Tucson AZ Starnet Welcome Registration Required
December 8, 2007
Post Tags: Arizona-Daily-Star , Online-Registration-required , Tucson Real Estate
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WWW.AZSTARNET.COM not so Welcoming
The home page title is “Welcome to StarNet” we hope you don’t just want to read. This morning I found it wasn’t quite as inviting as it always has been. I don’t know exactly when this started but it must have been sometime in the past couple of days. Now you have to “Register” if you want to read the articles. “Registration” is supposedly so you can “Comment on the Articles” But we all know it is so they can SELL US STUFF and inconvenience those that just want to read an article.
Since I started this blog back on July 15th 2007 I’ve been providing links to articles I find on-line that pertain to Tucson Real Estate. You can find those links in the left hand navigation. They have always worked and taken readers of this blog to the article sited. But alas no longer. Now you have to “Register” and create an account.
I just love the way the Arizona Daily Star continues to shoot itself in the foot. I put these links to the article so it is easy to find out what is being printed in the local papers for those interested in Tucson. I don’t know if it has lead to anyone subscribing to the paper or not. But I know one thing. I have to really, really, REALLY, want some information before I’ll create an account and “Register” just to read an article. I simply leave the site, search for the information and find someplace that doesn’t want any of my personal information before I can read.
Why do they want you to register? So they can SELL YOU STUFF. From the FAQ
“1. Why does this site now require registration to access certain sections?
We use registration information to better understand who our readers are and the areas that are of interest to them online. This information also allows us to deliver ads based on reader demographics.3. What will you do with my registration information?
Your registration information will be used to tailor advertising to you based on your profile, your interests and needs. By offering you a more personal and relevant experience, we hope you will continue to find additional value on our site. Secondly, we want to meet the needs of our advertisers so that they will find our sites an effective and valuable advertising outlet. By gathering information about our customers, we give our advertisers a better understanding of who is viewing their messages. But your personal information is never shared.”
They state further down, “The information that you provide on the registration form is our primary means of tailoring content.” Isn’t that nice.
If you register you will have to provide a valid email address and confirm you registration. So no bogus emails just to be able to read an article.
They could have made it so people finding their article through searches could read the article. Meaning if they came in from a direct link to an article they could read it. If they navigate the site then require registration if you must. If someone comes directly to the home page, Okay, require registration to view the site. But direct links to articles should not have a registration required. I do run into these from time to time when doing searches on search engines, but when I encounter a “Register” I leave immediately. The Star is inviting potential subscribers to leave immediately.
Who knows maybe someday soon we will have to provide a valid email address along with our .50 cents when we go to buy a paper. Maybe there will be several versions of the paper and we will have a bar code ID that will only work on the paper box with the version with ads and content “just for us”.
Therefore, I apologize for the inconvenience to any of our readers. For the national syndicated articles I’ll try and find a link where you don’t have to register. To the Arizona Daily Star, thanks for the “Registration Required Welcome”
December 9th, 2007 at 10:24 am
These people always rationalize their need to send us junk mail, junk e-mail and junk phone calls at dinnertime as giving us an opportunity. An opportunity to make them money is more like it. If they posted a list of all their advertisers and asked us to pick which ones we wanted to be sent information on I’m willing to bet our selections list would be short or non existent. If they really wanted to meet our needs they would give us the option at the time of registration to opt out of their helpful informational ads. Why don’t they just say we want to sale your contact information and make some money for them selves?
December 9th, 2007 at 11:12 am
Who knows maybe someday soon we will have to provide a valid email address along with our .50 cents when we go to buy a paper. Maybe there will be several versions of the paper and we will have a bar code ID that will only work on the paper box with the version with ads and content “just for us”.
Or just maybe I’ll drop my paper subscription altogether as I’ve already considered.
This is soooo annoying!