Over the years, I've written a bunch of emails. My gmail "Sent" box is at 5,000+. No joke. Add to that all of the mass emails I've written and executed. Phew. I'm gonna skip calculating the total. Math makes me want to take a nap. Let's just say a lot. I receive a lot too. Every now and then I get one that merits immediate intervention. Seriously, step AWAY from the send button. Slowly, slowly, and nobody has to get hurt. 

I just received super weird 952 word newsletter (no ⁋ breaks – gah!) from my favorite online estate jewelry wholesaler. It covered everything from:

• A Bible reference I didn't quite get.
• A missive on the 'Occupy' movement.
• News of a recent move up North and subsequent nostalgia for "huge noble century old (palm) trees that have stood the test of time. These regal trees watched our forefathers ox-plowing the land, they witnessed the pride of the common man as he worked his leased land and his respect for the landed gentry to whom he paid a tithe.)
• Topical blurbs including the upcoming Christie's New York auction of Liz Taylor's gems and a supplementary chart explaining how the current consumer price index (CPI) for jewelry makes this the perfect time to buy bling.

Thumbs up for the relevancy of the latter pieces, but it's worth noting that the link and code for the new merchandise preview extended to subscribers mentioned in the subject line were buried at the end of the email. (Again, props where they are due: that's a GREAT value proposition to incentivize site visitors to fork over their address.)

I'm relatively certain my critique would not be welcomed by the vendor in question, but I'd like to share some tips as "one to grow on" for interested parties charged with broadcast email campaigns for organizations. If you don't want to take my word for it, listen to the really, really smart people quoted below.

Takeaway #1

"Brevity is the soul of wit." – William Shakepeare

Take a note from 'The Bard'. 952 words is TOO long. 

• Not having ⁋ breaks included (or in this case, properly formatted HTML) make it seem five times longer. 
• I don't recommend that you try to pack that much into any one communication. Period. If you must, pare down each point to the minimum and provide links to expanded commentary on your website.
• Having extra content is actually a GOOD thing. Divide it up into multiple newsletters and schedule them for future release. Take the time saved, kick up your heels and enjoy a relaxing beverage.

Takeaway #2

"Send in haste. Repent in leisure." – Proverb Adaptation

When emails are tough on the eyes, they don't get read.

• Worse yet, folks unsubscribe. In droves. Or even worser (yes-i-know-that's-not-a-word), you get reported as a spammer. Then your email marketing provider has to get all up in your business. Trust me, the hassle is worth avoiding.
• This is completely avoidable as most providers have a "Test" feature for both HTML and "text only" versions. If the email is pristine when you're editing, you may wonder, "Why bother?" with an extra step. Well…
  • HTML can be tricky. What looks fine in the WYISWYG editor can come out wonky, especially if you've made changes to font style and size that conflict with the email template CSS.
  • The program the recipient uses to read emails effects how your content looks when it gets to their inbox. (MailChimp offers a one-click option that checks how your email holds up with most major email clients.)

Takeaway #3

"Great is our admiration of the orator who speaks with fluency and discretion." – Marcus Tullius Cicero

Sharing personal information is a great way to connect to your readers. BUT (and this is a big but) you need keep it light and filter your thoughts.

• Make it brief, keep the pontification to a minimum, and put the personal stuff in a letter style intro or closing section.
• Keep away from political and religious fodder… and extensive details about your kids/dogs/cats/turtle/possum. Respect the fact that people who signed up to receive your emails did so with the implicit trust that you would be providing valuable information about something in which they have an interest.
• CAVEAT: You get a pass on the above rule if politics/religion/kids/dogs/cats/possums are central to your brand. Other than that, start a personal blog as an outlet for personal interests.

So, that's my list. Did I miss anything? I'd welcome your tips, tricks, and cautionary tales in the comments.

There was a whole lot of Awesome in the submissions bag for the Boston chapter’s September 2011 Fellowship. One in particular stood out. Internationally known mural artist, Caleb Neelon, applied for spray paint and sandwich money to underwrite the transformation of a large wall for the Tobin School in Mission Hill. For those who love art and our fair city, Neelon’s TEDx Boston presentation (‘Courting the Creative Class’) is a must watch.

Want to know more? Here’s a blurb from the application:

I’ll have some artists coming in from out of town and it’ll be a great time. Right now I don’t have any idea what we’ll be painting, but that’s the way I like it, and the school principal is fine with that. I know it’ll be really colorful. The wall is boring crummy brick and needs some love.

This will be the 2^nd project Neelon has done for the elementary school. Weather permitting, painting will begin this weekend as a lead in to his upcoming talk at the MFA (Sunday, September 25^th @ 2pm) and recently released book, The History of American Graffiti. Follow the link to Amazon. The reviews are pretty freakin’ awesome.

The summer has been mighty busy in Awesometonia. In Boston alone, we:

• Had our TED stage debut with Christina Xu’s “The Importance of Being Awesome” at TEDxBoston.
• Held our first (of hopefully many) Nerdy/Awesome collaborations by co-hosting Nerd Nite Boston on Monday, July 25th.
• Are in the process of planning an open deliberation event for late September. (Stay tuned for details!)
• Set our next submission deadline for the August @awesomebos grant. Apply by Sunday, August 7^th @ 11:59PM.

As if that weren’t enough, there have been some changes in the micro-trustee line-up.

The 2^nd Evan Burchard Chair of Higher Awesome Studies
Founding Micro-trustee, Evan Burchard began his relocation to San Francisco in grand fashion with a fully-funded Kickstarter project to WALK across the country and chart a walking trail that will be made available online to fellow pedestrian adventurers. Before heading out, Evan left his chair in good hands with Jacob Barss-Bailey. Jacob’s day job is software design at Nokia. On the side, he’s known for his love of animated gifs and quasi-legal urban planting projects. Now that he’s a micro-trustee, he’ll be using his green thumb to grow some serious Awesome for Boston to enjoy.

The 2^nd Mac Cowell Chair of Higher Awesome Studies
Provided his flight isn’t severely delayed, Founding Micro-trustee Mac Cowell will be in San Francisco at the finish line of Evan’s epic walk. With his sights set westward, Mac has tapped Nadeem Mazen to carry on his Awesome Foundation legacy here in Boston. Mazen is CEO of Serious Business, LLC (a consulting firm specializing in interactive software design and viral marketing) and co-founder of danger!awesome (a laser-cutting studio and community art storefront at the heart of Central Square, Cambridge). We’re pretty excited about having a laser in the family. The fact that the laser comes attached to someone who is big into supporting the spread of business incubator programs abroad makes for an even more epic win.

Open Call for The 3^rd David Fisher Chair of Higher Awesome Studies
For those keeping track, Matt Blake and David Fisher ceremoniously switched chairs in the early days of Awesome Foundation lore. In the coming months, Matt will be relocating to Austin, TX making a spot available at the @awesomebos table. He has authorized an open call for applications to fill his chair.

We’re looking for…
…someone interested in encouraging creativity and inciting revolutions.
…excitable people who know an awesome project when they see it.
…someone who is well-connected in communities outside of the tech/startup world to help diversify our group: artists, musicians, makers, chefs, nonprofit organizers, educators, mad scientists, etc. are all encouraged to apply.
…you?

Responsibilities include

• Reviewing and selecting an Awesome Project each month. This means reviewing the month’s submissions, identifying your favorites, and championing them during a monthly 2 hour long deliberation session (low conflict, beer and pizza to help the process along).
• Contributing $100 towards each monthly award
• Attending the events held in honor of the winners
• In the event of your resignation, helping to find a successor for yourself
• Promoting, to the extent of your interest and ability, the Awesome Foundation message

If you are awesome and interested, please click here to fill out an ezpz form to let us know you’re down. Deadline = Sunday, May 7^th @ 11:59p

@awesomefound

Urban renewal is a hot topic and the Awesome Foundation is big into supporting into creative minded people who focus on harnessing a community’s energy to complement larger scale bricks and mortar development.  The Boston Chapter awarded it’s February grant to artist and basketball enthusiast Maria Molteni in support of her mission to restore use of local abandoned b-ball courts by crafting DIY nets. This project harnesses the power of shared activity and public space in fostering a bond of trust between artists, athletes, and neighbors. The nets are designed to be colorful, vibrant additions to public spaces that go beyond being strictly functional. Installing unique hand-crafted products sets the stage for individual expression.

The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is an ever-growing, worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of awesomeness in the universe. Started in Boston in July 2009, the Foundation distributes a series of monthly $1,000 grants to projects and their creators. It is a micro-genius grant for flashes of micro-brilliance. These grants are provided with no strings attached and The Awesome Foundation claims no ownership over the projects it supports.

The MOLTENi NET WORKS project is well underway with a recent exhibit at Cambridge’s MEME Gallery in Central Square that also included workshops where participants were able to hand-crochet basketball nets to be installed on bare hoops. Efforts have begun locally in Allston, MA and there are several local organizations (Boston include Artists for Humanity, Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, Design Studio for Social Intervention, and Massart’s Fibers Department) interested in putting on more workshops.

If you’d like to get pitch in, there are a few ways you can get involved.

• Join us for a drink! Come meet Maria at the Awesome Foundation Fellowship party
  Thursday, April 28^th @ Middlesex Lounge (6p to 9p).

• Give your time and skills by attending a workshop and putting in some elbow grease making nets.

• Have extra yarn or croquet tools that can help the cause? Email molteninetworks@gmail.com about what is needed.

• Kick in to the Kickstarter fund so that the MOLTENi NET WORK project can extend it’s reach across the globe to contribute to additional projects such as artist Kevin Clancy’s “Portable Utopia” in Johannesburg, South Africa.

H. O. T.

brycedotvc:

Listen less. Watch more.

Behold the crafty geekiness of the embroidered QR code.

Pssst…There’s someone you need to meet. His name is Zach Anner. He’s the internet phenom who charmed Oprah Winfrey into giving him a show. He’s awesome.

Frankly, I’m getting a little tired of sending the links to peeps individually. Take a stretch break and check out his audition tape. These videos are like Pringles. You won’t be able to stop at just one.

• Zach Anner – OWN Show Audition
• Zach Anner Interviewing Oprah (you know, THE Oprah)
• Role Playing with Dennis Quaid
• Homage to Kim Basinger

I am really proud to say that the ‘The Cookie Car’ owners are close, personal friends of mine.

It’s not a gimmick. They are genuinely this awesome IRL.

The Cookie Car: Good Owners Going the Extra Mile «  RelayRides Blog