It's not nice to harvest visitor email addresses

... especially if you're a paid service, like Angie's List.

Not knowing how Angie's List worked, I visited its site and poked around a bit. Its most valuable content is reserved for members, so I started the process to join. The process requires navigating multiple Web pages. I bailed out when I saw that members had to pay subscriptions. I have no objections to subscription services: I just wasn't that serious about my search.

"Bailing out" consisted of deleting the page from my browser, since I didn't see a "Cancel" button or link. (I've since verified that no such button or link is present.) At the time I quit out of the signup process I already had had to provide an email address. I assumed that partial signups would not commit information to the organization's databases. How trusting of me, and how foolish. I got email from Angie's List less than twenty-four hours later.

It's unethical to harvest email addresses from potential members. Period. If I haven't signed on the dotted line, you shouldn't get to bother me. I don't care how easy it is to unsubscribe (and it is quite easy in the case of Angie's List), it's unethical to harvest the contact information of people who aren't formally members.

"But you get unsolicited email all the time!" Yes, and it sucks! Aping the unsavory behavior of others doesn't make you a good person, or a good organization. (By the way, the signup process makes it terribly easy to sign some poor shnook up for unsolicited email from Angie's List. Consider that another little bonus of this scheme.)

I see no need for the Angie's List subscription process to require multiple pages except to facilitate exactly the kind of information harvesting I saw.

Angie's List, what exactly in your business model requires such unethical behavior?

There is also a grey area as regards Angie's List's privacy policy.

By entering Personal Information on the Site, you consent to our use of the Personal Information for purposes related to the Site and the services offered and/or provided on or in connection with the Site. Without limiting the foregoing, by giving us Personal Information you are giving us and third parties engaged by us permission to contact you and/or send you promotional and/or other marketing information about services and offerings.

You might notice that nowhere does it say that "you" must be a member for Angie's List to use your personal information.

Again, Angie's List, what exactly in your business model requires such unethical behavior?

Here's how an organization with a real orientation toward consumers handles its online subscription process. Consumer Reports has a prominent "Subscribe" link (more than one, actually) on its home page. If you click it, the first page explains the types of subscriptions available and has a link to a user agreement that explains the potential subscriber's rights and responsibilities. One of the first items in that user agreement is a discussion of CR's privacy policy, with a link to a much fuller discussion thereof.

All this happens before CR gets around to asking for any personal information.

Angie's List, you need to be more like Consumer Reports in how you manage the membership process. You also need to be less greedy about acquiring and using personal information.

You claim the right to rate others. Act like it. Stop harvesting personal information from nonmembers.