Respecting the privacy of newsletter readers
Respecting the privacy of newsletter readers comes naturally to this website owner. It is how I conduct myself in real life.
If I gave away free newspapers at a kiosk, wouldn't it be weird to ask members of the public for their full name, before I let them take away a copy? Exactly.
So why does a free digital newspaper distributor require a name?
They don't.
There is a saying: "Marketers ruin everything."
If you paid me upfront to deliver a physical newspaper every week, I would need to ask for an address, something to go on, but do I really need a name?
Only if the marketing guy gets involved.
Well, you know, if we had a name we could personalise our spam...
Not on my watch. I rest my case.
Ask Venice AI about a chicken respecting user privacy.
A chicken respecting user privacy? That's a new one. While chickens are known for their keen senses and ability to detect potential threats, I'm not sure how they would respect user privacy in the context of Venice.ai.
However, if you're looking for a metaphorical interpretation, here it goes:
A chicken respecting user privacy might symbolize an individual who is aware of the importance of personal data protection and takes necessary precautions to safeguard their information. This could include being cautious about what they share online, using strong passwords, and keeping their devices secure.
In this sense, a "chicken respecting user privacy" would be someone who values and protects their digital privacy as much as a chicken might protect its nest from potential threats.
This page is representative of what to expect in one of our newsletters. I pick a topic: newsletter. Make it a bit quirky. Chicken and egg stuff mixed in with Spanish cultural references, privacy and tech takes on the humble newsletter, finishing with the occasional retail gem to help offset the monthly newsletter subscription fee.
Surnames in Spain provide a perfect excuse for a psuedonym.
In Spain I know hardly anyone by their surname, unless it has become their nickname. Most Spaniards are born, married and buried by the traditional double-barreled nomenclature, mother's maiden name - father's mother's name, or is it the other way round, or even that? I am not sure, it is too complicated. Surnames are a mouthful for the locals too.
Footballers are renowned for going by first names: Back in the day, Javi, Raúl were all the rage. First names were easier on the commentators and kept up the flow. Better Javi, Raúl, gooooooooooool than...
And it's López Rodríguez cross field to González Blanco, who slips it through the middle to...what a goal from...
Ronaldo? They sometimes try to make him hip by calling him Cristiano, but it doesn't sound right. He can't help being different, he is not even Spanish.
In my town there is a Juan Next Village Down the Valley, Antonita Cats, Fernando the Rabbit and more. They call me Huevos, which is kind of rude.
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Apologies for the payment process that follows the sign up. I obviously didn't make the rules about the personal information that Stripe has to ask in order to process a $5 newspaper subscription.
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hit this image showing an example of the completed form .
The simple instructions are underneath the contact form.
I got to make the rules for this one, so the transaction is smoother and more human than the Stripe method. No surnames, no telephone numbers, yet sufficient records to prove what happened when. And the communication is all conducted via encrypted Proton Mail, out of reach of all but the most determined alphabet agencies.
I am not going to learn any surnames from studying our website traffic.
The newsletter is a data sandbox too
I don't even know what you do, once a newsletter has been delivered to your email inbox. I have turned off all our available newsletter analytics software too.
I can hear the data analysts and marketing gurus shaking their heads.
What is he thinking now? Posting newsletters into the ether with no feedback, it's madness.
Wot, no data tracking on the newsletter?
Technically, I agree, it is risky to fly blind, feedback free, but I am drawing on the benefit of past experience. In the early 2000's I ran a newsletter and used the analytics tools until I was goggle-eyed and confused. That was at a time when online newsletters were still a dark art.
Mailchimp really was closer to a chimp than a wonder of mail. They couldn't guarantee if a newsletter would render properly in a subscriber's email client. What use was a 60% open rate stat, if you didn't know that 60% of those opens were unreadable?
Newsletter tech has moved on since then, Mailchimp are still going, and newsletter tracking still prevails. Nowadays it is a habit, I think, another oneupmanship box to tick. And just a little bit creepy.
The jury settled long ago on what constitutes a well readable newsletter. It is mostly down to time of publication, how long the text is, how many links you have included, and the nature of the call-to-action, or as we call it in the biz, CTA! Frequency too, how many times a week you bombard the poor public, that is a big factor for opening stats.
Speech not stats is the best way to keep track of Newsletter usage
Rather than employing tracking software to inform me of our Newsletter reach and usefulness, I would prefer to hear from the readers themselves.
How are you finding the content?
A poll or a short message are simple to complete, easy to interpret. A stat session can be misleading.
The takeaway
I will keep the newsletters simple, and once-a-week regular.
For your part, dear subscriber, can you keep the communication lines open from your end? I know it's not the greatest call-to-action, but could you let me know what you think of the week's newsletter, assuming you could, or were bothered enough to open it!!!
