Targeting the emails...
Looking at John Kerry's and Friends of John Mcain's websites, one thing strikes me - signing up for an email update is an all or nothing thing...just one box I can put my email address into to receive updates.
Is that the smart way to handle email updates? I am not convinced it is. Nielsen's article about the 2004 newsletters talks about the issue of "user dissatisfaction on this count because they bombard users with newsletters."
If you are only sending out one email to everyone, it is difficult to make each email relevant to people. Isn't it better to let people sign up for a general overview plus newsletters about issues that interest them. That way, you could send out the general newsletter less often, and have more impact, while any specific issues would only go to those who have expressed an interest, so are:
Is that the smart way to handle email updates? I am not convinced it is. Nielsen's article about the 2004 newsletters talks about the issue of "user dissatisfaction on this count because they bombard users with newsletters."
If you are only sending out one email to everyone, it is difficult to make each email relevant to people. Isn't it better to let people sign up for a general overview plus newsletters about issues that interest them. That way, you could send out the general newsletter less often, and have more impact, while any specific issues would only go to those who have expressed an interest, so are:
- More likely to read the email
- More likely to act upon the information in the email
