The End of Site Registrations?

Years ago, I sat through a presentation from a web development firm in which they laid out their approach to web content and design. This was in the mid-90s - you know, the wild old days. One of the element they talked about was "infobarter." "In exchange for useful information, site visitors will tell you about themselves!" the web firm's salesperson gushed.

Maybe then but not anymore. Web publishers - mainly the web site of newspapers, but lots of others too - have been steadily increasing the registration hurdles that visitors must jump to see content. Visitors, not surprisingly are finding ways around the whole process.

That's the topic of this E-Commerce News article. While they talk specifically about password sharing, there's also the more mundane approach of just lying on the registration page.

There's a lesson here. Site visitors will find a way to get information that works for them, not for you. There is always some way around whatever processes you set up to collect information. The E-Commerce News article refers to new technology that will deduce who visitors are and what their preferences are without requiring them to enter information; that's likely to provide far more accurate information than the current "nag the consumer" approach.