Please Help Me Define the Future of this Newsletter

Most readers of this newsletter know that I have been experimenting with the newsletter format recently. I have struggled to work around impediments created by spam filters. I cannot measure the size of the problem with precision, but it appears that roughly 30% of the Plus Edition newsletters sent via e-mail never reach the intended addressees. I continue to send the Plus Edition to each subscriber via e-mail every week, but I have also been experimenting with alternative delivery methods for those who cannot receive e-mail versions.

Along the way, I have introduced several new terms to readers of this newsletter. Recent articles have been awash with references to Web logs, blogs, RSS, newsreaders, RDF and ATOM. Reaction from readers has been mixed: some people have been delighted with the changes while others have not. However, the total feedback received has been from a tiny percentage of the total newsletter readers.

Today I am asking for YOUR opinion. I have set up an online poll. I would like your opinion. It will only require a few seconds of your time. In fact, once you register your opinion, you will be able to see the opinions of everyone who "voted" before you. You can also return every day to see how the polling is going. I will leave the polling open until ten days from today. At that time, the requests that receive the most "votes" will win; I will make sure that the most popular options will be available for many, many months.

The first three questions are for those who paid for Plus Edition subscriptions. The last two are for those who read the free Standard Edition. I hope the questions are self-explanatory.

Please let me know your opinion. I would ask you to take a few seconds to select your preference from the following list.

NOTE: If the online poll does not appear below in your Web browser, RSS newsreader or e-mail program, you can participate in the poll by visiting http://www.eogn.com/home/poll.htm.

Comments

[Stephen Gauss]

The poll appears fine in my web browser, but not in SharpReader, which just shows a hypertext line for javascript.

[Dick Eastman]

---> The poll appears fine in my web browser, but not in SharpReader...

That is expected. The polling software is written in Javascript and many of the RSS newsreaders will not handle that. Those who receive this in the next e-mail version of the newsletter may also have the same problem as many e-mail programs will not execute Javascript.

That is why I wrote, "If the online poll does not appear below in your Web browser, RSS newsreader or e-mail program, you can participate in the poll by visiting http://www.eogn.com/home/poll.htm."

[Jim Raehl]

I mostly use RSS blog in Opera to read standard edition, but like Plus edition in Email for archiving. Plus in RSS is cumbersome, since not all the Plus article is there. I'd prefer both RSS blog and Email's with complete articles as before. Maybe some kind of way can be figured out to automatically assemble an Email from the blogs.

[jim thompson]

I am reading this on Safari from a url that says "www.eogn.com/blog" but I'm unaware of any RSS software on my machine. So the poll did not address my situation, so far as I know it. I do like the blog and prefer it but found no way to express that preference w/o any RSS.

[Dick Eastman]

---> I am reading this on Safari from a url that says "www.eogn.com/blog" but I'm unaware of any RSS software on my machine. So the poll did not address my situation, so far as I know it.

You are using the option to "read the free Standard Edition daily version on the Web," the fourth item on the poll list.

[Dick Eastman]

---> Maybe some kind of way can be figured out to automatically assemble an Email from the blogs.

There are a number of free services that will do that. Look at http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=notify+by+email+when+a+web+page+changes.

Take a look at Web2Mail at http://www.web2mail.com/lite/welcome.php. The company offers several free services. You might be interested in #2 on that page: Receive any web page by email. You can specify to receive it daily, weekly, etc. You would need to subscribe to: http://eogn.typepad.com

[Debbie]

I am confused by the alphabet soup and what this all means. While I try to stay current on computer uses I was puzzled trying to figure out the differences in the options of the survey.

[ME Longley]

I too am confused. I plan to keep re-reading it all until I "get" it.

[Dick Eastman]

The questions refer to which method you use to read this newsletter. Theer are three methods:

1. In e-mail (available only to Plus Edition subscribers)

2. In a Web browser

3. In a special form of software called an RSS newsreader.

If you are using Internet Explorer or Netscape or Opera or FireFox or Safari, those are Web browsers.

[Eddie Manley]

Dick
I have no trouble with the Newsletter. Thanks for continuing -- Eddie Manley

[Mary Holland]

Dick, I like a different option! I check daily on the blog and see what is happening, BUT I prefer to archive the Plus e-mail for future reference. I have all but a couple of the first early newsletters in my archives now!
Mary

[TDewhurst]

Hi Dick,

I too prefer a weekly read to a daily one.
It doesn't matter to me which format (email or web) but I don't want to feel that I'm missing out on things if I don't get to the site frequently. Maybe you could just send an email weekly - with the listing of new article headings and links to the web story?
Terry

[Joyce]

I have your web page (http://www.eogn.com/blog/index.htm) set as my browser's home page. It's great. I get genealogy news every time I open the browser.

[Dick Eastman]

---> Maybe you could just send an email weekly - with the listing of new article headings and links to the web story?

That is exactly what I am doing and have been doing for several years for Standard Edition subscribers. Of course, Plus Edition subscribers receive the entire newsletter in e-mail (if their e-mail providers do not block it).

Nothing is changing with the e-mail deliveries; they continue in the same manner as always.

Of course, you can stop by the Web site or blog address daily or weekly or monthly. The articles will still be here. There is no requirement to stop by every day. If you do, however, you will see the latest news. If you only stop by once a week or at longer intervals, you still will see everything. Nothing gets deleted.

Thanks.

- Dick Eastman

[Amy]

I'd like to try the RSS feed version. I've got a reader, but what URL do I use to subscribe to the feed?

[Dick Eastman]

---> I've got a reader, but what URL do I use to subscribe to the feed?

http://eogn.typepad.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/index.rdf

[Tom Blaisdell]

I tried to vote in your poll but it came up blank in Netscape 7. I get your newsletter fine as an email. Leave things alone.

[SamIam]

Just shut 'er down. There's already tons of gen blogs out there that have most of your news items before you do. They don't have the good, insightful analysis that you used to before you started the daily blog. Maybe your time is going more towards administration instead of content creation?

[Liz DuBois]

I only got the first question (using Netscape 7.x)...no other questions appeared after I submitted my answer. I like reading the newsletter once a week. I've set our spam filters to allow your newsletter to come through each time it is sent. I don't want to have to remember to check some web site daily to see 'what's happening'!

[Sterrie Weaver]

I get the Plus edition with no problem and do not have time to look at RSS but would like links to articles not published items in the weekly Plus edition

[Virginia Banerjee]

I like the "clean" lines of the blog version. Easier to read than the old model.

[Dino (All Dino, All the Time)]

Dick,

Did I miss your announcement of the new version of Family Tree Maker (version 2005)? I was just on their site and saw that they had been advertising it.

I did a search on your site, but didn't find it there. Based on how many people use FTM, this seems like an item of great interest to a lot of readers.

We did get articles on a "retro cell phone" and the "world's oldest family-owned business" though.

[Anne Brown]

I've been enjoying the newsletter for a long time and have never had difficulty getting it, even across spam filters at alltel.net and earthlink.net. And I prefer it in the weekly email format! The poll didn't render in my Outlook 2002, so I used the link.

[Doris V Ragsdale]

I have enjoyed the newsletters just as I have been receiving them. The delivery and print are both fine. The articles are interesting, and informative. Just keep sending as is.
doris

[Ted Mudge]

I used to look forward to reading the weekly email newsletter, including the genealogy related articles as well as your insightful analysis & commentary. I am not a computer junkie, and all of this technostuff is more than I care to invest time in. Has the media become more important than the message?

[Helen]

I'll admit to being like "Debbi" - I certainly don't know what RSS is! I've never had a bit of difficulty receiving the newsletter via Netscape 7.0 & do not enjoy the time (some have) to read a lot of such material each day. I'd just like to see you keep up the original fine work, sticking as much as possible to real genealogy - that is what drew me to your service in the beginning!

[Nancy]

I like the weekly e-mail. Have no trouble getting
it. Was not able to access your poll on the blog
. Not even sure if this is working.

[Barbara]

I prefer the e-mail versions of the Plus and Standard newsletters. The blog edition is nice to visit, but it's time-consuming to follow the links to read the articles. Recently, my Plus subscription was due for renewal, and I had to decide whether to renew. Since my time is limited, I decided not to renew. This is the best newsletter on the internet. If Mr. Eastman decides to renew the e-mail version, I hope he will contact me so that I can renew my subscription.

[Dick Eastman]

---> If Mr. Eastman decides to renew the e-mail version, I hope he will contact me so that I can renew my subscription.

Uh, I never planned to stop the e-mail version. It was discussed for a bit at one time but no decision was ever made. Given the results so far on the survey, I do not see any reason to re-think it. The weekly e-mail versions will continue as planned.

- Dick Eastman

[Margaret Lezark]

I don't care for the recent changes at all. I would like to see all the text at once like you used to do. I don't want to keep clicking on another page, coming back and forth all the time.

In addition, I am seeing more and more irrelevant material in each newsletter. Could you get back to basics?

[Dick Eastman]

---> I would like to see all the text at once like you used to do.

That is available in the Plus Edition. It is an e-mail sent once a week. The entire newsletter is presented as one long e-mail with all the text displayed at once.

Plus Edition subscribers also may optionally read articles on the Web site or in an RSS newsreader daily, if they wish. However, there is no need for them to do that if they are satisfied with the once-a-week mailing.

- Dick Eastman

[Dick Eastman]

---> I would like to see all the text at once like you used to do.

On the page that you are looking at right now, look in the upper left corner under NAVIGATION and then click on "Read These Pages in a typical Blog Newsreader." That will show you all the text at once.

Next, on the left side of this page, scroll down to ARCHIVES and click on "July 2004." That will show you all the text at once.

Finally, one concept that I am having difficulty explaining is the use of RSS newsreaders. Anyone who uses an RSS newsreader to read this newsletter has even more options, depending upon what the programmer had in mind when he or she created the newsreader. Clicking on "Read These Pages in a typical Blog Newsreader" shows you just one such possibility, there are others.

In short, you have many options. If you do not care for the manner in which the data is displayed using one method, you can always try the other options. There are several to choose from.

Thank you.

- Dick Eastman

[Robert Dainton]

Like the "Blog" approach. Don't mind "Clicking" on to get the full info because it allows me to read what I want without going all the way through all the articles, which by the way are great. Irrelevant stuff? As long as it's about genealogy it's not irrelevant. Genealogy is not just collecting names, but the "History of a Family line" and that includes work, location, illness, social background, etc., etc.

Great stuff Dick. Keep it up