On Jul 29, 2009, at 12:37 PM, Jon Karpoff wrote:
One ethical consideration I run into often is a client wanting the
marketing email option defaulted to "opt-in". Typically these
options are
buried at the bottom of the page, below the fold and buried in fine
print.
I always push for either "opt-out" as the default, or no default
value at
all.
Is this ethics?
In instances when I've tested sites with defaulted opt-in marketing
options, most users react by complaining that the company thinks they
are dumb enough to leave it checked. (Some users, for some brands, are
happy to have the choice.)
Those who accidentally leave it checked indicate they feel that the
organization doesn't really care about them. They show anger and
frustration.
In the end, defaulting to opt-in marketing reduces brand engagement
and diminishes the organization's reputation.
But is it unethical? What harm has been done, beyond the reputation of
the organization?
Jared
Jared M. Spool
User Interface Engineering
510 Turnpike St., Suite 102, North Andover, MA 01845
e: [email protected] p: +1 978 327 5561
http://uie.com Blog: http://uie.com/brainsparks Twitter: @jmspool
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