[IxDA Discuss] Forced Registration and Dummy Information

[Niklas Wolkert]

I don't know of any statistics or other data, sorry. But the fact that
there is a site and an associated firefox plug in called Bugmenot with
pre-registered dummy details for signing in to a big number of sites,
I believe points to the fact that it is quite common.

And even if this solution probably is for the more advanced users I'm
pretty sure the less advanced ones would like to have something
similar.

http://www.bugmenot.com/
http://roachfiend.com/archives/2005/02/07/bugmenot/

--Niklas

On 5/4/07, Jim Drew <cfmdesigns at earthlink.net> wrote:
> >From: Kevin Silver <kevin at clearwired.com>
> >
> >Does anyone know if there are any studies/numbers/articles out there
> >(or based upon your experience) that show how many people use dummy
> >information if they're forced to register for a site?
> >
> >For example, I just completed a competitive analysis for home
> >builders' sites and many of them require you to register before you
> >look at home plans.  In most cases I just entered dummy information,
> >as I usually do when faced with situations like this, and then went
> >about my business.  Do other people typically do the same? Has there
> >been any studies/numbers/article?
>
> There are several sets of users and user intentions to look at here:
>
> * I'll enter valid stuff because I'm supposed to enter valid stuff.
>
> * I use one e-mail address for all the sites I register at..
>
> * I know I'll never visit this site again and I don't want any spam from them or those they sell to, so I'll enter utter junk.
>
> * I doubt I'll want anything from this site, so I'll direct their e-mails to a "junk" account I already have set up for this.  (And I discard that account once a year, too.)
>
>
> Most of the users in the world probably fall into the first set.  It takes a certain level of awareness to even realize that you can enter info other than your real stuff; most user have only the one address, even if their service provides for several.  It takes even more to go to the next stages.
>
> Pick your favorite large percentage (80%, say), and tag that on each level.  80% use only real info.  16% (80% of what's left) use a different address for general and contact purposes.  3% use utter junk.  1% use a dedicated junk address and swap it out periodically.  (Those numbers are just pulled from my ass, of course.)
>
> The more sophisticated your surveyed users are, the lower that percentage will be.  For the broadest set of generic users -- and I don't know that I would expect any great level of such for home builder site users -- I would expect it to be pretty high.
>
>  -- Jim
>
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