RE: [epub] HTML vs. plain text

["Mountain Valley Growers" <mvg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just another thought on this html versus text.
We are in the mail order business and know all about impulse buying.
Html is like that. It is instant gratification.
"train ourselves to skim" sounds like work and when you are selling
something
the consumer should never have to work.
Take a look at the big guys. What kind of email does Land's End send?

Maybe you only want to sell ads and don't have a brick and mortar product,
but I still think average folks are attracted to pretty.

If I have to work too hard on reading my emails chances are I hit delete.
Probably why so many advertisers insist on being at the top of the
newsletter.

We do give our subscribers a choice, but most don't even know the
difference.
We give them html until they tell us different. (except for aol,home etc.)
V.J. Billings

Mountain Valley Growers, Inc.
The Nation's largest supplier of certified organic
Herb and Perennial Plants
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com
Check out our Weekly Sales and Tips
in Mountain Valley Views
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/Weeklyspecials.htm


-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Schonefeld [mailto:peter.schonefeld@bigpond.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2001 1:19 AM
To: epub@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [epub] HTML vs. plain text


> I'm not yet convinced html is the way to go for all newsletters - I don't
> like it myself, and I do get weird characters and such. Ideal, I suspect,
> is to give subscribers a choice - but I'm not there yet, still trying to
> keep it simple and since my subscribers often say 'thank's I think I'm on
> the right track for me.

All of my list/e-zine subscriptions are plain text based, with the exception
of
lockergnome (yes i am a gnomie).  I believe that the beauty of text based
email
is that we can train ourselves to skim over a large volume of information in
order to find snippets of useful/interesting material.

HTML format adds a design issue to the equation, where potentially every
list
publication could be formatted in a different manner.  Personally, my brain
shudders at the thought of having to adapt to a range of colours, designs
and
images each morning as i sort though the last night's inbox.

The web, however allows us to actively search for information - that is, "go
get" v. "come to papa" - so is more suited to dynamic design.

My 2c AUD.

Peter Schonefeld



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