user registration (optional vs required fields)

When I am trying to register at a web site, I only fill in required fields, not sure if I am typical or not. My suggestions here are

1. Clearly mark fields that are mandatory with a red * (typical for other web site)
2. Hopefully we are capturing enough information so as to get statistics on people visiting and taking the time to register:
Industry area : choices - telecom, defense, gaming, other
Your role : choices - developer, managment, marketing,
sales, other