RE: [epub] Email: HTML vs. Text?...

["Geof F. Morris, Chief Editor, TOTK.com Sports" <gmorris@xxxxxxxx>]

At 12:22 AM 7/25/00, you wrote:
 >Hi Geof,

	Howdy, Brian.

 >>I am an old, tired geek (at 21).
 >
 >Geez. You're making me feel ancient (at almost a quarter-century old)! :)

	Why are we both up at this time of night?  It's compacted worse that I 
will be up before 5:00.  Alas, my A/C is out, so . . .

 >I have it set up the same way. For composing and sending the majority
 >of the ezines I'm involved with (in plain-text format), its necessary to
 >see them in a monospace font, like Courier New. I guess I've come to
 >prefer all my email like that. The exceptions to this rule are
 >well-designed HTML newsletters.
 >
 >And to qualify my own experience a bit: I spend the great majority of
 >every day on a high-speed Internet connection (although I'm slugging
 >away on a modem right now... ugh). So reading HTML email while
 >"connected" is a given for me. Many folks won't have this. On the other
 >hand, more and more people are getting broadband access (in the US
 >anyway), and HTML publications won't be such a nuisance as people make
 >this move.

	You bring up an interesting point here -- it's access-dependent.  Having 
just told my potential broadband provider to piss up a rope (in a 
tech-savvy town like Huntsville, AL, you'd think I could find a BISP that 
wouldn't have so many hoops to jump through), I'm back to modems -- at 
home.  But not at either of my jobs (why do I work two jobs and run an 
ezine?  I don't know.  Did I mention I'm still in school?), where I have 
hellishly fast access.  Still, I don't want anything to force connections, 
even though I almost always read email while connected.

 >>Having said all that, what I fear is that people new to electronic
 >>publishing in general and ezines in particular are going to take your
 >>wonderful advice on moving to HTML whole hog, Brian.
 >
 >That's an interesting point. I should clarify, then. I don't recommend
 >publishing *exclusively* HTML email to anyone. Or at least, I didn't
 >mean to :)

	*I* know you didn't.  I think you've stated as such.  I just fear that not 
everyone will have gotten that.

 >If anything, I would recommend first learning how to publish an
 >excellent, well-formatted text ezine.

	I give that a big aaaaaaaamen.  Not enough people are doing *that* these 
days.  If you need help, I heartily recommend Ezine-Tips archive-diving, 
and not just because I'm replying to ET's editor.

 >Then check out HTML publishing on the Web.

	I think you should do both simultaneously, but that's just me.  In doing 
both, you will force yourself to think in both worlds, and perhaps learn 
that synergizing the two isn't the best idea.  =)

 >Only after you've mastered text email publishing and
 >have an excellent Web site should you even *think* about HTML
 >publishing. And at that point, continue to offer the text version
 >for those who prefer it, and offer the HTML version as a optional
 >"upgrade."

	I consider it a downgrade, but . . . =)

 >Thanks, Geof, for helping me clarify this position :)

	Just consider me a cleanup hitter.  It's your turn to bat, fella.

 >Probably more than a wee bit biased :) The main reason I'm such an
 >HTML email torch-bearer is that the number-one objection I hear to
 >HTML publishing from publishers is that they themselves don't like
 >HTML email. But perhaps their subscribers, or some of them, could
 >benefit from and would appreciate a well-designed HTML version.
 >
 >I guess the question for these publishers becomes: Are you publishing
 >for people like yourself, or might some of your subscribers have
 >different preferences?

	All too often, the former.  Having actually gotten to meet some of my 
writers this weekend, the discussion of writer-based subscriptions came 
up.  We have a large, regular staff -- and we cover many sports.  It's to 
the point now that our subscriber base is limited because everyone doesn't 
want everything.  *I* want everything, and so does our Publisher, but our 
potential subscribers don't.  So we're working on writer- and sport-based 
subscriptions.  It will be harder, but . . .

	. . . the thing to note is that we have an established ezine.  You've got 
to build around quality content, and let that be the first 
differentiator.  Then, and only then, should you start differentiating 
yourself in other ways, whether it's adding more ezines to your family 
[check], changing your subscription system to meet your customers' needs 
[check], or adding other community-related devices to further breed content 
[check].

	Oh, and did I mention that, at the top of every TOTK.com Sports column, we 
print a quick hyperlink to that column on the Web?  With our nice little 
content-management system, I have it up on the Web by the time the email 
client is finished publishing.  Some people simply prefer reading ezines on 
the Web -- and since they do, we provide that functionality on board.

 >>The barriers to entry have not yet risen for ezines, much like the book
 >>you recommended in Ezine-Tips, Net Gain (which I'm reading -- good book,
 >>even thought it's publication date is ancient 'Net-wise), seems to want 
to
 >>predict.
 >
 >Cool! I'm glad you checked it out. It is a good read for anyone
 >interested in relating email publishing to online community building.
 >Here's the review: 
http://Ezine-Tips.com/articles/resources/20000623.shtml

	If you want another review, Brian, I'm in that biz these days.  I'm about 
to launch a sports book review ezine (as-yet-unnamed, but my creativity is 
pretty tapped right now).  I can review that as a reader, and maybe not 
appear to be giving a shameless affiliate plug.  =)

 >>It's easy to publish in this space, but it's also *very* easy to
 >>mess up.  Too many people screw up with plain-text ezines because of
 >>formatting issues -- it's part of the process, and I've made my share of
 >>mistakes.  I just fear that newbies will ride the HTML wave and kill the
 >>desire for HTML eziens for millions of potential readers out there.
 >
 >EXCELLENT point. Maybe I should start discouraging HTML publishing
 >after all ;-)

	I expect a full retraction in Ezine-Tips, including thanking me for 
bringing you to the Light.  -g-

	GFM <-- Brian, go pick Todd up off of the floor . . . I think he's
		laughing too hard to breathe . . . [FYI, I trade email with
		some of these guys occasionally =).  ]

==================================================================
Geof F. Morris: Chief Editor, TOTK.com Sports http://www.TOTK.com/
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==================================================================



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