Creme De La Creme Of Email

Out of the blue, when you least expect it, a new web 2.0 application suggestion will appear in a blog you follow or on Twitter.  When that happens based upon the nature of the tweet or summary in the post, you can save it for later or give it a test drive. Yesterday, Heather Moorefield, one of my best resources for new websites and applications, Education Librarian at Virginia Tech and former chair of the AASL Best Websites for Teaching and Learning, sent out a tweet about a service that incorporates newsletters into email.

At their home page Sendicate states:

"Simply send beautiful emails to people who matter."

Under the features section the list states:  a walk-through video, compose your emails, manage messages, import subscribers, simple customization, and full template control.  Design through a series of templates is stressed but allows options for those inclined to create their own.  You need to be 18 years of age to use this service.  Cancellation is immediate at any time through your user account page.

This service is free under the 0-500 plan with a 1,000 send limit per month.  There is a chart of fees based upon subscribers and emails sent.   It begins at $19.00 per month for the 0-500 plan with an unlimited amount of messages sent.

To sign up simple click any of the Sign Up Free! buttons found on the home page.  You are asked for your full name, an email address and to create a password as well as agreeing to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.  After clicking the Create Account button a confirmation email is sent to you immediately.  When you select the provided link you are automatically logged in for the first time at the Messages page.

From this point you can toggle to the Compose and Manage pages, view notifications, stats regarding your usage and a two plus minute tutorial.   Beneath the tutorial spot any message you have designed will be shown.  I started by clicking on Compose but quickly discovered that I needed to have recipients listed first so I headed over to Manage.

Within the Manage folder you can access subscribers, the design and your account.  Initially a default list is generated by the application.  The email address I used to register is included on that list.

I made a new list for this review, naming it Christmas Recommendations and typing in another email for myself.  Once a list is created you can add subscribers, embed subscribe form, edit list details and export to CSV.  The instructions very clearly state the configuration to be used to list an email address and the party's name.  You can also import lists from Excel and CSV.

Back at the Compose page I simply clicked on the name of my list on the recipients line and listed a subject.  There are six options for composition, one, two or three column, a headline, an image and a video.  I started with a headline.  Within that template you can add a heading, a subheading, the option to upload an image and include a URL link.

You can preview and send at this time or compose another section.  I wrote several more two column pieces.  I can guarantee when you hit preview and send you will be amazed at the results.  The site picked the first, London, template for my email newsletter but Toyko, Pop, Museo and Window are also available. (I tried them all; very nice.)  If you are feeling brave and have knowledge of HTML code you can design your own template.

As you work your composition is saved.  When I left my newsletter to explore generating my own template I had a moment of panic wondering if my work would be still be there.  It was on my Messages page; major bonus.

I decided to send the newsletter to both of my email addresses.  In order to complete the sending you will need to fill in the lines in your account for street address, city, state and zip code.  The newsletter appeared in my email within seconds. At the bottom it states who sent the email, their snail mail address, the recipient's email address and the option to unsubscribe.

During the writing of this post I had a question.  I sent an email to the support address and had a complete, helpful reply within ten minutes.  You couldn't ask for better service.

My newsletter is about eight Christmas books I would recommend for kindergarten and first grade students.  I've included four new and four tried and true titles.  If you would like to see my finished newsletter leave an email address as a comment.  I will not publish the information. Or if we follow one another on Twitter simply send me a DM.

Based upon ease of use, support supplied and the sophisticated end result, I highly recommend Sendicate.  For those wishing to use a newsletter in addition to a blog or website or in lieu of them, this is an excellent application.  For the purpose of  communication sometimes it's easier to receive an email rather than having to go to a blog or website.

I've tried to capture portions of my newsletter below. Beneath the text in the small black boxes are links to the titled websites.  They work perfectly.

Look Into My Eyes

Sometimes it's hard to remember a time before there was email, but I do remember.  Word choice in sending letters via snail mail or especially when quickly sending off an email are important in conveying the right emotion.  Without voice inflection or eye contact misunderstandings can easily happen.

In the category of what rock have I been living under, I seem to have missed a web 2.0 application called Eyejot available for at least five years now.  The beauty of this video mail service is there is no software to download, it runs along with your browser and there is an unlimited amount of 60 second messages to create.  According to the site, additional major features are:

• inbox and sent folders
• an address book
• the ability to set up groups
• integrates computers with a webcam
• contains Eyejot This! bookmark
• mobile iPhone app
• vCard option

This application is free to use but there are two other upgrades, Pro and Pro Plus.  To set up an account enter in a username, password and email address at the initial screen.  Continue by entering in your first name.  Your last name, city, state, country and time zone appear to be optional.

A series of prompts helps you adjust your webcam to the Eyejot application.

When you first log in to your Eyejot account the message screen appears.  Across the top are a series of tabs representing:  message board, friends (add, import, remove, create groups), services (placing an Eyejot widget using HTML on your website or blog), profile (update your personal information), help (extensive information with more features explained) and upgrade (Eyejot Pro and Eyejot Pro Plus).  Before composing a message I explored the choices beneath the line of tabs.  Of course you can compose a new message, but also play a message, stop a message, save a message to your computer, copy an embed code (HTML) for a message, view a message in full screen, reply to, forward or delete a message.

When you click on the compose new message button another smaller screen pops up asking you to give Eyejot access to your computer's microphone and webcam.  Permission granted your create a message screen appears with the options of record, play, stop, use a video from the  document library, upload a video file from your computer or launch the Eyejot setup helper.  I am not sure how it will work for other users but when I click on the record button my own webcam software appears over the Eyejot create page but all seems to work just fine.

My first Eyejot video mail message was about a book that I am currently reading and some I hope to start soon.  For me this is going to be a great way to do micro-booktalks to friends, colleagues and students.  I also discovered that a URL link is given for each created message as well as the HTML embed code. 

Here is the first of what I hope are many Eyejot messages. 

I also want to mention the Eyejot This! bookmarklet  which allows you to comment, annotate, links to web pages.  It is a simple process to add it to your browser favorites.  When you find a website you wish to share with others click on the bookmarklet and record your message.  It's great the way your message appears in a panel above the website.

Eyejot has a new fan.  This is definitely going in my virtual toolbox to be used daily if not more.