Category: E-newsletter Fundamentals

Three Things That are Wrong With Your Newsletter

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14 COMMENTS

As someone who traffics in email newsletters, I receive and read a lot of them. These days, most look very nice. Thanks to the Mailchimps and Constant Contacts of the world, the formatting and publishing part has become relatively straightforward. But the formatting is just the wrapper.  It’s like a movie: sure, it needs to look good. But if the script is terrible, all the special effects and talented actors in the world won’t save it (Spider-Man 2 being the notable exception). When it comes to your newsletter, the “script” is the content. And […] Click to read more…

Rhythm Method

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6 COMMENTS

For the past two months, I have been trying to learn how to play the guitar. It’s always struck me as a fun activity and, since I am pretty good at typing, it seems like a logical next step. But the odds are not in my favor – this is the third time in about seven years that I have tried to make a go of it. The first two (failed) attempts involved live, in-person teachers. In both instances, I lasted about six months. This time, though, I have made two […] Click to read more…

Cuomo Mojo

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12 COMMENTS

(Listen to this post, here.) I don’t know much about Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York. I left the state 40 years ago when I graduated from high school, and other than occasional visits to see my mom and big brother Al (there’s your shout out, now stop whining), New York isn’t really on my radar. That all changed a couple of weeks ago, when I stumbled upon one of Governor Cuomo’s daily COVID-19 press conferences. Once each day, late morning, he appears before the cameras and a small, appropriately-distanced group […] Click to read more…

It’s Not Me, It’s You

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14 COMMENTS

(Listen to this post, here.) My son Evan can juggle five balls (simultaneously). My daughter Emily finished a half marathon with an average speed of 8:04 per mile. My son Jonathan is lead singer in a band that won “Battle of the Bands” two years in a row at his college. Do you care? I didn’t think so. You’ve got your own life. And while reading about the skills and accomplishments of other people’s children might occasionally be interesting, it’s not something you’re likely to go in search of. As […] Click to read more…

The Magic of Free Information

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22 COMMENTS

(Listen to this post, here.) The dirt pile next door is now a 3,000 square foot house. Of course, it didn’t happen by magic. Or overnight. We live in a new development: 60 homes that have been under construction for about four years. When we moved here 18 months ago, there was an empty lot on one side of us and a 30-story (I may be exaggerating) mound of dirt on the other. Slowly, over the months, the mound got smaller and smaller, until one day it was gone and […] Click to read more…