I’m a pretty digital guy. I’m reading most of my books online these days, either at the computer or on my Kindle, and most of the “periodicals” (if you want to call them that) that I read are online as well. I recently ordered a copy of 300 Baud Magazine and I get courtesy copies of Video Game Trader Magazine and the Digital Press Newsletter (because I write for them), but other than that, most of the information I used to get from magazines now comes from websites (and more specifically, RSS feeds).
About a year ago, I got an offer from Rewards Gold for two free magazine subscriptions. After skimming their list I found two magazines I wouldn’t mind reading: Wired (which I used to subscribe to, many years ago) and Entertainment Weekly. Of course for a magazine to get to your doorstep you have to give out your address (that’s what PO Boxes are for …) and I also had to give out my e-mail address (I gave them my “spam” address). I also slightly tweaked my name on the mailing list so that I would be able to see if they had sold my name or not. It’s an old trick my dad taught me — for years he was getting mail addressed to him with the middle initial “C”, which stood for “Catalog”.
It’s been a year now, and my e-mail junk folder fills up faster than ever. (In retrospect, I should have used a unique e-mail address to track that as well). I also get tons of physical junk mail, so much that my PO Box fills up a couple of times per week.
But you know what I never got? A single issue of either Wired Magazine or Entertainment Weekly. Not a single copy. I got plenty of spam and junk mail, but not a single magazine.
Wow. That’s quite a cautionary tale (although also an interesting experiment to carry)…
Atleast they didn’t ask for your credit card number. However that’s usually a tell-tale sign of malicious intent.
Thanks for the trick with the initial.
My dad would give out the name Joe Bob Nevin to anything he bought that required a name and address, and it’s amazing how that propigated.
I just give them rob ohara : )
That’s okay — for years I was getting junk mail addressed to “Jack Flack or Current Resident”.