey...I just wanted to come back in here and update. It's been almost a year since the banning from that one forum, and I now do very well marketing online and that one place, while it was very painful to lose access to a community where the women had become like family to me, I learned something really valuable in the process. I learned that time heals all things.
I learned that having one group of friends online is crazy. lol You never know what can happen online. I also learned - and this was the MOST important thing! - that Melaleuca is such an exceptional company to share with others. Being that it's direct sales, it has soooo man of the features of a real job that many other companies don't have, ie gauaranteed income at a certain level. There are lots of other perks that come into play that make me sold on the ides of my company for LIFE, but I won't go into all of that now. I just want to say that I love my company and am grateful that I went through what I went through last year.
It was what I needed to prove that the company is solid no matter what others may do to try and damage the perception. I work from home and would not have it any other way.
Hope everyone is doing well!
Christi J.
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happywife
Joined: 14 Aug 2007
Posts: 1566
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#6 · Posted: 19 Sep 2011 04:55
Hey Christi,
So pleased to hear that you bounced back from that disappointment and are doing better than ever now. I'm not a member of Melaleuca, but I do love and use some of their products (love the Pain-a-trate!). 
All the best to your continued success!
Blessings,
Angie
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mountainmom5
Joined: 30 Aug 2007
Posts: 3116
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#7 · Posted: 19 Sep 2011 09:43
Welcome back Cristi - so glad to hear things are going well for you!
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Biznurse
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Joined: 7 May 2011
Posts: 26
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#8 · Posted: 20 Jan 2012 08:45
CJConsulting
Did you ever get it worked out Christi?
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CJConsulting
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Joined: 5 Nov 2010
Posts: 39
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#9 · Posted: 25 Jan 2012 15:09
I did not get it worked out, but I did learn a lot about that forum over time. The owner does NOT like it when people who are business owners have links for viable businesses in their signatures. So...she banned me. She still does it to this day. Thankfully, I found other places to be active and to be a part of the community.
To this day, I can't believe how much it hurt me...but I was new to business ownership and didn't understand the competition online back then. I literally cried. Silly. Hahahaaa!! I tell you...it completely broke my heart. LOL!!! But I do understand the internet and forums now, so no hard feelings at this point.
Thanks so much for asking, Linda. We bounced back and did much better for the learning. I am now connected to many of those women with whom I was friends on Facebook, so I was able to maintain the relationships that were most important to me.
Funny how close you can get to people through online mediums!!
Christi J.
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kenwrites
Forums Member
Joined: 4 Jul 2010
Posts: 95
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#10 · Posted: 25 Jan 2012 20:30
Geez what forum is this that bans people for legitimate business links???
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CJConsulting
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Joined: 5 Nov 2010
Posts: 39
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#11 · Posted: 25 Jan 2012 21:10 · Edited by: CJConsulting
I won't say the name of the forum publicly, but if you send me a PM, I will share. Personally, I like the forum a lot. It was the owner who had and has her own set of concerns. It's okay now. I do understand IM a bit better today than I did then.
If she owns the forum, she makes the rules. End of story...though I do wish she had had a teeny bit more courtesy and had taken time to understand that you can't just call a company "an illegal pyramid scheme" simply because its a different business model than yours.
Melaleuca's direct marketing is no more a pyramid than Nike's direct marketing is.
Christi Johnson
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sidmakid
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Joined: 6 Jun 2012
Posts: 3
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#12 · Posted: 8 Jun 2012 07:17
I stay clear of any sort of "network marketing" campaigns or whatever derivatives of it are around.
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