Comments on: Newsletters on Blogs, Annoying or Open-minded? http://www.blogherald.com/2008/08/21/newsletters-on-blogs-annoying-or-open-minded/ The leading source of news covering social media and the blogosphere. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:18:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Andre http://www.blogherald.com/2008/08/21/newsletters-on-blogs-annoying-or-open-minded/comment-page-1/#comment-576093 Andre Sat, 23 Aug 2008 11:35:48 +0000 http://www.blogherald.com/2008/08/21/newsletters-on-blogs-annoying-or-open-minded/#comment-576093 Hey David, I just ran a contest on the hyperlocal site that I run where I announced the winner through the e-newsletter only and I'll say that the main reason I did it was to thank the subscribers. We announced the contest on the site because we'd already promised them that we'd do so but in looking back, the folks that read the newsletter are the ones that would take the time to learn more about the cause, so if we did it again, we'd probably only announce it via the newsletter. Our newsletter is primarily a listing of some of our articles (though we do try to make sure there are things that either haven't been covered on the site or starting next week, more in-depth commentary that will not be on the site). The newsletter has an RSS feed, but most of the folks that receive it are not accustomed to using RSS at all, hence why we do the newsletter. We must remember that while we know that someone can follow us 10 different ways, most folks only know how to follow us one or two ways at the most. I had someone say describe my site as a weekly e-newsletter. She apparently never goes to the site except for when she gets her newsletter and clicks on the links to the stories. Plus, we have no way of tracking those RSS numbers anyway, so they kind of just float out there. We knew we wouldn't get any many more folks signing up for the newsletter (we got 4) but we did know that we'd most likely be able to thank a long-time subscriber for their support of the site. In the future we may run some of our contests through the newsletter only where the folks who read the blog only would have no idea a contest was going on. Hey David, I just ran a contest on the hyperlocal site that I run where I announced the winner through the e-newsletter only and I’ll say that the main reason I did it was to thank the subscribers. We announced the contest on the site because we’d already promised them that we’d do so but in looking back, the folks that read the newsletter are the ones that would take the time to learn more about the cause, so if we did it again, we’d probably only announce it via the newsletter.

Our newsletter is primarily a listing of some of our articles (though we do try to make sure there are things that either haven’t been covered on the site or starting next week, more in-depth commentary that will not be on the site). The newsletter has an RSS feed, but most of the folks that receive it are not accustomed to using RSS at all, hence why we do the newsletter. We must remember that while we know that someone can follow us 10 different ways, most folks only know how to follow us one or two ways at the most. I had someone say describe my site as a weekly e-newsletter. She apparently never goes to the site except for when she gets her newsletter and clicks on the links to the stories. Plus, we have no way of tracking those RSS numbers anyway, so they kind of just float out there.

We knew we wouldn’t get any many more folks signing up for the newsletter (we got 4) but we did know that we’d most likely be able to thank a long-time subscriber for their support of the site. In the future we may run some of our contests through the newsletter only where the folks who read the blog only would have no idea a contest was going on.

]]> By: Stephen Downes http://www.blogherald.com/2008/08/21/newsletters-on-blogs-annoying-or-open-minded/comment-page-1/#comment-574010 Stephen Downes Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:11:51 +0000 http://www.blogherald.com/2008/08/21/newsletters-on-blogs-annoying-or-open-minded/#comment-574010 I've had the RSS version since 1998 (Netscape Netcenter feed number 31) and the email newsletter since 2001. My experience is that the email crowd is very different from the RSS crowd (and that there has been, over the years, a constant migration from the email newlsetter to the RSS feed). I don't do it to inflate numbers (I don't even count the number of subscribers I have in RSS, I just guestimate from my Google Reader stats), I do it to offer convenient alternatievs to reader. I’ve had the RSS version since 1998 (Netscape Netcenter feed number 31) and the email newsletter since 2001. My experience is that the email crowd is very different from the RSS crowd (and that there has been, over the years, a constant migration from the email newlsetter to the RSS feed). I don’t do it to inflate numbers (I don’t even count the number of subscribers I have in RSS, I just guestimate from my Google Reader stats), I do it to offer convenient alternatievs to reader.

]]> By: Bryce http://www.blogherald.com/2008/08/21/newsletters-on-blogs-annoying-or-open-minded/comment-page-1/#comment-573944 Bryce Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:01:57 +0000 http://www.blogherald.com/2008/08/21/newsletters-on-blogs-annoying-or-open-minded/#comment-573944 I think it's a good idea to have e-mail as an additional subscription option for your blog's feed - but creating an e-mail newsletter as a way of doing other marketing/content is silly – that's what your blog's for. I think it’s a good idea to have e-mail as an additional subscription option for your blog’s feed – but creating an e-mail newsletter as a way of doing other marketing/content is silly – that’s what your blog’s for.

]]> By: David http://www.blogherald.com/2008/08/21/newsletters-on-blogs-annoying-or-open-minded/comment-page-1/#comment-573847 David Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:03:58 +0000 http://www.blogherald.com/2008/08/21/newsletters-on-blogs-annoying-or-open-minded/#comment-573847 Yeah, it was short and to the point, but not as informational as this post, so kudos to you for that. I allow people to subscribe via e-mail as well rather than through an RSS reader, but recently a contest came up to which the winner will only be announced through the e-mail newsletter (which is mostly just an RSS distribution tool for the blog). I found that this was really just the blog owner trying to increase his RSS subscriber count through getting the same readers to subscribe both to his RSS in their readers, as well as using a contest to get them to sign up to his RSS e-mail newsletter. Shameful tactic to be sure. Yeah, it was short and to the point, but not as informational as this post, so kudos to you for that. I allow people to subscribe via e-mail as well rather than through an RSS reader, but recently a contest came up to which the winner will only be announced through the e-mail newsletter (which is mostly just an RSS distribution tool for the blog). I found that this was really just the blog owner trying to increase his RSS subscriber count through getting the same readers to subscribe both to his RSS in their readers, as well as using a contest to get them to sign up to his RSS e-mail newsletter. Shameful tactic to be sure.

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