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Web News & Tips - Issue #273 $7.00 per month Small Business web hosting from MateMedia Web News & Tips Published by MateMedia, Inc. Your Partner on the Web Providing quality Web services at affordable prices since 1995 MateMedia provides the following services: * Web Hosting (Shared & Managed Dedicated Servers) * Web Design & Development - Custom Web Applications * Database Development & Hosting * Website Maintenance & Webmaster Services * Search Engine Promotion (Optimization & Submission) * E-Commerce - Shopping Carts - Sample Shopping Cart * Domain Name Registration * Domain Name Affiliate Program * Web Hosting Affiliate Program * FREE Website when you order a web hosting account! For more information about our services email sales@matemediainc.com or call us at 877-309-7521 - Read what our clients have to say about us IN THIS ISSUE: Become a MateMedia Domain Name Affiliate Become a MateMedia Small Business Web Hosting Affiliate Free Webmaster Tools Free Scripts for Your Website The Lowdown: How To Create And Send HTML Email Web News A Step by Step Guide to Getting Started on the Web Recommend this newsletter to a friend Advertise in Web News & Tips $7.00 per month web hosting from MateMedia The Lowdown: How To Create And Send HTML Email By Steve Shaw I am frequently asked how to create and send HTML email, usually with regard to how to broadcast it to a mailing list. This article presents the various options available to you. How to create HTML email: Creating the content of an HTML email is very similar to how you would create a basic web page. Just use your normal web page editor, such as FrontPage or Dreamweaver (or even Notepad can be used, in conjunction with a browser to preview the code), and construct a web page in the normal way, saving it as an .html or .htm file. You may consider creating an HTML email template that you can use as a basis for all your future HTML emails. If so, once you're happy with the basic look, save it and then just open and re-edit for your future emails. There is an important difference that you need to remember between writing HTML for your web site, and writing HTML for email. All the URLs in your code need to be absolute, rather than relative, for all links and images, eg. http://www.yourdomain.com/image.gif, rather than something like just image.gif. This also means of course that any images used in your HTML email need to be stored on a web server, the same as when you use images on a web site. How to send HTML email: To send the HTML email to an individual, such as to yourself in order to check on its appearance, you can open the web page (i.e. the HTML email) you have created in the latest version of IE (File -> Open...), and then click File -> Send. However, if you're creating HTML email for use in email marketing, you will normally want to use a completely different tool in order to send it to numerous recipients. There are two main options to enable you to send email to a mailing list - you can either use some special software on your own computer; or use a web-based solution, either on your own web site, or via a service run by a third party. If you are looking for software, you can find a variety of solutions by going to somewhere like download.com, and searching for 'send email'. You can also install some software onto your own web site, which can give you more control but also gives you all the responsibility for maintenance of the software/script if things go wrong. However, I personally have a preference for using a third-party web-based service when sending out my newsletter. For one, it means my broadcasts are not reliant on my own Internet connection or PC, and it also let's someone else take care of delivering my messages to several thousand recipients. There are literally hundreds of third-party web-based services available, all varying widely in quality and ease of use, and suiting different budgets and email requirements. One of the best ways to do your research on this is to check out your competitors or your favourite newsletters and ezines, and, if they send out HTML email, find out what service they use. Often the unsubscribe link, that should be at the bottom of their messages, will point towards the relevant web site. Finally, and importantly, should you send out HTML email? It entirely depends on the preferences of your own list. But, in general, look towards big business. Most big businesses tend to send out HTML email, and there's only going to be one main reason for that - response rates. But you do need to ensure that your HTML email is professional, easy to read, and has an attractive layout. Steve Shaw creates systems and software for effective e-marketing. His powerful PopUpMaster Pro software creates popups that beat the popup blockers and can significantly increase your conversion rates. For more information: http://www.popupmaster.com E-mail: steve@takanomi.com Author's URL: http://www.submityourarticle.com Steve Shaw has been marketing full-time online since March 2002, developing software products and systems for e-marketing. His service at http://SubmitYOURArticle.com allows you to submit your articles instantly to thousands. $7.00 per month web hosting from MateMedia Increase your rank in the search engines! Check out our new search engine optimization plans Become a MateMedia Web Hosting Affiliate Web News $7.00 per month web hosting from MateMedia Audio and video Internet streams are becoming more commonplace, as AccuStream iMedia Research reports increased usage during 2003 and the first quarter of 2004. "...streaming media is very much mainstream content now. Audiences over the years have become very educated, there is more residential broadband, there have been so many huge news events, from the JFK Jr. crash to the War in Iraq, that continue to drive up usage. Moreover, there is simply more programming available that appeals to mainstream audiences...," Paul Palumbo, founder and research director for AccuStream iMedia Research, says. A plucky Burger King Web site has racked up 46 million hits in one week and inspired countless blog entries, one hack and at least one wiki. Ladies and gentlemen -- or rather, teens, twentysomethings and Missing Men -- it's Subservient Chicken. The site, at subservientchicken.com, features a chicken-suit-garbed human embodying the classic BK tagline, "Have it your way." In a nod to adult "cam" sites, users type in commands and the bird obeys. Visitors are eating it up -- and, Burger King hopes, consuming large quantities of its TenderCrisp chicken sandwich as well. The site is part of an integrated campaign for the new product. Adware maker WhenU has filed suit against Utah alleging that the state's new anti- spyware statute is unconstitutional and limits companies' rights to commercial speech. In the case, filed this week in the Third Judicial District Court in Salt Lake County, WhenU seeks a declaration that Utah's Spyware Control Act violates the U.S. and Utah Constitutions. It also seeks a temporary restraining order preventing the law from being implemented. Copyright 2000-2004 MateMedia, Inc. |
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