[thelist] HTML in email

[Ross Johnston]

... its not easy having something nice to say about HTML email
especially if you do so in a forthright manner.
People have their sensitivites badly affected and their intelligence
insulted ( sorry Aardvark)

Ive near spammed myself to death so I could report honestly and fairly
to The List on this topic and I have to say ( cover your ears or maybe its
time for a nice lie down ) that without a doubt HTML email, despite its
deserved reputation as a security nightmare and bandwith gobbler,
will become increasignly used .. and you better start swimming
or youl sink link a stone ..........
That is not a promotional message but a professional observation.

Besides raising many valid security and other problems.  .jeff said ....
"in the time i've been using the net, i've yet to run across an html email
of any sort that i preferred
over good, old plain-text.  it just doesn't exist"

In reply
With a HTML email you can navigate from the TOC to items of interest etc
Try doing that with text where you can often be left scrolling forever.
( I have an example )
Also, with the use of tables and CSS, information can better format
for readibility, ( hardly something new, the point being you don't have to 
download flashy graphics )
I think the trouble to date has been that HTML email has meant
a whopping big web page in your inbox, but I'm certain there will develop a
design style for HTML in email which will recognise that email is viewed
quiite differentl from a web page.
Recently Macromedia set the pace with a really savvy HTML
email so its not just for newbies as suggested by Aardvark.

Aardvark also said
"and just because Outlook has HTML as default (which, btw, it
doesn't, it's MS RTF) "
Thanks, hadnt realised that.

Aardvark again
"how?  people have said the same thing about every technology and
plug-in that's been trotted out since the web started... and i've
heard that comment about HTML mail for years, and somehow it
hasn't failed my business..."

Reply
My proposition that website needed to have an email strategy did
seem to embrace HTML email which was not my intention and I regret that.

And Jamie said

"We do a number of newsletters for clients - strictly opt-in - that go out
in
2 versions, html and plain text. Click-through rates for the html versions
are considerably higher, and the unsubscribe rates are lower -"

Darn ...stand by for the call from the Marketing Department..
 
" So html email *used appropriately* (as with anything on the web) can work
 well."

Couldnt agree more..

Ross Johnston

ross at eresponse.co.nz
http://www.eresponse.co.nz/