In this Q&A with Michael Katz, e-newsletter expert, Ron Wright asks about developing his own application for creating and sending emails. Ron wants to avoid proprietary programs — is this a wise idea?
Ron:
What are the preferred methods of accepting subscribers programmatically?
Are there relatively low-cost programs available for handling the acceptance of subscribers & unsubscribers?
How should developers who are already knowledgeable of programs such as Dreamweaver MX, Access and ASP go about approaching the development and deployment of a newsletter choosing to bypass the above mentioned proprietary programs?
Ron Wright
Houston, Tx
Web Designer & Developer
Michael:
Thanks for your email. The ASP offerings from people like Constant Contact, ImakeNews, Subscriber Mail and others have gotten so good and so cheap, that I recommend that even the most capable programmers outsource the list management function.
On top of that, as the SPAM regulations get tighter (which they certainly will), you’re better off letting an outsourcer which has full time people on the job of keeping themselves whitelisted worry about not getting filtered inappropriately, than taking that task on yourself.
I hope that’s helpful. I understand the interest among capable programmers in building it themselves, but at this point in the development of email tools, I think your talents are better used elsewhere.
All the best,
Michael
Michael J. Katz is Founder and Chief Penguin of Blue Penguin Development, Inc., (http://www.BluePenguinDevelopment.com) a Boston area consulting firm that helps clients increase sales by showing them how to nurture their existing relationships, and that specializes in the development of electronic newsletters. He is the author of the book, E-Newsletters That Work.
