Granted -- a lot of what you find does appear to be free and just to be nice and help others. Heck, you can get a free website -- a free autoresponder with follow up capabilities -- free graphics -- free internet access -- free list serves. Anything a web developer is marketing, someone else is giving away for FREE!!!

But is there a hidden agenda in that free offer? In that free article?

Let's look. At the end of each of these articles you find a short resource paragraph. WHY, if the person is just giving freely of his information? Gosh, maybe his hidden agenda is that you will like what he wrote about and you will visit his website and maybe buy something he has for sale?

Free autobots? Sure, as long as you let the owner of the service put adverising on all the messages sent out. I have seen some of these freebies with more advertising than the message inside. And worse is when the owner of a free autobot system collects the email addresses of those getting the freebies, and puts those names on what he calls an Opt-In list, and then you find yourself on a "spam-free" list, getting hit with spam day after day because you accepted that free autobot. And who knows, that same owner could be collecting the email address of every person who requests info from your free autobot, and sell their names to advertisers, too.

Free access to the Net? Yep -- juno.com has been providing that for ages. You just need to accept an ad on your screen, and you can use the free service.

Free websites? You bet. And you can be sure whoever is offering that free site has a hidden agenda -- they hope you will buy something they are offering.

Free ezines? Just like this one? Sure it's free, and offering lots of good tips to help you market your business online, and hopefully to help you pick the right business or MLM. Is there a hidden agenda behind this free ezine? You bet -- only not really hidden. We do have a desire to help others -- but we would be nuts not to hope that a percent of those reading our information will be interested in us and our businesses, and some may even decide to join our team.

Is this wrong? HECK NO!!! This is Marketing 101 -- get your name in front of people, and let them know what you offer, and someday they may decide to buy from you. Name recognition, plus being in the right place at the right time. Someone may decide to look for another company, and just happen to remember your article, or your free offer, and end up going with you because of that.

Besides, by giving away your knowledge and experiences, you will often get back more than you have given.

So when you find all these free offers around the Net -- remember that someone is behind each of them. And if you take them up on the freebie, know that although they generously share with you, they would appreciate it if you at least look at what they offer. A hidden agenda -- but one which works.