As I've mentioned in some recent blog posts, we're fully aware that our pro-am hybrid of coverage opens up some uncharted territory. One of the things that keeps me going on the tough days is the fun we have tackling these knotty issues.

I hit one yesterday, as I discovered that someone had created a BugMeNot user account for TexasGigs.  For those unfamiliar, BugMeNot allows you to log in on a website without going through the registration process. You can get a common username and password by checking the BugMeNot site or by downloading a plugin to use the right-click menu on your browser.

I know so much about BugMeNot because I'm a regular user of the service. There's nothing more annoying than being sent a link to a story on some site that you're unlikely to ever frequent and be forced to register just to read it. Frankly, we don't ever believe in forcing registration unless it somehow directly benefits the user -- And "we need your demographics to sell to advertisers" doesn't meet the test.

So, in theory, I should be all about a BugMeNot account on our site. Or should I? There are only two reasons right now for you to have to register for our site: posting comments and creating personalized playlists. (I'm continually amazed that we have more than 1,500 registered users when only a small fraction of those have posted comments or created playlists.) There are even features for which you might expect registration, like reminders of shows or search agents, where we allow users to enter a one-off email address that we don't retain beyond the one-time use.

So, when I see a BugMeNot "user," the only practical use I see is in obscuring the source of a comment on the site. Playlist creation in that context seems a waste too. So, I zapped the account.

When we launch Pegasus News later this year, and offer users behavioral content customization, it seems to me that a BugMeNot account is even less useful, as one user's inconsistant behavior would muck up the results for the original BugMeNot user.

Still, I'll confess feeling a little weird about my stance on this, given my behavior on other sites. I felt better, though, when I went to the BugMeNot page to create this post and noticed their tagline (empahsis mine):

"Bypass Compulsory Registration"

Our registration is by no means compulsory. And it serves only to make site features work better for the registrant. So, until someone comes up with a compelling argument otherwise, we'll kill any BugMeNot accounts on our sites.

Comments

Mike Orren Staff

Prolly just one. It wasn't live for more than twelve hours.

2 years, 4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )