| As the online world changed in the nineties from | | | | grow and users growl. As a consequence, most |
| informational to commercial and highly | | | | of those cubicle inhabitants - the end users - who |
| competitive, marketers embraced the new | | | | have to sign a hundred page policy before they |
| technology and the need has arisen to send | | | | start getting busy on those corporate e-memos, |
| graphically appealing newsletters and marketing | | | | are unable to view and/or send HTML messages, |
| messages. You have only seconds to capture | | | | whether the feature is turned off at a server |
| attention, and the right picture will grab quicker | | | | level, or on their computers. |
| than the right copy, as they say, "a picture can | | | | Everything else aside, there is no bigger offender |
| be worth a thousand words". Just ask your clients | | | | here on Earth than Lotus Notes. Lotus Notes is |
| if they would use plain white paper, rather than | | | | notorious for its refusal to handle Multi-Part MIME |
| letterhead, to send an offline message to | | | | the same way the rest of the civilized world does. |
| prospects and customers. | | | | For your amusement, here is a definition of Lotus |
| Today, the vast majority of all email clients can | | | | Notes that was created by one of those "big |
| render (that is, display) HTML emails fairly well. | | | | picture" executives: "Lotus Notes is a commercial |
| Notable exceptions are older versions of Lotus | | | | workflow and groupware software package that |
| Notes and pre AOL pre version 6.0. So whereas a | | | | also provides application developers an |
| few years ago the answer to the question was | | | | environment for quickly creating cross- platform |
| rather complex, today it really comes down to | | | | client/server applications". Still with me? Don't be |
| message purpose, subscriber preference and | | | | scared. For the purposes of this article, Lotus |
| multipart messaging. Studies show that roughly 95 | | | | Notes is an email client. Ok? |
| percent of commercial messages sent today are | | | | If you work for a company that uses Lotus |
| sent as Multi-Part MIME. | | | | Notes as the email system, don't even think |
| Multi-part MIME is an older protocol that allows you | | | | about sending newsletters other than in text form |
| to send both text and HTML versions of an e-mail | | | | from it. Besides the fact that as a general rule, I |
| in a single package, kind of like a sandwich. The | | | | always recommend to marketers the use of a |
| recipient's e-mail program then displays the HTML | | | | professional permission based email marketing |
| version, if it is capable of reading that, or the text | | | | service, in the Lotus Notes case you just have to. |
| version, if it is not. | | | | If you communicate to the B2B market, |
| Search Engine Marketing Specialist | | | | particularly large professional services firms, large |
| Since 1995 SEO/SEM tools, training, and | | | | lawfirms, many Global 2000 companies, HTML |
| professional "full service" Search Engine Marketing | | | | email compatibility will be a thorn in your side, as a |
| help at very affordable rates. | | | | lot of these companies use Lotus Notes. |
| MIME stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail | | | | The issues include: |
| Extensions and is an internet standard for the | | | | - Older versions of Lotus Notes (under R5) |
| format of e-mail. Virtually all human written | | | | convert HTML emails to a Lotus Notes Rich Text |
| Internet e-mail and a fairly large proportion of | | | | format. Lotus Notes versions under R5 also do |
| automated e-mail is transmitted via SMTP MIME | | | | not recognize Multi-Part MIME messages (HTML |
| format. SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer | | | | and text combined in a single email). |
| Protocol and if nothing else, you'll learn a few | | | | - Some companies may be deploying later |
| more acronyms if you stick around. Internet | | | | versions of the Lotus Notes client, i.e., R6, but |
| e-mail is so closely associated with the SMTP and | | | | using an older version of Lotus Notes/Domino |
| MIME standards that it is sometimes called SMTP | | | | server such as 4.6. In this example, the recipient's |
| MIME e-mail. | | | | email client would also render an HTML message |
| Folks, while nobody can really agree on numbers | | | | incorrectly. |
| and stats, we all agree on this: HTML Email | | | | So for a recipient to view a properly rendered |
| Doesn't Work Properly for Millions of Recipients. | | | | HTML email, a company must use both the Lotus |
| HTML email breaks in a wide variety of email | | | | Notes client and server of R5 and above. |
| inboxes. This isn't due to your creative abilities or | | | | Here are some quick tips you can take if you |
| lack of HTML knowledge - it's due to the fact | | | | have a significant Lotus Notes subscriber base: |
| that the email client your recipient views your | | | | 1. Include a link at the top of HTML emails named |
| email in routinely breaks your message. | | | | "View Web Version" or something similar. The link |
| I feel like this is worth defining, as I know a lot of | | | | sends recipients to a web hosted HTML version |
| people get very scared when we talk about | | | | of the email (either on the email technology |
| clients and servers, but will not admit it. An email | | | | provider's server or the sender's server). |
| client (some "big picture" folks also call it Mail User | | | | 2. Also include an "Update Preferences" link and |
| Agent) is nothing but a computer program that is | | | | provide a web site update form that then enables |
| used to read and send e-mail, such as Outlook, | | | | recipients to choose to receive Text rather than |
| Lotus Notes, Thunderbird, etc. A mail server (also | | | | HTML. |
| called a Mail Transfer Agent or MTA, or a mail | | | | 3. Create complete Text versions for those who |
| exchange server) is a computer program that | | | | prefer not to receive HTML or cannot view |
| transfers electronic mail messages from one | | | | HTML. |
| computer to another. Most of the time, since | | | | 4. On opt-in forms, include an option to receive a |
| nobody has time to learn all the acronyms and | | | | Text version and potentially list tips (i.e., "If you |
| terminology coined by those "big picture" people, | | | | are using Lotus Notes versions below R5, select |
| we are used to know a mail server as the entire | | | | Text"). |
| contraption (wires and all) that runs the program. | | | | In conclusion, I will say it again: Folks, don't try this |
| Depending on the email system, your HTML | | | | at home. Instead, always outsource email |
| images may be blocked so recipients see a blank | | | | marketing to one of the many professional |
| white box and/or your live hotlinks may not work | | | | services. Advantages are: No blacklists and |
| properly. AOL 9.0, Outlook 2003, and Gmail are | | | | established relations with the major ISPs, ensuring |
| most infamous for blocking and/or breaking | | | | maximum deliverability (plus, you don't want to be |
| HTML, "for security reasons". | | | | called a spammer and banned from everywhere). |
| Another big offender for not letting HTML through | | | | They also make it easy to create, send, and |
| is Mel, the guy that works in the corporate IT | | | | track permission-based email, have advanced |
| department. Many corporations have IT | | | | reporting, message scheduling, the ability to create |
| departments who can't wait for the day when all | | | | unlimited lists, bounce back handling (extremely |
| attachments and all HTML emails are eradicated. | | | | important), subscription management, newsletter |
| That is because in their world, anything that is not | | | | templates and many other major |
| pure text is spam, virii, worms, trojans, spyware, | | | | industry-standard features. |
| adware, pure evil(ware) that makes mailboxes | | | | |