Do Not Call - My solution

Canada is trying to institute a national do not call list, similar to the one operating in the US. People could register their land line, cells, fax machines, etc. and telemarketers could not call those numbers or possibly be fined. UNLESS they have had dealings with you in the past 18 months, are political parties, pollsters, newspapers, etc. etc. etc.. See any holes?

I have had a system that I have used religiously for years and it has worked well. Only 2 types of institutions have my real phone number - the government and my banks. Everyone else has a phone number I USED to have, many years ago and in another province. The first phone number I ever had, actually - I still remember it. The principle is this: if you don't want to be called, don't give out your phone number! Really it is a 10-digit identifier that people want to use to identify you; any 10-digit number will do.

So Safeway groceries, Blockbuster video, the YMCA, any online surveys or orders, registrations, etc. get my "old" number - with my current area code (that saves questions and hassles). BUT before you do this, PLEASE make sure the phone number is not in use. There are many places to check a "reverse phone" number. In Alberta, MyTelus.com is one place (click Phone Book, then Reverse Phone). While it is possible that the number you choose is unlisted, the chances are slim.

Since I have been doing this, I get about one telemarketing call every 3 months or so - from my bank.

It takes time, so don't give up! Your phone eventually drops off the lists anyways as it gets 'old'. And if the number does not work, guess what - they drop you altogether! And if you DO get a telemarketer, rather than politely refuse (the Canadian way!), or scream at the fellow in India or wherever (we all want to do that sometimes), simply say "I am sorry, that individual is no longer at this number" and hang up - they will take you off.

What about email you ask? Well, I have my own domain name (only $10 per year or so). With this, you setup a 'default' address that any email with your domain address can go to, if it is not valid (e.g if RyanO@mydomain.com is valid, an email addressed to RyanB@mydomain.com will go to the 'default' address). So what? Well, when someone wants an email address, I give them 'companyname@mydomain.com' e.g. blockbustervideo@mydomain.com. If I really am expecting something from them, well I go into it and check. But if I don't want any email from them, well they just get deleted periodically. A small inconvenience for peace of mind, peace from the phone, and a clean inbox.

There are lots of other ways to accomplish this - this is my method. The key is to create an online persona and use that when online. And that persona does NOT have any of your real information on it.

Update:
Try using one of these phone numbers - from the National Rejection Hotline! (remember: don't use your real e-mail address!). In Calgary, it is 403-775-9982.

For temporary email addresses, without using Hotmail or Yahoo, try Spambox or Melt Mail