Newsletter ArchiveSUBJECTs:Newsletters - Reflections on Ethics The Internet 800 Directory - http://www.inter800.com The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter This issue is for Friday, July 19, 2002 Table of Contents 01. Newsletters 02. Reflections on Ethics through a Gold-stricken Eye 03. Tip Of The Week *01 Newsletters A newsletter can be a fantastic way to communicate with your customers. Research constantly shows people like newsletters. This is because they like reading timely information tailored to their interests. But for a newsletter to work it must get read. You don’t want it deleted or blocked before being opened. If you want your newsletter to be a desirable piece of communication that your customers look forward to receiving, you must employ planning and commitment. Here are a few steps to get you started. Step 1: Know your audience When developing a marketing plan, the first step is,“Know your customer”. This same rule applies to creating a newsletter. With your customer in mind, ask your self these questions. What interests do they have in common? How can your newsletter help them? Step 2: Define your purpose Once you have identified your audience, the next step is to define your purpose. Be specific! The more clear-cut your objective, the easier it will be to prepare your newsletter. Train your self to scan everything you read or see for bits of information that can become articles for the newsletter. Step 3: Be predictable Create a regularly scheduled time for your newsletter. Recent surveys show that people are more likely to read scheduled e-mail updates and newsletters; whereas unscheduled announcements and promotions are not only not read but also not wanted. Step 4: Have fun Approach your newsletter as a means to communicate with your customers. Enjoy the interaction, and you will build long term relationships. If you have any thoughts or ideas you would like to share, please send them to Chuck Arning at chuck@inter800.com We’re Talkin’ Serious” Bone Suckin’ Sauce ! Winner: “Battle Of The Sauces.” Created in true western North Carolina style. Tomato based all-natural, sweetened with honey and molasses. Order your Box of six today for $39.99 +s/h. Toll-Free 1-800-446-0947 or online http://www.BoneSuckin.com *02 Reflections on Ethics through a Gold-stricken Eye If there is anyone out there who has not read about, if not followed, the corporate travesties of Enron, WorldCom, et al, and, what I considered the watchdogs of corporate America, by definition, which were the Big 8, then they simply do not read. There have been countless numbers of articles, lawsuits and federal actions against companies and people in whom we trusted. Please allow me some reflections: Having been a corporate officer starting out many years ago, I learned early on that Generally Accepted Accounting Principals (GAAP) were corporate rules. They were as inviolate as arithmetic. They might be questioned, even altered due to circumstances, such as longer or shorter life of depreciable assets, but they were not to be ignored nor violated. That was why the CPA firms had such high esteem and were not to be toyed with. Regardless of what I thought of the professionals individually, I respected their admiralty and their jurisprudence. Likewise, I was lucky enough to be in a region that was profound and dynamic in corporate advancements and growth, which was Houston. Companies such as Exxon, Shell Oil, Brown and Root and dozens more were spawned there, and the can-do-it-all attitude of the young guy on the street was, perhaps, only rivaled by that of NYC. Those corporate executives were brilliant leaders of the community and forthright in their pursuit of democratic, capitalistic goals. I admired them, the stockholders, the community, and the great scheme of things. I was also a part of it and believed in what we were doing. I actually still am and still do, but - and this is a great big BUT, "What happened to ethics?" I read a newspaper column that said that we didn't teach corporate ethics in college. WHAT? I read another today that said that, given our youthful leaders, "…it's not surprising we're feeling our way through what's right and wrong, what works and what doesn't." WHAT? Since when did we have to teach ethics in college as an elective in order to graduate? That also implies that one has to go to college in order to have ethics. What happened to parenting and growing up in a society where lying, cheating and stealing were not necessarily moral issues, but social issues? (An argument could be made that the 10 Commandments would exist even if there were not a God, which would make them ethics and not just morals.) Where was I when my corporate heroes turned to avarice at the expense of stockholders and friends? Where was I when the public accounting profession turned its back on the principles that it held as sacrosanct guaranties of corporate behavior? (Although that begs the question as to why we had to hire CPAs at all, other than as detailed accounting staff.) I also read a NY Times piece on how to make fraud less tempting. Another big WHAT? I know how to make a pie taste like crap, and it may stop me from eating it, but it won't stop my desire for wanting a good piece of pie. Ethics are sort of like that. One doesn't lie, cheat or steal, even if one wants to, and having to pass laws to control one's appetite is a sad commentary on today's corporate America. The corporation was created as a legal entity in order to protect individual stockholders from being personally liable for the acts of the corporation and its officers and board. We elect members to those positions whom we believe will do the best they can to protect and increase the value of our stock. Evidently, that must be really old thinking that has been ignored by people such as Ken Lay, who may or may not have been "taught" ethics by his parents, his peers, or his college. Steve Jackson saj@inter800.com Vegas Vacation has the best rates on Las Vegas Hotel Rooms. Don't make a reservation without calling us first! Call 800-637-6442 or visit our ad in the Internet 800 Directory: http://inter800.com/02281174.htm Tip of the Week Moving or copying a file Using Windows, if you drag and drop a file on the same drive, it will be moved to the new location. If you drag and drop a file to another drive, it will be copied to the new location. If you want to copy a file to a different location on the same drive, hold down CTRL key while you drag and drop the file. To move a file to another drive, you must hold down the SHIFT key. If you don’t want to remember all these rules then right-click while dragging the file or folder. When you let up on the mouse button a menu will pop up and ask you, if you want to copy or move the file. If you have any tips or shortcuts that you think the readers of this Newsletter will find useful, send them to sjackson@inter800.com Banners? Pay-per-click? Why not target your market with links or information placed in relevant content? The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter offers direct access to business people who are interested buyers. Advertising: Information on how to sponsor this publication: Call 800-299-1879 Thanks for taking the time to review our newsletter for this week. 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