If you currently have a newsletter or are in the planning stages
of publishing one, weigh the pros and cons of an online
newsletter versus the costly and labor intensive paper one. When
you begin to analyze the differences between the two, I am sure
that in most instances, you will choose the electronic one.
1) Bulk mail is inconvenient. Worrying about compliance with
postal regulations for length, width and thickness of
newsletters, zip code sorting, or bundling specifications can be
exhausting. You are free from the hassle or cost of stamps,
postal meters and postal permits. Even when you consider the
savings of bulk or nonprofit rates, your savings by going
electronic can be phenomenal. Make life easy for yourself. Save
time by avoiding the chore of lugging heavy loads of newsletters
to the post office.
2) Processing and supplies. Eliminate time allotted for the
drudgery of folding, sorting, arranging, collating, stapling,
taping, labeling and inserting into envelopes. Forget having to
buy ink or recycle ink cartridges. Imagine the steps that will
be eradicated. You don’t need people to order, pick up, stock or
use supplies. People become more efficient and effective without
having had to participate in a training program by making this
one managerial decision.
3) Quick updating. Templates let you plug in the new information
and you’re through. It doesn’t get easier than that. Accomplish
this by adding, deleting, modifying or correcting within seconds
or minutes. Why punish yourself by doing busy work. Wouldn’t you
rather be golfing or gardening?
4) Add graphics, charts and tables easily. Be more persuasive by
displaying large amounts of data in a consolidated form readers
find easy and fast to comprehend.
5) Add audio. Think of your readers being able to hear you by
simply clicking on a link to an mp3 audio or podcast. Then they
can hear the enthusiasm in your voice. By the way, some people
over the years have been programmed to learn better by reading
and others by listening. Sometimes when you combine reading and
listening, you get a synergistic effect with respect to learning
the material.
6) Faster distribution. Do away with the lag period from the
time of publishing until it reaches the reader. Furthermore,
although the U.S. Postal Service does a superb job especially
when you consider the huge volume of mail and newsletters it
handles, sometimes pieces are lost or delayed. I am sure you can
remember when that happened to you once or twice in the past.
Once the electronic newsletter is posted online your readers can
be alerted of that with a reminder email. There no need for them
to wait. If the total word count is not excessive, the
newsletter can be sent directly to the email inbox. Be sure to
ask that your email address be added to their address list to
prevent your email from getting tossed accidentally into a spam
folder.
7) Option to print. The newsletter can be printed on the
reader’s printer for those who need a hardcopy for reference or
to share. You have overcome the objection of those readers who
whimper that they want a paper copy because it is easier to
read. This is why it is important to format the newsletter for
printing if needed. Incidentally, there is a preliminary study
that suggests that there may be a slight risk of developing
glaucoma for those who read extensively online.
Preserve trees. An aggressive approach of cutting down trees
to provide paper impacts deleteriously on the environment. With
the removal of trees so does a barrier to winds. Trees add
oxygen to the air while they remove both carbon dioxide and
pollutants from the air. When smart conservation practices are
followed, trees impede the flow of runoff from rapid, torrential
rainfalls. Thus the risk from flooding is reduced. Trees reduce
soil erosion so landslides are less likely to damage edifices or
cause loss of life or medical emergencies. Excessive removal of
trees creates imbalances of the harmony between animals and
vegetation.
9) Nothing to discard. The reader of a paper newsletter will
eventually have to discard it. This is important because
landfills are closing. There may not be enough sites in the
future to dispose adequately of all the paper generated. The
alternative electronic newsletter doesn’t contribute to the
ongoing concern of the scarcity of landfills. Although some may
advocate recycling paper, why invest in the cost of doing this
when it may unnecessary? Doesn’t it sound better to go to the
heart of the problem?
10) Energy wastage. When paper usage is lowered, so are energy
demands and costs for both producing and discarding paper. Does
it make sense to hire more sanitation workers, buy more garbage
trucks and use more gasoline and motor oil? Well, you get the
picture, it all adds up.
11) Water wastage. To produce paper requires that large amounts
of water be used. After it is produced, the polluted water may
find its way into ponds and rivers. Thus, this affects adversely
aquatic life. Eventually, after the aquatic life is harmed, the
toxic substances used for bleaching, such as chlorine, can pose
a health threat to humans.
The time has arrived that publishers of newsletters need to
reassess the costs to them and the environment if they continue
to opt for paper rather than the paperless method. The readers
of such publications also have a responsibility to decide
whether they are to remain as part of the problem or are willing
to change their behavior and start reading a little more online.