Subscribing to Websites and Blogs

If you sign up or subscribe to a site's newsletter, whether for a free e-book or for the free monthly newsletter, watch out for the confirmation email.

A Little Insight into Subscribing to Sites:

I review my autoresponder service periodically and most recently I noticed there were eight subscribers to my blog who either never responded to the confirmation email or their email service bounced the confirmation. This has happened on my website subscriber box also.

I would think if you go to the trouble of subscribing to a site, there's a reason. Unless, you subscribe to so many that you cannot keep track. But, then we go back to the aspect of taking the time to sign up-you must have wanted something.

When I find a site that is of interest and valuable, especially if they are offering a free and useful e-book, I will subscribe to the newsletter. I do pay attention for the confirmation email to make sure I receive what I signed up for.

So, if you've signed up for a site's newsletter, be sure to look out for the confirmation email because the autoresponder service cannot send any emails to you without it. If you're not sure why you aren't receiving the newsletter or the free gift, contact the site owner. Most sites should have an email address or contact page to make this convenient. Or, if you can't find any contact information (which all sites should have this available) you can leave a comment on the most recent blog post mentioning you've signed up and seem to be having a problem. All savvy bloggers (site owners) check their readers/visitors' comments.

Another way to subscribe to sites is through their RSS or Atom feed. I do this with my yahoo account and I love it. I get the updated blogs of the sites I subscribe right on My Yahoo page. This is just a convenient method for me because I'm in and out of my Yahoo mail throughout each day. I scroll down my LONG list and, time allowing, visit the sites and comment. What's great is if I don't have the time for a visit, I am still able to read the new post right from my Yahoo subscriber list.

While this is an easy way to get updates of blog postings, you do miss out on the information and special offers that may only be available through the site's newsletter ,or by signing up for it. I know I try to add links, tips and information in my newsletter that I don't post about.

The next issue I've noticed is that readers who subscribe to a newsletter often don't even open to give it a quick glance to see if there is any valuable information. I know time is an issue with all of us, and some marketers have 90-95% of promotion with offers involving money rather than useful content, but you get to know quickly which newsletters or promotional emails this pertains to. All you have to do is unsubscribe to those sites.