Wisdom - Websites 75

What could be more attractive to the readers of a local health care system’s community newsletter than a free heart-shaped clip-on strobe light? Maybe offering it as a gift to joggers as an adjunct to article about cardiac services? How about offering that premium during a period that includes the middle of February; say, the 14th? Demand was indeed up from prior premium offers, and we were delighted. Then form submissions jumped. And jumped. In a period of 36 hours, we received 300% more requests than we’d anticipated for the entire 6-week run. A little research provided surprising results: nearly all the unexpected requests were from out of state. What we’d expected was that readers who received our newsletter might visit our website and sign up for the premium and learn more about our coronary health services. What we didn’t expect was that readers who received our newsletter would post the special-access URL on a plethora of ‘freebie’ websites (online communities in which people share discount codes and special offers for free merchandise), inviting everybody to share the wealth of a free, plastic flashing strobe light. Once we blocked orders to out of state addresses, we started receiving email requests. (‘It would make a great nightlight in my little daughter’s room!’ chirped one dangerously confused mother.) Fortunately most were good natured about the situation, as we presumed they’d been thwarted in the past on other pilfered ‘freebie’ offers. Our disclaimer language at the time had covered quantity per household, effective dates, time for shipment, and the standard limitation on quantities. What the editor didn’t do was state a geographic boundary in print. Lesson Learned: The Internet is an international community. If you plan to offer anything free on your website, define your geographic boundaries.

Judith Singer, Resurrection Health Care, http://www.reshealth.org