I agree that this practice is somewhat of a scam.  The white paper is
free of monetary cost, but the price we pay to get it is that we then
get placed on a mailing or calling list to be followed up by a vendor
wanting to sell us a product. In most cases, the reason I want to see a
white paper is to do background research on a topic or product area that
I'm considering but not yet ready to commit to.  If I was already
committed to purchasing something, I think I'd be past the white paper
stage by then!  So, knowing that a vendor is going to call me to follow
up on my white paper request is a bit of a hassle, especially given the
fact that when I tell them I'm not ready to purchase, they'll want to
know when I will be ready and can they continue to call me periodically.
I agree that white paper registration forms should collect names and
email addresses only, and then there should be an "opt out from
receiving contact calls and further information" button included for
those that don't want to be contacted at all.

--Lee  

Lee R. Nemchek, MLS, CRM
Vice President, Records Management 
Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.
333 South Grand Avenue, 28th Floor
Los Angeles, CA  90071 

p +1 213 830-6252   f +1 213 830-8504
[log in to unmask]
www.oaktreecapital.com 


-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of John Annunziello
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 10:39 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Supposedly free white papers

Can I make a recommendation that if you do want to know who is viewing 
your information, then ask for my e-mail address, but nothing else.  If
I 
want to contact you, I can.  Likewise, you can do the same.

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