Weekly Newsletters

Weekly newsletters are a fantastic way to keep in touch with the thousands of intimates in your closest circles as well as your esteemed business contacts and friends among the world's nobility. Okay, even if your Rolodex isn't filled with the names of princes, duchesses, and imams, weekly newsletters are still practical solutions for those on the go. Rather than send out a series of emails each week, try consolidating all your latest news into one easy-to-read PDF or HTML document.

If the idea of sending high-resolution graphics and other data-rich files to your friends makes you jittery, don't do it. It's a safe bet that your friends would much prefer to go a week or two without hearing what you ate for breakfast and which socks you wore than watch their laptops explode from trying to render your ungodly graphics. As a compromise, try composing your weekly newsletters in ASCII characters only, which leaves them uniform but simple to read.

What to Put in Your Weekly Newsletters

The contents of your weekly newsletters depend on what you do, how many people you know, and your purpose in writing them. Generally, with so many stimuli competing for web users' attention, you need a compelling reason to read a weekly missive that isn't substantive. Send along fluff, and you know exactly where your precious news updates will land--in the recycling bin.

News of engagements, weddings, births, deaths, and anniversaries generally warrant a news release--at least to those parties who care. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when designing your weekly letters is to assume that all your contacts care about the doings of any one contact in particular. To guard against flames (and maybe save a few friendships), be sure that your "unsubscribe" link is prominently displayed with each edition. Then, don't take offense if a few of your recipients dare to take you up on the offer.