Just begging for it.
Been mulling on this one for a while now. To blog or not to blog...?
You see - this is a story that involves the Forrester Research organization. It's a story that doesn't reflect particularly well on at least one individual at Forrester.
What's got me tied in knots over this is that I really like Forrester - they have some of the most interesting, smartest analysts in the business. But this one incident just begs to be blogged. I've noodled long enough, sought counsel from a few friends, and decided I really do have a clear moral obligation to blog the full saga.
Here's the setup - I hopped onto the Forrester site a week or so ago to hunt up an opinion or two. I used to have a guest login ID, but it's been so long since I visited the site I couldn't remember it - so I re-registered. Ten minutes into browsing, an email pops up from this doofus salesguy.
I replied - probably my first mistake - in fairly good humoured "I ain't reaming you out, but..." fashion.
Here's the full dialogue (contact name changed to protect the terminally clueless)...
> -----Original Message-----
>From: Aloysius B. Clozing [mailto:abklozing@forrester.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 1:15 PM
>Subject: Forrester Follow-up
>
>Good afternoon Michael,
>
>Please let me know if I can answer any questions from your recent visit
>to the Forrester site.
>
>Regards,
>
>abc
>Account Executive
This one was immediately followed by:
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Aloysius B. Clozing [mailto:abklozing@forrester.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 1:15 PM
>Subject: Check out Forrester's Managing In The Recovery: Using Technology To Recapture Momentum
>
>I thought you might be interested in this Forrester Event.
>Al
>
>Managing In The Recovery: Using Technology To Recapture Momentum
>November 6-8, 2002 Boston, Mass.
>http://www.forrester.com/Events/Overview/0,5158,471,00.html
So I'm thinking - "Great! You flying me to Boston then, mate?"
But what I said was:
>To: Aloysius B. Clozing
>Subject: RE: Forrester Follow-up
>I think I have everything I need, thanks Al. I'm tempted to ask one
>question though...
>
>At the bottom of the registration form, it asks: "Would you like a
>Forrester Account Manager to contact you to discuss how
>Forrester can help you make smart decisions and stay competitive?"
>
>Pretty sure I checked off the "No" box on this - and yet here you
>are...
>
>But then, I guess you guys must be about as hungry for new business as
>we are right now, so I'm not too surprised.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Michael
Characteristically Euro-polite but with a twist of a smile, no? I'm thinking - if he responds at all, he's going to be all guilty-wilty "oops! you caught me" contrite and maybe even apologetic, right?
Wrong.
Pinhead sonofabitch wants to dance:
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Aloysius B. Clozing [mailto:abklozing@forrester.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 1:40 PM
>Subject: RE: Forrester Follow-up
>
>You did check the "No" box, but I am a sales rep!
>
>Let me know if I can be a resource or when the timing may be more
>appropriate to revisit discussions.
>
>Regards,
>
>abc
Harrumph. An important point is clearly being missed here. Mild, but nonetheless clear invasion of privacy.
Time to drop the first glove...
>To: Aloysius B. Clozing
>Subject: RE: Forrester Follow-up
>
>So, basically you're telling me that anyone registering at the site is
>going to get bugged, regardless of how they answer that question.
>
>When Joel Blenner quit, did he take the last clue with him?
>
>/m
Blenner, btw, was Forrester's VP of Sales up until he retired in April.
Met him once, back when I was a corporate HOD - the guy who owned the marketing budget that got dished out to these geezers.
I thought Blenner had class - a decent guy, smart, and a straight-shooter. He was certainly a cut above the level of huckster I'm tangoing with here:
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Aloysius B. Clozing [mailto:abklozing@forrester.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 2:11 PM
>Subject: RE: Forrester Follow-up
>
>Michael,
>
>Not sure what you mean by the Joel comment, however, Joel actually
>retired and still actively consults for us.
>
>As for the registration process, my follow up to you was a simple
>courtesy contact.
>
>Regards,
>
>abc
>Account Executive
"Courtesy contact"?! Where's the courtesy in explicity ignoring my wishes? If I say: "No, please don't spam me" and you do anyway, I'm supposed to think that's a frigging courtesy?
No means no, dickwit.
From Forrester's own website: "Consumer privacy apprehensions continue to plague the Web -- 60% of online consumers seriously worry about what will happen to the personal information they divulge online. The problem for e-tailers is that these fears will hold back roughly $15 billion in eCommerce revenue in 2001."
No shit, Sherlock.
Btw, the full copy of the research brief from which I pulled this quote costs $95 to order online, through Forrester's own e-tail portal. No thanks, mate - you've already demonstrated how much Forrester knows about customer privacy issues and, unless I miss my guess, that's roughly equivalent to the square root of jack shit about bugger all.
Or am I just being twisty?
So I've been sitting here, toying with my WWRBD (What Would RageBoy Do?) ring, trying to decide whether to flame this hoser, flame his boss, ignore it, blog it, or give up and slide back under my rock...
What-evah.
Blog erat demonstrandum.
Been mulling on this one for a while now. To blog or not to blog...?
You see - this is a story that involves the Forrester Research organization. It's a story that doesn't reflect particularly well on at least one individual at Forrester.
What's got me tied in knots over this is that I really like Forrester - they have some of the most interesting, smartest analysts in the business. But this one incident just begs to be blogged. I've noodled long enough, sought counsel from a few friends, and decided I really do have a clear moral obligation to blog the full saga.
Here's the setup - I hopped onto the Forrester site a week or so ago to hunt up an opinion or two. I used to have a guest login ID, but it's been so long since I visited the site I couldn't remember it - so I re-registered. Ten minutes into browsing, an email pops up from this doofus salesguy.
I replied - probably my first mistake - in fairly good humoured "I ain't reaming you out, but..." fashion.
Here's the full dialogue (contact name changed to protect the terminally clueless)...
> -----Original Message-----
>From: Aloysius B. Clozing [mailto:abklozing@forrester.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 1:15 PM
>Subject: Forrester Follow-up
>
>Good afternoon Michael,
>
>Please let me know if I can answer any questions from your recent visit
>to the Forrester site.
>
>Regards,
>
>abc
>Account Executive
This one was immediately followed by:
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Aloysius B. Clozing [mailto:abklozing@forrester.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 1:15 PM
>Subject: Check out Forrester's Managing In The Recovery: Using Technology To Recapture Momentum
>
>I thought you might be interested in this Forrester Event.
>Al
>
>Managing In The Recovery: Using Technology To Recapture Momentum
>November 6-8, 2002 Boston, Mass.
>http://www.forrester.com/Events/Overview/0,5158,471,00.html
So I'm thinking - "Great! You flying me to Boston then, mate?"
But what I said was:
>To: Aloysius B. Clozing
>Subject: RE: Forrester Follow-up
>I think I have everything I need, thanks Al. I'm tempted to ask one
>question though...
>
>At the bottom of the registration form, it asks: "Would you like a
>Forrester Account Manager to contact you to discuss how
>Forrester can help you make smart decisions and stay competitive?"
>
>Pretty sure I checked off the "No" box on this - and yet here you
>are...
>
>But then, I guess you guys must be about as hungry for new business as
>we are right now, so I'm not too surprised.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Michael
Characteristically Euro-polite but with a twist of a smile, no? I'm thinking - if he responds at all, he's going to be all guilty-wilty "oops! you caught me" contrite and maybe even apologetic, right?
Wrong.
Pinhead sonofabitch wants to dance:
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Aloysius B. Clozing [mailto:abklozing@forrester.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 1:40 PM
>Subject: RE: Forrester Follow-up
>
>You did check the "No" box, but I am a sales rep!
>
>Let me know if I can be a resource or when the timing may be more
>appropriate to revisit discussions.
>
>Regards,
>
>abc
Harrumph. An important point is clearly being missed here. Mild, but nonetheless clear invasion of privacy.
Time to drop the first glove...
>To: Aloysius B. Clozing
>Subject: RE: Forrester Follow-up
>
>So, basically you're telling me that anyone registering at the site is
>going to get bugged, regardless of how they answer that question.
>
>When Joel Blenner quit, did he take the last clue with him?
>
>/m
Blenner, btw, was Forrester's VP of Sales up until he retired in April.
Met him once, back when I was a corporate HOD - the guy who owned the marketing budget that got dished out to these geezers.
I thought Blenner had class - a decent guy, smart, and a straight-shooter. He was certainly a cut above the level of huckster I'm tangoing with here:
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Aloysius B. Clozing [mailto:abklozing@forrester.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 2:11 PM
>Subject: RE: Forrester Follow-up
>
>Michael,
>
>Not sure what you mean by the Joel comment, however, Joel actually
>retired and still actively consults for us.
>
>As for the registration process, my follow up to you was a simple
>courtesy contact.
>
>Regards,
>
>abc
>Account Executive
"Courtesy contact"?! Where's the courtesy in explicity ignoring my wishes? If I say: "No, please don't spam me" and you do anyway, I'm supposed to think that's a frigging courtesy?
No means no, dickwit.
From Forrester's own website: "Consumer privacy apprehensions continue to plague the Web -- 60% of online consumers seriously worry about what will happen to the personal information they divulge online. The problem for e-tailers is that these fears will hold back roughly $15 billion in eCommerce revenue in 2001."
No shit, Sherlock.
Btw, the full copy of the research brief from which I pulled this quote costs $95 to order online, through Forrester's own e-tail portal. No thanks, mate - you've already demonstrated how much Forrester knows about customer privacy issues and, unless I miss my guess, that's roughly equivalent to the square root of jack shit about bugger all.
Or am I just being twisty?
So I've been sitting here, toying with my WWRBD (What Would RageBoy Do?) ring, trying to decide whether to flame this hoser, flame his boss, ignore it, blog it, or give up and slide back under my rock...
What-evah.
Blog erat demonstrandum.
