Tom Jeffries <tjeffries_at_singingelectrons.com> wrote:
>We get a lot of false email addresses. We're considering two changes to
>our policies- I'd like feedback on both.
>
>1. We can require a valid email address, with varying levels of
>certification of validity up to and including a requirement that people
>respond to an email sent to them before they can use the program. Right
>now our requirements are very low- the syntax has to be right. We get
>quite a few asdf_at_asdf.com.
>
>2. We can reduce the length of the free trial. Some of our competitors
>offer 15 day trials instead of 30, or limit the features.
Why require an email address? I download a lot of software and very rarely
will supply my email address to the creator when a form is required before
download (I, though, am more prone to use wer_at_wer.net).
Idea #1 would definitely work -- you would get a correct email address 100%
of the time someone downloads. But is it worth the hassle? Would you
rather people try your software, or provide you with an email address --
especially since people supplying fake addresses most likely would opt-out
of receiving your newsletter?
Idea #2 doesn't seem to make sense to me -- I don't see how it relates to
collecting email addresses. You could, I suppose, email some type of
license file without which the program won't load.
As a middle ground, you could also simply look up if a mailserver exists at
the domain they specify. It might slow things down, but it would probably
block a bit of the invalid addresses.
--
Jim Reardon <jim_at_amusive.com>
sites you laugh with, not at... http://amusive.com/
Received on Thu May 30 2002 - 10:19:18 CDT
