Captology Notebook: Top Web Behavior #1: Enter your email address

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September 08, 2004

Top Web Behavior #1: Enter your email address

The Behavior
This behavior is so common that it hardly needs description. Pretty much every website would love to collect your email address, and many are willing to go to the ends of the earth to induce you to give it up. And they'll be sure to send you a confirmation email, so don't try to enter bogus information.

What they gain (and you lose)
Personal data like your email address is extremely valuable. According to a quick check with a broker, 800 email addresses of doctors in Portland, OR will run about 45 cents each. And the same addresses can be sold over and over again. And this is all in addition to the extra revenue site owners hope to generate by bringing you back with emails about sales, special offers and new content.

But this is one behavior that most users are getting wise to, often inspecting privacy policies, creating throw-away email addresses or using services like Mailinator. It will be interesting to see how this behavior evolves, and whether it can keep its top spot as users become even more educated and cautious. (Written by Adam Wright)

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