We are always looking for better ways to qualify leads, but can we cross the line wanting to know to much?
iLeads came up with RealTag, which helps qualify mortgage leads a month ago and now Rapleaf presents an opportunity for companies to explore your foot print online. At one point I used Rapleaf, when it was free, to learn more about the people who would email me or comment on this blog. With a persons email address you were able to see all the social network, forum and commerce sites the email address was attached to. A few months ago they decided to make it a paid service and are now offering it to companies to further qualify leads.
Businesses now may have direct access to my Facebook profile, Amazon wish list and news groups, of course depending on my privacy settings. I can understand adding supplemental data about my mortgage, driving record or possibly my health, but I’m not so sure I want a Geico rep viewing my family photos on Facebook. Maybe I am fooling myself a bit here, because smart companies already know what I do online and what ads I click on. I am ok with the anonymous tracking that most behavioral targeting consist of and its also possible that Rapleaf has changed the amount of information that is being provided to the company.
Does filling out an online form justify visibility into the consumers online life? Is there a line that companies shouldn’t cross?
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If I was asked this question by somebody off of the street, I would tell them that if it’s publicly available, then expect it to be used and structure your profiles and online presence accordingly…..
Much of this info, if not all, is available via google… so if, for example, you haven’t set your facebook profile to be private and somebody finds it via your email address then there you go… only you can control that as the account holder at prospect…… ultimately the consumer maintains control through most online profile and similar based services and they can choose to not participate in communities or the like that cannot or will not protect data they deem private….
That being said, most consumers are probably not as up to speed as they should be regarding their online presence and the access this gives others…. but ultimately they are still responsible…
The Geico example is a good one, because insurance companies are a prime example of the type of company that will / are utilizing the wealth of data on their clients or prospected clients online…. in fact, I’ve already read about claims being denied or reversed after the “injured” have been spotted on facebook with the latest pictures from their Festivus “Feats of Strength” or other similar physical activities that wouldn’t be possible if said condition was real….
I also just read about a company that was hiring nannies… and sure enough they looked up the prospected hires’ profiles to find things like Interests: “binge drinking on the weekend” or “smoking chronic with my new glass bong” … etc.
There is a whole generation of future dentists, doctors and attorneys that will be fighting to keep data and pics they posted starting from Elementary school to their online profiles…
REMEMBER: The web never forgets and it’s out to get you.
Yeah, your right Trace, but with Google you at least need to do a little digging and an email search via Google will not produce profiles and groups you may be a member of, unless you have the email listed in the profile itself.
Again, though, its all out there.