The Seduction of the Online User

"I find you very attractive. Your assertiveness tells me that you feel the same way about me. But ritual remains that we must do a series of platonic actions before we can have intercourse. But all I really want to do is have sex with you as soon as possible.” (Meyerson, 58)

Taken from the academy award-winning movie ABeautiful Mind, author Mitch Meyerson tells us how shortcuts just do not work. If taken lightly, some users may get a chuckle out of this example, but in reality, we cannot just say or do what we want to do, when we want to do it. We have to entice our users and feed them what they want until they just need and want what we offer. We can lure them by fascinating them and teasing them a bit. In order to meet our goals, we have to have users. In order to have users, we must keep them. This goes all the way down to the core of the subject matter. I must not only entice you , the users, with something that is valuable to you, but also give out content that you just cannot get enough of. I must first cater to you and service you, before I can get what I want. I must deliver bits and pieces of what you want to see. I must get in your thoughts and read what it is you came to my site for, in order to provide that. I have been to sites that just want me to enter my credit card information in order for me to buy their products. Why should I? As soon as I see the Visa or MasterCard logo on the first page, my cursor is already moving towards the X. This is unacceptable practice in the online business, but I guess it works since several people are doing it, right?