What is your name and email address worth?

What are your name and email address worth? Would you give up that information for a free chocolate bar?

Apparently Mars, Inc., the company that makes M&Ms, Snickers bars, Twix bars, 3 Musketeers and Dove bars (what happened to Mars bars? or are they only in Canada??) believes that you will. They are offering a coupon for a free chocolate bar or a package of M&Ms to those willing to give up their name, address, and correct email address. You register starting here (it didn't work for me in Firefox, but it worked in Internet Explorer) by giving your birthdate, then you're taken to a screen where you are given five minutes to fill out and submit your full name, address, and email address. If you're one of the first 250,000 per week to fill out the form (and, I suspect, respond to an email sent to your email address), Mars will send you a coupon in the mail in 6 weeks. If you aren't in the first 250,000, then I guess they get to keep your information for free, although in that case they may not know whether you have given them a bogus email address.

I'm not so interested in free chocolate that I'm willing to give up my personal information, but it does give one pause. Just think, if this company will give me about $1 worth of free product for parting with my personal information, and if there are a couple hundred thousand companies out there that feel the same way, could I possibly get them to give me cash instead? Think of it -- I could pay off my mortgage!

Don't underestimate the value of your good name (and email address)!

To your prosperity.

Keith O. Hudson