Recently, I went to a lecture by Kent Beck. Kent is famous in programming circles, mainly for creating XP or eXtreme Programming, a development methodology advocating some then-radical concepts, such as pair programming (2 developers, 1 keyboard) and test-first development - some more successful than others. Kent started the lecture by talking about ethics in programming. Programming is often seen by management as a black art of concepts ungraspable and knowledge unattainable, which programmers have exploited for years to offer vague deadlines and operate outside of business accountability. No more, says Kent - programmers need to understand their part in the organisation as a whole, and adopt a professional sense of ethics accordingly.

A strong sense of morality is one of the defining characteristics that creates individuality. It is important enough to separate the merely good from the great. It is closely linked to accountability and transparency, and in leadership is indispensable. It will have an influence on all action, from the grand strategy to the tactical manoeuvre. And yes, it's tricky. Generally, you can only be sure of the right path after you've chosen one.

So what of ethics in emarketing? The internet is infamously known as a wild west of dangerous business ideas and even more dangerous methods to achieve them.

Spam, and it's partner fraud, are still a constant problem.  The newness of the net means that greed has at many times been exposed, as gullible clients are milked by expensive advertising agencies or inexperienced search engine optimisers. This is a knowledge based industry, and the depth of knowledge available makes it easier to hide under a tall stack of website analysis graphs and tables. And, that depth of knowledge increases the ease of overbilling, as Ms Seifert can attest.

But all is not lost. Emarketing offers the most accountable, measurable and transparent form of advertising the world has ever seen. Statistics and figures of a level undreamed of are now available with ease - and this is an increasing trend. Where will it end - with marketing becoming mathematics applied? (Another post there :) It is the responsibility of the emarketer to provide their clients with the most detailed reporting possible, and explain its meaning. It is the responsibility of the client in turn to evaluate performance based on those reports. Easy to say, but much more difficult to do well, and that is the grey area where ethics plays a strong hand.

So I find myself agreeing with Kent, in this respect at least. Just as programmers must identify with a sense of professionalism in their craft, so must marketers be transparent and accountable to their clients, and face the scrutiny that an ever increasing flow of information will produce.