<== Site of the Week for 2010-01-04 ==>

DMA Choice

One big gripe I have with online shopping is that many online shops assume that if I bought something on their web site that I would automatically want to to receive trash in the mail (err, I mean their catalog).

The truth is that I shop online because I like to do product comparisons and research and simply transfer catalogs from the mailbox to the recycle bin (feeling sad about the trees in the process).

DMA Choice is a site by the Direct Marketing Association that gives the public some ability to control inbound marketing materials.

The site includes a FAQ about direct mail. It claims that direct mail composes 2.4% of the US waste stream. The site also lets users remove themselves from mail lists.

NOTE, the site lets you remove yourself from new offers. If you are receiving a catolog from a company, you will need to contact the catalog to stop your subscription. They list contact information for popular catalogs.

The site includes links to other industry efforts including OutOutPrescreen which lets you opt out of prescreened credit card offers.