[I actually wrote this post earlier today and published it. Then I thought better of my initial impulse and unpublished it. Inquiries about the "missing post" prompted me to publish it again but this time I've anonymized it a bit.]

Today I experienced yet another example of Web -2.0 in action. I heard via the [insert a well known integrated library system here] discussion list that a recording of a webinar on the upcoming release was freely available to view. I thought to myself, Ok, I doubt this’ll wow me but hey, since it’s a webinar and freely available, why not take a look? I clicked on the link provided in the email. Big mistake.

First of all, the company who owns and markets [insert a well known integrated library system here], requires anyone who wishes to view this “freely available” webinar to register. Required fields include phone number, email address, and so forth. I don’t know about you but any time I am required to submit this kind of information, my scalp prickles and I think to myself, “Oh yay, now I get on the radar from a sales or marketing person to give me a call.” That’s the last thing I need or want. I just want to watch the dang webinar, ok?! Keep in mind that the announcement about this “freely available” webinar was distributed to a customer-only, closed discussion list. Said ILS vendor already has all of my contact information. Why should they bother me by asking for it again?

Second of all, after I took the plunge and registered, what do I get? An automated message from a marketing/sales person saying basically, “Thanks for registering and we’ll let you know if you can actually view this ‘freely available’ webinar after we review your registration information carefully to see if you are actually worthy of it.” Insert teeth gnashing here.

I strongly regret my action. I don’t need to see this; I was mildly interested, that’s all. I don’t need or care for a vetting process from a company’s product/sales/marketing yahoos. ILS vendor, you have shown in a very blatant way how little you “get it.” Do not EVER make it difficult for a good customer to access and use whatever information he or she needs or wants. Simply provide it with no questions asked. There are many far less obvious ways of doing your job and understanding or tracking customer interest than the way you’ve chosen.

P.S. I received a response from this company when I emailed a much more polite version of the above to the discussion list mentioned above. The marketing person pointed out concerns about sensitive information leaking to competitors and noted that since my email address ends with a .com my registration was scrutinized more carefully as a result. This person also mentioned that registration was deemed necessary because contact information can change over time.

Here is my reply, fwiw: “Thank you for your response. I can understand the underlying methods and reasoning used with this approach, but I do not think they are customer friendly. And that was really my point in raising the issue. I understand the competitive concerns; as you pointed out, I work for a .com also. But really, there are other ways to cover your bases in that regard than what has been chosen. In this Web 2.0 era, customers are used to a much more open and readily available flow of information. Even though corporations try their best to suppress or control information about them or their products, the truth is, they never will succeed in this day and age. And I personally feel that they shouldn’t even really make that attempt. Times have changed and the negative perceptions engendered by a marketing approach like yours may prove far more costly to you than whatever competitive advantage you might stand to lose by being more open in the way you share information.”