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August 16, 2005
What do Quail and Domain Name Registrars have in Common?
During a recent run, I came upon a covey of California quail. The male with his brilliant plumage and impressive crest feathers started strutting up the path cooing all the way.
I could not help but watch his performance even though I knew its purpose. The male quail was intentionally leading me astray while the female quietly herded the chicks into the tall grass, out of harms way.
The quail used a crude but effective form of persuasion called sidetracking. Sidetracking is a derivation of tunneling which is described in detail in BJ's book, Persuasive Technology.
Domain name registrars also employ sidetracking. Just like a quail, a demain name registar uses bright colors and bold statements to distract its users. They hope the user will miss the dull gray 'Proceed to cart' selection and purchase additional services.
Posted by Steve Wilhelm at August 16, 2005 02:56 PM