Captology Notebook: Subject: Top Web Behavior #5: Log in

« Top Web Behavior #6: Make it your homepage | Main | Readings on web credibility -- the best list ever compiled »

August 08, 2004

Subject: Top Web Behavior #5: Log in

The Behavior
Nearly every top site (save for Google) encourages users to log in to an account. For sites like Hotmail, this is a natural request, because users are accessing personal data (in this case, email). But many news and portal sites also encourage log-ins, in many cases preventing users who haven't logged in from accessing even free content.

What they gain (and you lose)
Most sites say that they want you to log in order to customize your experience, or to give you access to exclusive content. But the real point is to track you. Without log-ins, site owners can only monitor the volume of traffic to their site. But with log-ins, site owners can accurately track how people move through their sites, how much time they spend there how often they come back. This information is of extreme interest to them, and especially to their advertisers.

(Written by Adam Wright) Gallery
...

CNN.com