designing HTML newsletters

[Axel Foley]

Does anyone know of any resources or tutorials on the internet to help
people design HTML newsletters?

I've overcome some of the obstacles myself, but there are a great many
discrepancies between how different dedicated email apps and web-based email
sites display HTML email.

(no, text-based email is not an option here! the colors and graphics are
essential!)

thanks for any pointers or resources...

Axel

 

[Adrienne]

Gazing into my crystal ball I observed "Axel Foley"

Does anyone know of any resources or tutorials on the internet to help
people design HTML newsletters?

I've overcome some of the obstacles myself, but there are a great many
discrepancies between how different dedicated email apps and web-based
email sites display HTML email.

(no, text-based email is not an option here! the colors and graphics
are essential!)

thanks for any pointers or resources...

Axel

Well, with some people, you're going to be SOL if you do not have a text
version. What about people who use Yahoo! mail, that now has an option to
disable graphics in previewed messages? What about people who have their
email client configured to not accept HTML messages? What about people who
have text only email clients?

As to your original question, you're almost always assured that an email on
one person's machine is going to look completely different on another.
Even using the same OS and email client, because of the width/length of
preview panes, you're going to have differences, and there is no way to
browser sniff/javascript detect to adjust it.

Your best bet is to make a fluid web page, probably try to keep the text at
about 60 or so characters per line, and very simple. Using multipart,
include a text version for those who cannot/will not accept HTML email.
The HTML people will get the HTML version, the plain text people will get
the plain text version.

 

[Lois]

"Axel Foley" asked:
: Does anyone know of any resources or tutorials on the internet to help
: people design HTML newsletters?

I don't know if these have exactly what you need, but here are some pages
I've bookmarked:

http://www.alistapart.com/articles/cssemail/
http://www.welie.com/patterns/showPattern.php?patternID=newsletter
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020930.html
http://www.wowwebdesigns.com/power_guides/zurbviews/send_a_newsletter.php

And a page with an option for those who don't want to or can't receive HTML
newsletters:
http://www.changedetect.com/


: (no, text-based email is not an option here! the colors and graphics are
: essential!)

Graphics could be a problem. If the recipients are online when they're
reading the newsletter, fine, but if they read the newsletter offline and
the graphics have links to the images at your site, the newsletter won't be
pretty any more. :-(

Lois

 

[Andy Dingley]

Well, with some people, you're going to be SOL if you do not have a text
version.

While I agree with the need for text versions, remember that this is a
text version MIME'd inside the same email - it doesn't have to mean a
text-only email.

What about people who have their
email client configured to not accept HTML messages?

Of the many people who dump all HTML-only email on site, how many also
discard HTML+Text ? IMHO, given the prevalence of Outlook amongst the
corporate idiot market, this must be a very small number. I never get
anything in pure HTML that's worth reading, but I do depend
commercially on reading Text+HTML from people in suits - even though I
only read the text version.

Anyone have any figures, or care to guess at them, for numbers here ?

What about people who have text only email clients?

These aren't a problem - setting up the message correctly involves
supplying both formats.

 

[Amos E Wolfe]

Does anyone know of any resources or tutorials on the internet to help
people design HTML newsletters?

I've overcome some of the obstacles myself, but there are a great many
discrepancies between how different dedicated email apps and web-based email
sites display HTML email.

(no, text-based email is not an option here! the colors and graphics are
essential!)

Complete control over how an e-mail is displayed is down to one person - the
person who READS it - not the person who WRITES it!

It's best to write a brief e-mail to ALL your subscribers, in PLAIN TEXT,
giving the URL of the full HTML version with graphics etc. That way, the
only people who read it will be those that are genuinely interested (
interested enough to click a link and wait for the graphics to load).

If the people you are sending it to are actually OPTING-IN to receive your
email, and are willing to click on a link and wait to read it then that is
great - they are interested in what you have to say.

ANYTHING ELSE IS --- SPAM --- don't bother!


-# Amos E Wolfe #=-

 

[Lois]

"Amos E Wolfe" wrote about HTML newsletters:
: Complete control over how an e-mail is displayed is down to one person -
the
: person who READS it - not the person who WRITES it!
:
: It's best to write a brief e-mail to ALL your subscribers, in PLAIN TEXT,
: giving the URL of the full HTML version with graphics etc. That way, the
: only people who read it will be those that are genuinely interested (
: interested enough to click a link and wait for the graphics to load).
:
: If the people you are sending it to are actually OPTING-IN to receive your
: email, and are willing to click on a link and wait to read it then that is
: great - they are interested in what you have to say.
:
: ANYTHING ELSE IS --- SPAM --- don't bother!

You can have your opinion, and I can disagree. I do agree that newsletters
should be opt-in only, and I think that subscribers should be either given
the choice of HTML or plain text, or the newsletters should be sent in plain
text only. However, sending HTML newsletters to subscribers who have opted
to receive HTML newsletters is *not* spam.

I'm subscribed to a number of newsletters. Personally, I prefer HTML because
it's easier to read and more visually appealing, although I do have the
images turned off. I like newsletters where the titles and first few lines
articles appear, and then I click to read the rest of the articles that look
interesting to me. If people had to click to even see the newsletter, it
would lose the valuable impact of being delivered right to subscribers'
in-boxes, and it would be less convenient for recipients.

Lois

 

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

Quoth the raven Lois:
....

I'm subscribed to a number of newsletters. Personally, I prefer
HTML because it's easier to read and more visually appealing,
although I do have the images turned off.

Heh, begs the question: why not set your mail reader to the font,
size, and color you prefer, and read in plain text?

 

[Lois]

: Quoth the raven Lois:
: > I'm subscribed to a number of newsletters. Personally, I prefer
: > HTML because it's easier to read and more visually appealing,
: > although I do have the images turned off.

"Beauregard T. Shagnasty" responded:
: Heh, begs the question: why not set your mail reader to the font,
: size, and color you prefer, and read in plain text?

Because HTML newsletters have columns, colour, style, and branding. That's
what makes them visually appealing and easier to read, not the images.

Why not make web pages just one plain wide column of text with nothing else?
The answer to that is the reason I prefer HTML newsletters. It is a
preference, though, and those who prefer plain text should be able to have
their preference too.

Lois

 

[Axel Foley]

Right on Lois!

Hey, what is this the "Bavarian Purity Laws of Newsletters"....?

yeah, and who needs TV and Movies anyway, when an H G Wells Radio Talk show
can do the trick?

and, who needs comic books when you can simply listen to Uncle Harry telling
dirty jokes?

Who needs double-embossed 'fluffy' toilet paper when a handful of maple
leaves will suffice?


I say, bring on the full-color, animated, stereo sound newsletters! Let the
old hermits die in the woods!!

Axel