Giving up information

We do live in an information-based society. Most, or maybe just some, of us, are very careful about what we share online. But it’s funny how we react to things.

A dear friend and I went to a financial seminar the other night. The topic was, “Managing your Retirment,” which is something we all need to think about, no matter how old we are.

The two financial planners who gave the talk were very nice and very knowledgeable. There was no hard sell. However, at the beginning of the session they handed out a sign-up sheet, asking for our name, email, address and phone number. As I was filling out the form, I started thinking about it. I understand if they need my name, maybe these seminars are part of their job requirements. But, there is absolutely no reason they need my email, address or phone number. The only reason they need this is to contact me at a later date. No thank you.

At the end of the seminar, they handed out an evaluation form. Again, they asked for name and email. Nope, not going to happen.

I know this happens a lot when registering for conferences too. Email I get, they need to confirm my registration. Many times, phone number and address are mandatory. Okay, so now I can
beat them at their own game. I always put in a fake phone number and address.

What do you do when asked for information that you don’t want to give?

Data image is from brilliant Matt Taylor “data” illustrations. Under Creative Commons licensing.