Newsletter Switched to Yahoo! Groups

In the following week, I will send out emails to the 300 subscribers of Wangjianshuo’s Blog Update to nofity the change of the newsletter.

Dear Reader of Wangjianshuo’s Blog,

I am writing to notify you about the recent changes in the Wangjianshuo’s Blog Update Newsletter, which you have subscribed at http://home.wangjianshuo.com

As an effort to protect your privacy and give you more control over your subscription, like unsubscribing and changing deliver frequency, I have decided to switch from the built-in MovableType notification function to Yahoo! Groups.

This letter is to invite you to join the new mail list.

You are NOT added to the new list automatically. If you don’t want to receive daily update from Wangjianshuo’s Blog, NO action is required. Please kindly discard this letter and I’ll remove your email from my record.

If you still want to be notified when a new entry of my blog comes online, please kindly follow the instruction included in this email to confirm your subscription. I will be very happy to see your “renewal?of the subscription.

FAQ about the change can be found at http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/20040212_newsletter_switched_to_yahoo_groups.htm.

Thanks for your attention.

Jian Shuo Wang

http://home.wangjianshuo.com

Frequent Asked Questions are listed below.

Q: Tell me More about the Change.

Providing an update to readers about new entries is a good way to keep strong connections between a website and its readers. I started the newsletter, called Wangjianshuo’s Blog Update, from April, 2003. At the very beginning, I used the notification function of MovableType to send notifications. However, the lack of unsubscribe function is a big pain for me. My effort to add unsubscribe functions didn’t work well due to the manual administration. I don’t want to miss any unsubscribe request but don’t have the time to check everyday.

Later, I changed to the notification list of Links 2.0. There are still some problems with the time-out error. Anyway, I decided to find a better solution. Now, Yahoo! Groups is the best based on my research. So there is a change.

Q: Why Not Add the Existing Subscribers Directly Instead of Sending Invitation?

I don’t need a large number of members in my subscription list. It is meaningless. I just want to provide the right information that is helpful.

This is a good chance for people who are no longer interested to leave the list gracefully. I guess more than 30% of recipients won’t spend the effort to subscribe. That means, the value of the newsletter is less than two clicks of mouse. Then I respect their choice. Let’s save bandwidth of the over-loaded Internet together.

Q: I didn’t Receive Updates in the Last One or Two Months. Why?

Having the problems above said, I hesitate to send more updates in the last one and half month. I felt bad when I got bouncing email saying: “Who on hell are you?” or “If you dare to spam me again…”

People know how hardly I fought against spam. I have zero tolerance for people to call me myself a spammer. It is true that they entered their email address into my site but they forgot it, or someone else entered their emails (I don’t think it often happens). So I decide to utilize the email confirmation function of Yahoo! Groups so this won’t happen. From today, I have resumed the daily update to the new list. So subscribe and get synchronized.

Q: Is there any disadvantages in Yahoo! Groups?

Yes. Sometimes advertisements are inserted into the email. Well. It is the cost of a free service.

Q: Will You Change List Provider Again In the Future?

Maybe. If MovableType 3.0 provides more features, I am switch back.

Q: Can I Invite my Friends to Join this List Too?

Sure. It is appreciated if you recommend the site to your friend. However, please ask them to join by themselves instead of subscribing on behalf of them.

Q: I Haven’t Received the Inviation Yet. Can I Renew?

Yes. Just use the Subscribe form on every page (including this page) to subscribe yourself, even if you don’t receive an invitation.

Q: Other Question?

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Newsletter Switched to Yahoo! Groups

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