Valve Technology

In searching the internet if a company asks that I fill out some form that's as far as i go. If the company really wanted my business then they can have the information at the point of a sale. Not just to look to see what they have to offer. In filling out their forms just a way for them to bombard your email box with unwanted sales literature.

Yes, I will fill out honestly. For the sales literature, sometimes, it will let you know what's happened in the other area and you can delete it anytime.

I fill them out with a fake name/email.

Thats why they created yahoo and hotmail accounts.

Those can be abandoned without guilt.

If the information is worthwhile, I can initiate a real relationship.

Too many marketers are email rapists instead of respectful communicators.

And so they get to talk to my Yahoo handmaid.

Surprise! She ain't me!

milo

It took me a second to recognize that movie still. Terrific book.

Good deal!

We had our kids read it as 'literature.'

HandmaidsTaleBook

HandmaidsTaleMovie

milo

If they just ask for name and email, then yes. I don't fill out long forms.

So do I...

I tried to renew my car insurance online...it was ludicrous...I had to 'register' and then answer a load of 'security' questions which they could use to check my identity incase I lost my totally unecessary password...
There were about 5 such questions including Mother's maiden name, town of birth, make of your first car etc...if I'd filled 'em in it would have bee a lovely profile for any identity fraudster to steal.
Needless to say I didn't fill 'em in...I put 'not given'. Of course 'not given' was rejected....

Why do they need security? I'm really worried that someone may pay my insurance for me! They only need security for changes of name address etc... bonkers
There was an option to converse online with an operator.
I'm sure you can imagine the scathing remarks I made.
In the end I did it over the phone, got a very pleasant person (yes a real live person!) who gave me the £10 'online' discount and said the online system was new and had teething troubles.

Del

Lets see, Blame the company shall we???

There were about 5 such questions including Mother's maiden name, "Binky the Cat."

town of birth, "Town? Alley is more like it."

make of your first car "Cats don't drive cars, they pee on car tires. And sleep on warm engines."

Say, What kind of cat are you any way? Trying to hoodwink the nice PEOPLE at the insurance company?

a lovely profile for any identity fraudster to steal.

"I'm A Cat that insures cars whose tires I pee on born in an alley to a mother named Binky???"

That will go well for the perp.

Yep, its a software issue.

milo

You knew Binky?
Del

I share the hate for long registration forms. I accept short forms with the necessary information to establish contact, which I will fill in accurately if certain requirements are met.

First of all I check if the web form data is transmitted securely. I also check how many of the fields are really required to get what I want (white paper, datasheet, etc.). Often initials will do and if you are required to use "your" full name and I am suspicious about the use of my contact details, I use another name or mistype my name out of curiosity to see where it pops up again. Often you need a valid e-mail address to retrieve a code or link to what you want. I have been fine with two webmail accounts for the last 10 years now. The spam filters seem to work fine. I never use anything else than web accounts for this activity. Sometimes the standard webmail accounts are blocked out and a company email address is required. One of my webmail accounts is less known (the german GMX.de) and I use it for these cases.

I don't mind giving some information. The people providing the information I'm looking for need to have a good idea who is looking at them. This gives them better information in how to serve / reach their target audience. They may find that there is more potential in an area that they're not currently addressing, or they're missing their target.

This having been said, if I feel that the information they are looking for is beyond reasonable, then I'm fully prepared to present them with an introduction to EC Farnbinck's Dibble Mfg Co., E-Mail address one of those Nigerian lottery / settlement scams that keep showing up in my spam folder.

It depends on several things, like my level of interest in valid engineering data, on a secure connection, with a supplier or media company I already connect with for email newsletters in which case I may be honest though perhaps leave lots of blanks where they do not need the info to provide their service.

To others - I may provide 'correct' contact information... but always only to the extent necessary for them to send me the info - a web email address.

Pretty much anything past that, and they may compile just about any random group of facts available at the moment, like "myemail@address.net" or "101 my street," "NYB" (None of Your Business), and when the info is not made available directly I 'may' back up and give them a valid webmail address.

I've even had questions about "ethnic ancestry" and "average household income." Who are they thinking will answer such questions at all, let alone accurately?

My favorite was one asking for my webmail account password, in order to access my contact list to "automatically refer your friends to this great new service!" get real.