moentizing people who are opting out

J

justinh

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Jun 30, 2009
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I have a site which lists information about people - for the sake of this thread, lets say i list their name and property values. Generally, people would like to opt out of this list. However, the more people that opt out, the less valuable the site becomes for people who want to browse their neighbors property value.

There is definitely a strong want from people in the database to have themselves removed (I get email requests for removal daily). How can I monetize this? I considered a $5 admin fee to remove them, but think I might get more opt outs if I make it a free service, except that I require them to fill out a survey, or sign up for a mailing list, or submit a resume on monster - or something like that.

My database has approximately 300,000 people now, but it may easily grow to 1,000,000+ in the next several months.

I would like to make no less than $1 per person opting out - but really would prefer to keep people from having to pay cash. Any suggestions for what has worked for you guys in the past?
 


If the information you list can be found publicly online, then I would charge for a person to "opt-out". I would even say that $5 is too cheap, I would go with like $30 to permanently make the page "private".
 
mGrunin said:
If the information you list can be found publicly online, then I would charge for a person to "opt-out". I would even say that $5 is too cheap, I would go with like $30 to permanently make the page "private".
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Exactly.

"To make sure you're property values stay out of our database a small, one-time investment of $29.95 is required.

This will ensure:

  • Benefit of not having your propety value listed 1
  • Benefit of not having your propety value listed 2
  • Benefit of not having your propety value listed 3

Once payment has been made within 24hrs your listing will be gone."
 
dabreadman said:
Is the information publicly viewable without any type of registration to see it?
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It is. Any user can search and view the information without registering at all. I feel like the "opt out" would be borderline extortion and I'm looking for an example of other sites where you have to pay to have your personal information removed.
 
justinh said:
It is. Any user can search and view the information without registering at all. I feel like the "opt out" would be borderline extortion and I'm looking for an example of other sites where you have to pay to have your personal information removed.
Click to expand...

You are right about that. They will see charging for "opt-out" as extortion and at some point you will be sued. Have you seen similar lawsuits around Yelp?

Class Action Lawyers Declare Victory Over Yelp, Still Want Damages
Yelp Hit With Second Extortion Lawsuit, CEO Calls It Meritless
Yelp Hit With Class Action Lawsuit For Running An “Extortion Scheme”
Complaints Against Yelp’s “Extortion” Practices Grow Louder
More Plaintiffs Allege Extortion in Yelp Lawsuit | Fast Company

I would not charge for "opt-out". I would say that the information is public and cannot be removed. BUT, if they sign up for premium account they will have greater control over displaying it, which would allow them to hide whatever information they want to hide or present differently... Still there is some risk though.
 
DKPMO said:
I would not charge for "opt-out". I would say that the information is public and cannot be removed. BUT, if they sign up for premium account they will have greater control over displaying it, which would allow them to hide whatever information they want to hide or present differently... Still there is some risk though.
Click to expand...

Kinda like imdb pro in a way eh :p
 
DKPMO said:
You are right about that. They will see charging for "opt-out" as extortion and at some point you will be sued. Have you seen similar lawsuits around Yelp?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I wouldn't fuck with that at all. Have them opt-in to a mailing list saying something like "enter your name and e-mail address to confirm your identity and remove your information from this site." There's plenty of ways to bank on a privacy obsessed demographic from there.
 
DKPMO said:
You are right about that. They will see charging for "opt-out" as extortion and at some point you will be sued. Have you seen similar lawsuits around Yelp?

Class Action Lawyers Declare Victory Over Yelp, Still Want Damages
Yelp Hit With Second Extortion Lawsuit, CEO Calls It Meritless
Yelp Hit With Class Action Lawsuit For Running An “Extortion Scheme”
Complaints Against Yelp’s “Extortion” Practices Grow Louder
More Plaintiffs Allege Extortion in Yelp Lawsuit | Fast Company

I would not charge for "opt-out". I would say that the information is public and cannot be removed. BUT, if they sign up for premium account they will have greater control over displaying it, which would allow them to hide whatever information they want to hide or present differently... Still there is some risk though.
Click to expand...

Hadn't heard about Yelp, thanks for those. Now the search for alternative revenue sources goes back to the drawing board.
 
DKPMO said:
I would not charge for "opt-out". I would say that the information is public and cannot be removed. BUT, if they sign up for premium account they will have greater control over displaying it, which would allow them to hide whatever information they want to hide or present differently... Still there is some risk though.
Click to expand...

I think that's good advice. There are some sites, I think sites like yellow pages directories and the like, that basically say, "Is this you/your listing/your business? Sign up to edit/take control of it now!" Even google says something similiar in their business listings if I remember correctly.

Big difference is that these kinds of sites don't charge for an account. They probably know better. That and their premium services are for enhanced inclusion/promotion, not removal.

Safest bet is probably monetizing the traffic with related offers if you're not already doing so. $.02
 
tjdaz said:
Yeah, I wouldn't fuck with that at all. Have them opt-in to a mailing list saying something like "enter your name and e-mail address to confirm your identity and remove your information from this site." There's plenty of ways to bank on a privacy obsessed demographic from there.
Click to expand...

That's a great idea.
 
Consult with a GOOD lawyer first (yes PAY him) and establish what you can safely do from a legal standpoint. Forcing people to jump thru hoops (monetary or otherwise) to have their info removed may land you in VERY expensive legal down the line. Litigation doesn't come cheap.
 
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