Free membership? Where's the catch?

Does this occasionally happen to you as well? Every now and then a friend pops up to invite you to join him on a “social” network. Annoying, isn’t it? But the things you do for peace and quiet, or at least for not having to discuss with him…

So, what’s the best way to say No? Well, my advice would be: before joining, print the service’s terms of service as well as their privacy statement. Sign both without reading (you wouldn’t have read them online either) and file it with your other contracts. If you still find joining appealing after bringing the stash of paper to bear on you for five minutes or so, be my guest.

“Free” just means free of charge, not that you won’t pay in the end.