Ordinance Survey up for sale?

[jus_young]

I wish online petitions/surveys didn't make personal contact details (i.e. email address) compulsory.
That's why I don't sign them, even if I care about the cause.
It undermines the sincerity because I know they want my contact details so they can direct market me. Why do they need my email address? Fair enough, make it optional. But when it's compulsory I decline to sign. I can just about see why they would want my postcode - as a check on demographics, perhaps. But to do that all they need is the first half of the postcode, not all of it (which they can then use to get your postal address).
I am sick and tired of being treated as a marketing opportunity. I value myself more than just an economic unit.
So I haven't signed, because I don't like/trust/respect the petition provider. Shame, because I do care about the cause.

Having signed a few petitions in the past, I now get in excess of 100 emails a week from these people asking me to continually 'support their cause'.

Not the way to get support really.

[happybonzo]

Having signed a few petitions in the past, I now get in excess of 100 emails a week from these people asking me to continually 'support their cause'.

Not the way to get support really.

Good point about email addresses: If they were taken so that you had to confirm that you were who you purported to be, I would understand it

[Woody]

I wish online petitions/surveys didn't make personal contact details (i.e. email address) compulsory.
That's why I don't sign them, even if I care about the cause.
It undermines the sincerity because I know they want my contact details so they can direct market me. Why do they need my email address? Fair enough, make it optional. But when it's compulsory I decline to sign. I can just about see why they would want my postcode - as a check on demographics, perhaps. But to do that all they need is the first half of the postcode, not all of it (which they can then use to get your postal address).
I am sick and tired of being treated as a marketing opportunity. I value myself more than just an economic unit.
So I haven't signed, because I don't like/trust/respect the petition provider. Shame, because I do care about the cause.

Just my 2p.... 38° is not like that.
I've long signed petitions with them and I don't get any spam...
Besides, you can always have a email account just for petitions and promotional stuff.
A spammy email as such....

[Humakt]

Unfortunately we are just marketing opportunities, we have been for years and years now!

Nope. Sorry. I'm not.
I agree that advertisers and marketing people want to treat us like that, but I refuse to accept it. You can let yourself be one if you want. But I won't.
It's really that simple - you make your own reality. And my reality is that I am not a marketing opportunity and I refuse to let them into my life if I can avoid it.
You are wrong.

Are those two blogs in your signature are your own?

Yes.

[Pootle]

It's not always easy to avoid being just a data source without denying yourself the ability to engage in such things. I have an email address just for this kind of thing so all spam goes there and I never need to check that account.

[rik_uk3]

Just get a free email account from yahoo et all and only use it when you don't want to share email addresses.

[jus_young]

I'm always getting emails from 38°

[jus_young]

But anyway, these do serve a purpose and do help to get results. Public voice can sometimes be difficult to get across and these petitions allow a nationwide opinion to be heard.

[Silkhi]

I will not sign any petitions online either.
I maybe take it far too personally but I simply cannot stand my details being shared, whether for profit or to see if I will support "related" causes. It's an abuse of your trust and good will - and I have little of either left I am afraid.

[CheddarMan]

Nope. Sorry. I'm not.
I agree that advertisers and marketing people want to treat us like that, but I refuse to accept it. You can let yourself be one if you want. But I won't.
It's really that simple - you make your own reality. And my reality is that I am not a marketing opportunity and I refuse to let them into my life if I can avoid it.
You are wrong.



Yes.

Sorry mate, you really are!

Unfortunately it is mostly Google, Apple and Facebook that make the reality in which we all live right now. You have a bank card, purchases will be logged by your bank. You shop online? When was the last time you actually the read the Terms and Conditions you ticked yes to? You are on this website, what is this sites policy on data collection and usage? You are on Wordpress twice, you have your personal email on both blogs, you even mention spam on the Thinking Knave. You have an ISP, what is their data privacy policy? You will probably have a car/mortgage/stereo on some finance deal, did you opt out of the marketing emails? You know "If you don't want us to send your details then tick this box by not unticking the grey box with a X not placed in the blue square'

Are you with the TPS, the IPS and did you put your email on the electoral role? In a shop, do you have a loyalty card? When you click on some websites have you noticed how many adverts for cameras and outdoor stuff pop up? Go to a friends house and the side bar adverts will be about other things, that's because every little thing you look at on the internet is logged as an interest and the clever algorithms will then focus the adverts you see more precisely on the sidebars. Even more wonderful is to go to a friends house, log on to Yahoo with your Yahoo account, and watch the adverts change from darts to cameras! It's awe inspiring really!

Your personal reality is you are not a marketing opportunity, but sadly no-one has yet told the big boys that!

Nice Kestrel blog though! I like the pictures and no waffle!