When you arrive, new friends share websites with you that they found helpful, and so you go online, check them out and subscribe.
You gather various websites as you go, some are helpful, some are not. Some email you regularly while others are more cyclical. You slowly start to weed out the ones you don't like, and look forward to others.
When you no longer need/rely on them, you may choose to UNSUBSCRIBE to help keep incoming mail under control or just ignore them. When you know you're about to leave and move onto next adventure you tend to click that unsubscribe option A LOT whittling down the information that's relevant for HERE because you're going to ramp up information for THERE.
Those of you in the EU will be well aware of the GENERAL DATE PROTECTION REGULATION (aka GDPR), is a regulation which the European Commission would like to strengthen and unify date protection for individuals within the EU, as well as personal date which may be exported (ie: shared) outside of the EU.
Interestingly, several friends are responsible for this within their organisations and OMG what a headache it's been. One friend says she is eating, sleeping, breathing GDPR and believes this is only the beginning in as much as it's created and will continue to create an increase in work, and is seriously considering hiring someone purely for the role of GDPR officer (or similar). Hubby is involved in GDPR for his project with work and again, OMG!
For people like you and me, it's more WHEN DID I SUBSCRIBE TO THAT and WHY???????
My inbox is pinging constantly with newly arrived emails from websites, retailers, online businesses, tourist attractions, hotel chains, airlines, schools, florists, charities and more who have somehow got my email and are asking me to PLEASE STAY CONNECTED. Heck, I don't recall subscribing to half of them!
I bought a gift for a friend in Sydney online (so much easier than buying in UK and posting especially when several parcels have recently gone missing) and suddenly, I am on their mailing list.
ONE enquiry to a travel agent years ago resulted in an email pleading with me to STAY CONNECTED (didn't use them initially, so there's nothing to stay connected for)
Do websites collect emails like some people collect Friends on Facebook? Regardless of the quality of the relationship, please stay.
The surprise for me is that I thought I was on top of this, that I clean up my emails often, and am diligent in unsubscribing but apparently I'm not.
With the May 25 deadline looming, everyone's inbox in the UK is filling up fast with all manner of websites asking you to please stay, you're important to us promising to treat your privacy with the utmost respect and care ....... to which I, and others (hot topic amongst friends these past few weeks) have said WOW, don't recall signing to this one DELETE, or haven't used you for ages DELETE, or the Facebook page offers me the information I need DELETE, or I shopped with you once, DELETE.
I am curious about the retention rates!
Will businesses loose many potential online customers simply because they need to reach out and ask us to OPT IN?
Has the recent hacking situations made us all a bit more wary of who has our information, and so if we don't perceive a full on need, we'll simply chose to OPT OUT til we changed our minds and find the company again?
Has the collective distrust of how our information is handled made us rethink how we use online opportunities?
Be very interesting .............. meanwhile, there's been several more PINGS while writing this chat so I best go check them out and DELETE DELETE DELETE
With friendship
x
PS: Whatever you do PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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