The recent trend towards HTML email really disturbs me.
I, for one, do not like HTML email. If I want to see the
glitz and color, I will go to your website, but send me
plain text in your email. Do I receive HTML emails? Sure.
But the delete key is right there and I use it. And so do
a lot of other people. HTML belongs in web pages.
One major concern is bandwidth. HTML email files are much
larger than plain text. I resent the fact that it takes
longer to download the HTML email from my server. It also
takes longer to load it into the email window. Then I have
to scroll back and forth. Forget it. Deleting is easier.
Regular email done in HTML is rather pointless. My biggest
concern are newsletters done in HTML. These are large
emails anyway, and doing them in HTML is only compounding
the problem. One must consider the recipient. Are we so
egotistical to believe that ALL the people on the 'net are
in the USA?? What about the millions of people in other
countries who pay by the minute to download these extra
large files of HTML emails? Some of these people prefer to
download their email, and then go offline while they read
them. This makes the images in HTML email rather useless.
For the images to work, you must stay online.
Then there is the problem of some email programs that do
not support HTML. Just because yours does, doesn't mean
that mine does. DO NOT assume that everyone can read HTML
e-mail just because you can. Consider, too, that not all
email readers will display your HTML in the same way. It
may not look the way you think it does.
Some newsletter publishers give their subscribers the option
of receiving plain text or HTML. This is all well and good,
however, it seems to me that it would be twice the work for
the already overworked editor to format the same newsletter
twice. Maintaining two lists of subscribers would also
become a burden.
Whats the point in making your newsletter look just like
your website? Why bother with the newsletter? Just send 'em
to your website and be done with it.
What makes a newsletter good? Simplicity, readability, full
of content that the reader wants, and a lack of flashing
glitz. Keep it simple, and keep your subscribers.
About the Author
windsong is the editor/publisher of six newsletters.
One of them is All About E-Zines:
http://marketing-resources.com/EZzine.html