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• "I would like to create and deploy HTML newsletter via email. Can anyone tell me what do I need?" -- john
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HTML newsletters look fancy while text-only mailings promise to be pure and compatible. Should you choose a newsletter format by its cover? What benefits do HTML newsletters have, what is the price to pay?
HTML Newsletters
HTML newsletters look a lot more fancy than their plain-text counterparts, and they put the newsletter publisher in much greater control of what you see, and possibly of you.
Advantages
- Rich Content. HTML newsletter can deliver videos, audio, Java applets or dynamic HTML applications right to your Inbox. This is convenient and saves you the click you'd have to invest with a text-only newsletter.
- Easy to Read. Usually, HTML newsletters are designed to be easy on the eye. They are easy to read, and come with a layout that guides you through the newsletter's structure.
- More Control over Ads. The control is not yours, however, but the newsletter publisher's. I am listing this as an advantage of HTML newsletters because I'd rather have my favorite newsletter show me relevant advertising than stop being published.
Disadvantages
- Bigger in Size. HTML newsletters are usually bigger than their text-only counterparts. While the HTML code does not take up much space and images are usually not included, all images and other objects still have to be downloaded when you open the newsletter in your email program. This disadvantage blurs, however, when you take into account that you would follow one or two links in a text-only newsletter as well and wait for the target Web pages to display.
- Requires Special Software. In order to open an HTML newsletter, you need an email client aware of that format. Today, most email programs can either display HTML inline themselves or make it easy to send the code to your default browser. Since not all email programs render HTML equally well, you may still be forced to use specific software to display a certain newsletter, however.
- Potential Security Risk. HTML newsletters can introduce malicious code to your system. If you do not know and trust the publisher, you should be careful. If the newsletter comes from a trusted source, the security risk is very small.
- Privacy Invasion. Not only do newsletter publishers include hidden images that track who opens their emails when, but advertisers do the same. Take a look at both parties' privacy policies to see whether this is okay with you.
"The rich were dull and they drank too much or they played too much backgammon. They were dull and they were repetitious."
Ernest Hemingway
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