I am an online course designer -an excellent online course designer. I sell online Sexual Harassment Prevention training to corporations. I provide a demo course so people can see what they are getting. Sometimes I am contacted by a potential client and asked to view the entire course before purchasing.
So what do I say? No and lose a sale? Or yes and risk having my course ideas stolen by a competitor. These are risks that every designer deals with.
Case in Point
I received a phone call from a company who wanted to view the entire Harassment Prevention for Supervisors course. So of course I set it up and allowed them into the course. After a week, I contacted them to get their response. I was told that they were still reviewing it and discussing it with their President. So I wait, another contact results in the same information.
Several weeks down the road, I contact them again. Now I am told that the company decided to make their own course, and “thank you for your assistance.” I am willing to bet that my “assistance” ended up in their course.
Integrity seems to be in short supply in this world. And I am getting tired of being the recipient of under-handed companies.
It is a beautiful California morning in the suburbs, walking my two dogs around the neighborhood, when I run into an older gentleman with his older Labrador retriever. He tells me about his neighbor who rescued a dog from the pound (no — this is not an animal rights article!) and continues to wonder how people can do that to their animals. Then continues to wonder how we can do what we do to homeless people — that the government needs to build shelters or something for them.
