All of you kind Facebook folks who wish me a “Happy Birthday” every January 1st need to stop. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the greeting (which I most certainly do, especially from those I haven’t seen in decades) but…it’s not actually my birthday.
January 1, 1901 is my Zuckerbirthday—the bogus date I selected when I first signed up for Facebook a long, long time ago.
Why? Because I’m a natural contrarian who doesn’t like making marketers lives any easier. And I work in marketing.
I remember getting one of those “register your product” tip-in cards when I bought a radio as a kid. The card was asking for every bit a data about myself just this side of shoe size, and even at age 13 I couldn’t help wondering what they needed it for. Years later I discovered the nefarious ways of database direct marketing and put two and two together.
So Mark, thanks for asking, but do not get to know my real birthday (guess you’ll just have to Google it.)
– dp
