On my last birthday I got a message from someone on Facebook offering me a birthday gift.

"Oh that's very nice of her," I thought.

I clicked the link to pick it up and guess what? I had to sign up for her email list to get it.

It made me think of how so-called "gifts" are used to seduce you into doing something you might not otherwise do.

A gift by definition comes with no strings attached. A gift is given willingly without payment of any kind, whether in dollars or email addresses. If you're asking for something in return, it's not a gift. Find another name for what you're offering.

This is a widely used marketing tactic that conveys the impression that you're getting something for nothing when you're not.

The other variation of this is a gift that comes with a price tag. Here's what I saw recently: "I want to give you a gift of a two month membership in my coaching group." What she didn't say up front was that to get your gift, you had to give your credit card number. And if you didn't cancel by a certain date, your "gift" morphed into a fully paid monthly subscription.

This tactic must work because so many people are using it. That's fine. Just let me know up front what the deal is, not at the end of the process. That ticks me off so I feel that I've been deceived in some way and that person's credibility takes a dramatic tumble in my eyes.

Me, I like transparency.

What are your thoughts on this?