[thelist] HTML e-mail tracking

[BT Bigpant]

> HTML e-Mail is one thing. HTML e-Mail that assumes the user is on-line at
the
> time they are reading the message is just plain dumb

A hearty slap on the back... what people like is to be dealt a straight
deal. If they think they are being manipulated, tricked, coersed or
whatever, they will feel resentment towards you. It will reflect *very*
badly indeed on your company.

Tell people what you are doing and why, and give them an opt-out. Have a
link on the email that says 'We respect you and value your opinions - if you
read this email and liked it, click here. We only want to know how many
people are interested, we won't sell your details to the highest
bidder....blah blah' - a bit twee, but you get the idea.

Treat people as you would be treated. It's not netiquette, it's downright
social grace. If your boss wants to know if people are interested in his
company, he should just ask them. If they don't reply, they're not
interested.

On a real-world business level, this approach is 1000% better than analyzing
the data. You might get 1 million responses from your mailshot as people
scan through their mail, adding your mailshot to their deleted box. It
doesn't mean they read it, just that they clicked on it long enough for your
script to do its work. Your boss will be highly delighted that so many
people 'read' his email, but, a month later, will wonder why no orders are
coming in...

Phil Parker