HTML newsletter, please!

>but you could give new subsribers to the newsletter the option to get the news letter in plain text or HTML.

If you do HTML e-mail, please make it a choice. I would NOT choose HTML.

Hey Einstein,

Can you tell me what you don't like about the current newsletter – i.e., what sucks?

We don't sent it in HTML because not everyone's mail client can handle that. It's not due to connection speed – even an HTML version of the email wouldn't be a showstopper for dial-up users. But it's best for us to send the email in a generic plain text format and let each recipient's email client convert the links.

I'm definitely eager to hear your thoughts on how it can be improved. Shoot me an email – ben@backpackinglight.com.

Ben,

BPL could send the newsletter in multipart mime format which allows the email client to choose the version it can display best. This is like a bundle with a text and html version wrapped up together, upon display one or the other is used by the client.

Later with fancier user prefs in MY ACCOUNT, individuals could opt for one or the other and only receive that version, saving bandwidth and file size.

There are barely any email clients left that can't negotiate the multipart mime protocol. Even AOL finally figured it out. It must be coded perfectly though or you will get display inconsistencies (end of line characters must be correct). I would suggest a third party newsletter publishing vendor, but I know BPL likes to roll their own gear from scratch.

I prefer simple text.

Plain text is certainly consistent with BPL's philosophy of simple, lightweight, multiuse, and universal.

Please keep it simple.