Newsletter
Anewsletteris aprintedorelectronicreport containingnewsconcerning the activities of abusinessor anorganizationthat is sent to its members, customers, employees or othersubscribers.
Newsletters generally contain one main topic of interest to its recipients and may be consideredgrey literature.E-newsletters are delivered electronically viae-mailand can be viewed asspammingife-mail marketingis sent unsolicited.[1][2][3]
The newsletter, sometimes aperiodical,is the most common form ofserial publication.[4]About two-thirds of newsletters are internal publications, aimed towards employees and volunteers, while about one-third are external publications, aimed towards advocacy or special interest groups.[4]
History
[edit]Inancient Rome,newsletters were exchanged betweenofficialsorfriends.[2]By the Middle Ages, they were exchanged betweenmerchant families.[2]Trader's newsletters covered various topics such as the availability and pricing of goods, political news, and other events that would influence trade.[2]These commercial newsletters were in effect, the first "serious" outlet for news publishing, from which evolvednewspapers.[2]
The first full "newspaper" wasRelation of Strasbourg,printed in 1609 byJohann Carolus.Many rivals soon followed, such as the GermanAvisa Relation oder Zeitungand the DutchNieuwe Tijdingen.[2]By the end of the 17th century, several newspapers were established all across Europe, and were often translated into other languages.[2]By the late 17th century, several governments werecensoringnewspapers, which harmed their development.[2]Wars, like theThirty Years' War,also imposed restrictions on trade, which could lead to shortage of paper in addition to censorship.[2]
Government censorship remains in effect in several countries to this day, although several countries now have laws guaranteeingfreedom of the press.
Modernity
[edit]Modern newsletters are usually created and distributed electronically by companies, organizations or individuals.
Newsletter marketing is a form ofdirect-to-consumer advertising.This is used by companies that want to send information directly to potential and existing customers.[5]When received unsolicited, they can be seen asspam.
Newsletters are also used by organizations to inform their members of ongoing developments.[6]
Writing and distributing personal newsletters by individuals can be observed since the late 2010s in the advent ofsocial networking services.Due to the way the algorithms on such services work, followers may not see the updates someone posts.
Production
[edit]Many paper newsletters areletter-sizepamphlets,sometimes made of side- or corner-stapled letter-size paper, sometimes ofsaddle-stitched(stapled)tabloid paper.
Until the early 20th century, newsletters were generally produced byletterpress.The development ofspirit duplicatorsandmimeograph machinesin the early 20th century made short-run reproduction more economical. In the 1960s,xerographic photocopyingbecame ubiquitous.
References
[edit]- ^newsletter(British English,American English):Cambridge English Dictionary,retrieved on 2017-05-18.
- ^abcdefghi"History of publishing - the first newspapers".Britannica.Retrieved2019-11-26.
- ^Endres, Kathleen L. (2009)."Newsletters, Newspapers, Pamphlets".Journalism and Mass Communication, Volume 1.Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems.UNESCO.pp. 90–104.ISBN978-1-905839-71-1.
- ^abSmith, Ronald D. (2004-09-15).Strategic Planning for Public Relations.Routledge.ISBN9781135606077.
- ^"What is newsletter marketing and why it's important for ecommerce".
- ^"Editorial Policies for Organizational Newsletters".
Further reading
[edit]- Arth, Marvin; Ashmore, Helen; Floyd, Elaine (November 1995).The Newsletter Editor's Desk Book.Newsletter Resources.ISBN9780963022226.
- Brooks, Rose Marie; Clack, Melissa; et al. (1972).The Standard Directory of Newsletters.Oxbridge Publishing Company.ISBN9780911086072.
