Have you ever tried to sign up for a “free” webinar only to be bombarded with a five-page interrogation sheet that asks you for all kinds of information that you find yourself saying “I just wanted to watch a presentation”? Did you come across a report or whitepaper you wanted to look at only to end up spending two to three minutes taking an exam and then the “report” turns out to be a two-page sales sheet? How about that eBook you saw and thought would be a good read until you were made to fill out a police report on why you are trying to get educated?

This issue has bothered me for quite some time. It is the practice of vendors, publishers and everyone in between offering “free” software, whitepaper, Mp3s, “special” reports and useless one-page drivel that makes you want to do some harm to the producers of such garbage in exchange for your personal information. (more…)