How do people feel about email newsletters

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How do people feel about email newsletters
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jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28111
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 7:47 am Post subject: How do people feel about email newsletters

We do not make a habit of sending these out.

In fact we have sent the sum total of one so far to our users.

Personally if it is well contructed, with a few thumbnail images and links, I would not mind getting one, say every couple of weeks.

I get one like thisevery few weeks from Film4 for example. Conversely I get a daily one from newsnight which used to be ok, but comes though now as a jumbed set on hard to read links

We have a lot of members who have registered, but have yet to post, and it would be nice to communicate with them. But we do not want to end up spamming our users either.

jema

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 8:11 am Post subject:
Apart from The Onion's newsletter, which I read every week I tend to find them a bit irritating. Most of our members are online fairly regularly, if we're mainly aiming this at inactive members then I think about every 6-8 weeks would be about right. That way there should be lots of new stuff for them to see.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 8:21 am Post subject:

I quite like them - from sites that I've signed up to, and as long as I can unsubscribe, which are both the case here - but agree with Sean, not too often.

They don't even have to be regular, I'm subscribed to several sites and indeed work for some, where newsletters are sent out only when there is something to tell subscribers.

This seems to be particularly effective - and it's much easier to be enthusiastic about writing something when you *want* to say what you're saying, whereas if you're trying to fill space every x weeks it can sometimes come across in the final version.

snowball
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 6240
Location: swindon

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 10:19 am Post subject:
I agree, they shouldn't be too frequent. You don't want to get into the position of having to send one every week, when no one can think of anything to say. Newsletters for their own sake are irritating. Newsletters when there is news are useful and appreciated.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45420
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 10:20 am Post subject:
I reckon either a seasonal one or one if we have a special event.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 11:56 am Post subject:
Agree with Tahir. Not too often, but seasonally is good.

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 3:51 pm Post subject:
Now wild about them myself - I get far too many, and most get deleted after a cursory scan. Once in a blue moon, if there's something whorth announcing, is about enough for me!

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 4:34 pm Post subject:
I think as Jema has said it's a good way of communicating/coaxing those members who have not posted for one reason or another. Again, I agree with what is generally being said about not making it too regular, it isn't fair on those who put the newsletter together and the more regularly they are sent out the less news there will be to put in it. Agree Seasonal would be good.

beth

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 52
Location: Milton, Cambridge

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 7:38 pm Post subject:

No way. If you really have to, make it opt-in for current users and any one registering gets the opportunity to opt-out before the first one goes to them.

Just because I'm interested in this website and visit it fairly often doesn't mean to suggest I want to recieve an email 'newsletter' which would be better put on the website. As for images in email. No thanks. Same goes for html email. Thats what the web is for.

Beth

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 9:09 pm Post subject:
Agree with Tahir and Beth. Needless duplication. Anyone interested in the site will be visiting regularly anyway. If they don't its coz theyre not interested so why waste your time and effort?

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28111
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 10:22 pm Post subject:

Madman wrote:

Agree with Tahir and Beth. Needless duplication. Anyone interested in the site will be visiting regularly anyway. If they don't its coz theyre not interested so why waste your time and effort?

Guess people differ on this, there are a few sites which I am not a regular on, but have an interest and when I receive the odd newsletter I am happy about it, as it tells me that have something new to say that I might want to know.

jema

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 10:40 pm Post subject:
I have to admit, I only access the RC site, when I have a "friend of "email. I very rarely go to the home page otherwise.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28111
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 11:50 pm Post subject:

alison wrote:

I have to admit, I only access the RC site, when I have a "friend of "email. I very rarely go to the home page otherwise.

Now here's a question in need of an answer now we have been going 3 months, are we succeeding on the get punters to visit the main site score?

jema

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 11:51 pm Post subject:
Do we have a hit counter?

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28111
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 05 11:53 pm Post subject:

Madman wrote:

Do we have a hit counter?

we have loads of sophisticated stats packages telling us more and more people are visiting the main site, but nothing that tells us whether our forum members are

jema

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