In article <C5uLqG.I5@acsu.buffalo.edu> v064mb9k@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (NEIL B. GANDLER) writes: > >	How does the radio Electronics free information cards work. >Do they just send you some general information about the companies that >advertise in their magazine or does it also give you sign you up for a >catalog.   That depends entirely upon the advertiser whose number you circled. Radio Electronics compiles all of the cards, then each advertiser gets a computer printout of the names and addresses of all of the readers who circled their number. Some magazines also provide the data on self-adhesive labels, and the really big magazines provide the data on computer disk.  The advertiser decides what to do with the data they get. You will notice that the Radio Electronics information card (commonly called a "bingo card" in the industry) includes lines for a company name and a business phone number. My guess would be that the big, national advertisers make a distinction between hobbiests and professionals as best they can. For example, if you include Motorola as your company and include a business phone (and a mail stop), Tektronics will probably send you a copy of their hard-bound catalog and have a sales engineer call you about a week later. If you leave it blank, odds are they will send you a slick brochure and direct you to a local retail outlet. Medium and small companies are more likely to send you th e whole catalog. And then some companies, like Digikey or Jameco, have nothing to mail out accept the catalog.  A couple of other interesting points about bingo cards: Free, industry magazines like EDN and such also log your card to their computer. They use the information at least three ways. They note that you really do read the magazine and are more likely to continue your subscription or push you, through repeated mailings, to re-subscribe. They also compile how many people requested which data for their marketing demographics. This way thay can tell a prospective advertiser that "23% of readers requesting data were interested in capacitors." And finally, some magazines rent lists of readers who request certain information. For example, Tektronics can rent a list of everyone who requested information about test equipment OTHER THAN TEKTRONIC's, in the past 6 months.  The other point, in the data the advertiser receives, many magazines include how many items you circled on the card. If they want, the advertiser can attempt to cull out the "literature collectors" from the serious potential customers.  "Can you say qualified sales leads? I thought you could."  What's the BEST way for a hobbiest to deal with bingo cards?    Never circle more than 8 number on the card. If you want more   than 8 items, use the second card and mail it a couple of   weeks later.    If you are really, really serious and you really, really want   the information, CALL THE ADVERTISER AND ASK! This will also   cut about 15 days off the the response time. Virtually   everyone takes a voice on the phone more seriously than data   on a computer printout.    To help insure you keep getting a trade magazine that you're   not really "qualified" for, send in a bingo card at least every   other month and circle two or three numbers.    Include a business name and phone number, even if it's your house.   Advertisers almost never call.