Evil Self-Promotion.

Sure, go ahead and talk about yourself, kinda…well, not really.

We want you to join our site, our blog, our network. Then we want to promote shameless to you (‘cause you are letting us). But, you are NOT ALLOWED to do the same.

Ok. So, I am taking full advantage of Capitalism. I live in the United States where Mercedes, Coca Cola, Nike, Google, Sony, My Space, oh excuse me FaceBook,

WalMart, Target, Merven’s have no problem promoting themselves to me. Wait. They paid for that. Ohhhh. I see. So, they paid to advertise to me. So, since I am not ‘paying’ anyone to allow me to put my URL of my website on their site…I am not allowed?

Let’s go back a second. Remember business cards? Well, I think some still exist, but people used to shake your hand and hand you an UNSOLICITED information profile on a tiny little piece of cardboard. Their name, and website, email all neatly placed for anyone to see. They did not pay me to hold onto their card, put it in my desk, or shoe box with all the thousands of other cards I have. No, I kept it. Why? Out of sheer respect for the tenacity and the commerce of the American Dream (Does that exist anymore, or do we have to get permission for that too?)

I can appreciate someone’s hard work, their interest in promoting themselves. Now, let’s go to the internet. Blog after blog, website after website: self-promotion. From ‘Leave-me-alone-I-don’t-want-to-be-looked-at” self-promoters to “in-your-face-aren’t-I-lovely?” self promoters, to “I’m-very-special-and important-and-it-might-cost-you-to-read-my-page,” self promoters to everything else in between.

My peers call me the ‘Queen of Self-Promotion’. I actually like it. What this means to me is, “I am taking full advantage of my credentials as an American Citizen. I am a business Owner. My products are films. I own a mom and pop operation (Urban Family Entertainment). I will advertise on my storefront, I mean internet site (blog, social site, etc). I do not sell Viagra. I do not sell time shares, I do not sell a trip to Mexico (although those are legitimate businesses). I sell products you actually will unwrap, put into your DVD player and laugh & cry about. Yes, I am a filmmaker.

‘They’ call us ‘Indie filmmakers’, ‘Guerrilla filmmakers’, ‘Independent Filmmakers’.

I get solicited to ALL OF THE TIME. It is apart of commerce, and working for profit in America. We are not in Communist China (yet, anyway). I will continue to ‘self-promote’. I will continue to get people hating on me (equivalent to people walking by my business doors, my store front, and harassing, sending hate mail, and throwing eggs.) We have had our websites canceled. We have had blogs deleted. Why? Because we want you to come see our special screening of our film that could possibly move you….maybe even inspire you.

We will have none of that! Self-Promoters are BAD! Bad, I tell you. The most evil of the evil. Here’s the funny thing. Follow the life of one person, just one-in their day to day life. At some point they will try to enroll someone about something. ‘You should go to this restaurant, you should buy those shoes, here’s the number to that gym.’

Where is the line drawn? This story was spawned from an email I received from Newsvine.com today. I read their policies and honorable ways of conducting business. I agree with it. I signed up and posted articles that we have written (my husband Luis Moro), and or was written about us. Why? BECAUSE IT IS INTERESTING TO ME. That’s why Newsvine.com exists! The email was a soft reminder that I cannot ‘Self-Promote’. Why the heck not? Martin Luther King self promoted. Jesus Christ self-promoted. Mc Donald’s self-promoted (oh, that’s right they pay)(….excuse placement of names-no disrespect) All politicians, actors, and businesses self promote.

Here’s where I am going with this. If you are going to use e-commerce and we are going to continue to share ‘what we do’ with the world we have to disguise it. (Nothing new here). We will have to maybe look like someone else wrote it, and maybe hide behind a pseudonym. Then eventually through a bunch of clicks you get to the Self-Promoter. (Oh, wait that’s been done.) Here’s the alternative. NO SELF-PROMOTION. Celebrities, stop the interviews. Bloggers, stop talking about the best Pilate's club, and books available on Amazon. Oprah, just stop.

Everyone, stop. Because if we are going to speak, or we are going to hand out our e-business card….we better pay.

Welcome to Communism. But, before that happens: please visit my website:

www.MoroFilms.com