Text is for email and HTML coding is for Web Pages. I can't begin to tell you the number of emails I get formatted for HTML. These are basically not readable in a text mode and get quickly deleted. While some mail readers will display HTML coding, many will not. If you use email to send information to potential clients, always make sure that you send it in a format they can read.

AOL has some pretty nifty tools and allows you to put script in colors, use italic print or bold parts of your note. That's fine if you are writing to someone at AOL, but did you know that these tools may not be readable by the email client software that many people use? This may actually block the message from being read.

I get at least two or three emails every day with nothing in the body of the note. What a waste of your time and mine! When you do send something like that, you are begging for people to block all future emails from your address.

Many email readers have filters which easily allow offending emails to be automatically "trashed." If someone sends four or five spams, examine the return address. The odds are they are forged and will all be different. Blocking their email address is useless since they use a different one every time. Instead, pick a sentence in their email, and block any message with that sentence.

Emails with no text where the message comes in the form of an attachment is another common mistake. If it's not from someone I know, it is immediately deleted. Why should I waste my time opening an attachment in an unsolicited email? If the note is in doc format, it never gets opened, even if I know the person. They could unwittingly be sending me a virus.

One way to communicate via email effectively is to include the message in the body of the email and attach your HTML message to the note. That way the recipient has a choice. Remember, text can be read by all rail readers, and that is your best bet. Otherwise, you might be simply wasting your time

Bob publishes the "Your Business" email newsletter and offers a wide range of business support services including web design and hosting, telemarketing, and valuable advertising options.
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