[epub] Re: switching subscription list

["* Rev. G. M. Pace" <wicce@xxxxxxxxx>]

>Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2000 14:44:52 EST
>From: KKhalife@aol.com
>
>One more question . . . are any of you ezine publishers on AOL? (I know, I 
>know, please don't throw things at me . . . especially when I admit that 
>I'm not only on AOL, but I also use a Mac). For those of you who are on 
>AOL, how do you get around the hyperlink problem that I understand exists 
>when AOL mail is sent to non-AOL subscribers?

I am not on AOL, but I was once upon a time (ok, so it was 5+years ago, 
back in the Dark Ages when AOL used to cost $2.95 per hour to be online, 
but still!) but I think if you take a look at something that I use, you 
might be able to use it to fit your needs as well.

Egroups has been getting a lot of flak lately, and with GOOD cause.  Two 
years ago, when I started my tarot newsletter, I had the option of going 
with either Egroups or Listbot (I'm sure there were others, but those were 
the two free lists I found that at the time were recommended highly) I did 
a reading and the cards said to go with Listbot.  Now, 2 years later, I can 
honestly say I've had nothing but *excellent* service from them, while I've 
seen Egroups crash time and time again, and be bought out at least twice 
now with all the hassles of merging two companies each time.  I'm 
completely satisfied with Listbot as a FREE service, and recommend them highly.

Listbot offers you (as list owner) the chance to compose your newsletter or 
ezine at their site, in their software, you just use your browser to go to 
their website and you access your list and there is an option to send an 
email to your list, and you can sit right there and compose your entire 
ezine in that window and send it out and thereby you will avoid all your 
AOL email problems in terms of any formatting screwups that come from 
sending mail FROM an AOL account, since technically you are sending from 
Listbot itself.  You can use a WordPad or NotePad application to create an 
html ezine and then simply cut and paste all your code right into that 
Listbot window, and you've totally gone around the problems with AOL's 
mailer.  Or you can just type a text ezine in there.  I use the cut and 
paste method because it's safer (creates a backup copy in WordPad just in 
case) but you will figure out which is best for you.

Another note, I have never had any problems with any SPAMMERS (knock wood) 
causing trouble with my Listbot lists (I also have a discussion list as 
well as the newsletter, and haven't had trouble with it yet!) so there is 
yet another advantage to Listbot over Egroups.

Yes, a paid service will be better and safer than a free one.  Yes, it will 
be more secure and more reliable.  But if you are like me and haven't got 
ANY money (my site is a nonprofit one) then a free service may be your best 
choice right now, and if so, I recommend Listbot for the above reasons.

There is one drawback to Listbot that gives Egroups an advantage: your list 
can get advertised on Egroups.  Like, people can actually go drive around 
at Egroups and shop around for lists to join; someone might, for example, 
want to join tarot ezines; they can do a search by "tarot" and pull up all 
the hundreds of lists that are tarot-related and join as few/many as they 
like.  Listbot lists are not promoted this way and so while you have the 
advantage of having little to no spam problems and lots more secure 
traffic, you also don't have a lot of random people who have access to sign 
up for your list.  So if you do go with Listbot, make GOOD web use of the 
signup box!  You can place it on as many web pages on your site as possible 
and help to pass the word.  I've built up to almost a thousand members in 2 
years, which is slow by the standards of this epub list (everyone else here 
seems to get hundreds in a month) but if I get ONE unsub every couple of 
months, that's it, so it's slow and steady wins the race!

Wow, I didn't realize this would be so long.  Hope it's been helpful!

::::::::waving to any fellow tarotists who might be on this list:::::::::


Rev. Gina M. Pace		
	Wicce's Tarot Collection	www.wicce.com
KEYWORD: Wicce		email: wicce@wicce.com	
Wicce's Tarot Collection has a monthly newsletter!
To subscribe, send an email to  wicces_tarot-subscribe@listbot.com



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