Dear Readers,
Many of you are signed up for our email updates. They’re nothing fancy. They’re free, of course. There are no images or charts or other stuff. They look bland and generic. In fact, disturbingly, they look just like those from the blog of the Bank of England, for example. Now I’m thinking about improving the system. And there are two fundamental ways I can go.
The way it works now: The moment we post a new article, the system automatically sends out an email to our subscribers with headline, subtitle, and link. You click on the link, and it takes you straight to the article.
But there are a couple of issues or potential issues:
The system sends out an update every time we post an article, and we cannot control that. Right now, we post between 1 and 3 articles spread over the day, whenever they’re ready. So you get between 1 and 3 updates a day in your inbox. But there may come a time when we want to post 4, 5, or 6 articles a day. Or even more.
Question 1: At what point does it become a hassle for you to deal with these updates in your inbox? What are “too many updates per day?”
Question 2: Would you prefer one email a day with all articles of the last 24 hours linked in it? The trade-off is that you’d get these updates between 1 and 24 hours after they’re posted. For example, the email could go out early in the morning with all of yesterday’s articles.
The reason I’m asking: I’m thinking about switching to a different email update system. These emails would look more like WOLF STREET. They wouldn’t look anything like the stuff from the Bank of England. And I could stick in an advertising banner (which I cannot do now) to earn some beer money or promote my books or whatever :-]
So how do you feel about getting updates immediately when articles are posted, versus waiting for the daily email. Please let me know in the comment section below.
Even if you’re not a subscriber but have some ideas about how you prefer to receive email updates, please let me know in the comment section below.
You can sign up for our email updates anytime using the sign-up box in the right sidebar (under the big ad). If you’re on a mobile device, you might not see the right sidebar. So you can go to the sign-up box at the bottom of the front page.
Or you can sign up right here:
Just enter a functional email. Anonymous email is OK. No name required. And click the black button. There is a simple confirmation process – you’ll get an email asking you to confirm. And that’s it.
Thank you in advance for your feedback below about Question 1 and/or Question 2 and/or anything else concerning email updates!
Wolf
Enjoy reading WOLF STREET and want to support it? You can donate. I appreciate it immensely. Click on the beer and iced-tea mug to find out how:
Would you like to be notified via email when WOLF STREET publishes a new article? Sign up here.
Dear Wolf,
Go with the one that gives you some beer money. Anyway the rent in SF is outrageous and you need help with it. We appreciate what you do and I enjoy reading it and if the provider offers you some benefits you ought to take it for your reader`s sake.
ditto.
you have one of the only sites that i would be willing to pay a little bit for.
thanks!!!
Ditto. Whatever works for you.
A bulk update at a controllable interval [user settable, in the range of 1-24 hours] would be ideal, but likely too much hassle. If that function does not exist [never seen it] maybe you could develop the function and get a use-patent on it.
Cheers,
KCS
keep doing what you’re doing; the work is first class
Option 2 is more prefable
I am of agreement (Option 2).
Kind of like a recap of the day’s top stories, if you will.
Love reading the content that mass media wouldn’t touch with a 20-foot pole.
Keep up the great work, Wolf.
I’m fine with the immediate updates but if it’s a topic I don’t want to read I would delete. I don’t think your emails are annoying though if I get anymore from Zillow about some house I once looked up in Florida I will scream.
A daily digest of sorts would be fine as well.
Sorry. I’m at a red light and responding. That didn’t sound like I meant it to. I love the updates!
I too vote for immediate updates.
You are my teacher. I read every post. You should post 1x day with time sensitive posted when ready. WolfStreet has replaced Drudge as my most important site please keep it up.
I was thinking the very same thing. While a lot of the historical/future trending topics can certainly wait for a 1/x day distro, more immediate ones (“See Deutsche implode before your eyes”) would be best sent straight away.
The obstacle here of course is WordPress.
Use your own judgement. Yours is probably better then mine
Wolf I have no problem with the regular updates. I speed read the comments and spend time on the ones worth my concentration. As for ads, no worries there. Everyone does it. If it doesn’t block the page or take over my computer with a lot of babble, small banner ads are ok.
I like the immediate updates.
Dear Wolf,
Once a day is fine with me, as long as you are able to
earn you extra beer money.
Keep up the good work!
Have you thought to publish your work at
Judi@canadafreepress.com ?
Cheers,
Either way is fine with me, I agree with the gentleman above – go with the one that promises beer money.
I prefer one email with multiple articles per day
Thanks!!
I’m for live updates. Thanks for doing what you do so well.
Wolf, getting so many daily emails is too much; many of them go unread, despite the quality. I’d vote for, say, a 2x/week publishing…maybe Wed./Sat? Ad banners are fine…make a few bucks!
Go for the banners and one email a day. Thanks for all your hard work.
Is there a way to give the individual subscribers the choice (an option to switch to a daily digest, for instance)? If not I prefer the individual messages.
The systems I’m looking at do not offer this option directly. But there may be a way around it….
Dear Wolf,
I w8uld prefer the 2nd option, specially if it makes you abit of mazula !
Much as I like WolfStreet I’d hate a daily deluge. One subscription I have allows multiple choices. Their mailing comes from:
via mail116.suw11.mcdlv.net
A search turns up MailChimp
I like the way you do it now! You don’t need to change a thing as far as I’m concerned.
Thanks for asking, and keep up the good words.
sheila
Hi Wolf,
The present system suits me well. Thanks for your good work.
Regards
Once a day is my preference. I have too much to read as it is. But, I read everything you send out because you have such a great handle on reality.
I like the option with the choice and of course the option that give you some money
I like the way it is. I just look at the article name in the email, and i decide whether to click and read it. Most i click to read. I like the way it is, simple and easy!
And free.. and very very good and informative and funny too!
No preference. Love your stuff!
Whatever you decide to do is fine with me! I’m just happy to read your excellent work. Thank you.
I am happy however you choose; in fact, I would pay for your service.
Go with the beer money.
Maybe I am old fashioned but I would prefer updates every 12 hours unless it is a very special update and time sensitive.
Be more like a morning paper and an evening paper.
Thanks for all your great work!
SteveW
I like the system as it is and value your insights; if – on the rare occasions – it is not of interest, I will read the intro then delete.
It is great the way it is. Immediated posted. Not bundled. Your newsletter is the one I’ve been subscribed for a while, unlike others that I’ve unsubscribed shortly after. This means that format and content of your newsletter is appealing and intetesting at least to me. If I was you I wouldn’t touch it.
I enjoy the daily email. Please keep it the way it is.
Signed
A fan from San Francisco
I would prefer the ‘1 a day’ email updates, or at least have that option.
Wolf, I think you should do whatever is in your best interest and most convenient for you.
I personally look forward to your updates whether they daily or scattered throughout the day.
go for the beer money but switch to 20 yr. single malt scotch
A thought on getting feedback from your readers.
Have you considered using something like Google Forms to do this kind of survey? If you have a gmail account, you already have access to Forms. It’s a simple way to ask questions like this. Results are automatically put into a spreadsheet, one column for each survey question.
Its easy and free…..
Just a thought.
I have you on my desktop and every day check for new topics. Don’t require email updates. Enjoy the website.
I check your site as one of my regular reads — emails aren’t an issue. I feel I know a bit more of the complex mozaic in detail after your articles. And unlike some sites, I often find your readers’ comments insightful. Good work!
I enjoy your unique view! How it comes, I care not. Keep them coming.
Kindest regards Roger.
wolf, not a subscriber, i just show up everyday knowing you put up articles daily. please just dont go the way of stockman contra corner and have it a pay to read. i enjoy reading his stuff but he now lost a reading cause i am not a payer. just a reader. keep up the good work btw still loving your stuff.
I also am not a subscriber, but I check out wolfstreet.com every morning, and a few times during the day depending on my schedule. Thank you for your work Wolf!
Update the system to option #2. I do agree with Agxiik, If it doesn’t block the page or take over my computer with a lot of babble, small banner ads are ok.
Love the updates all day & any day.
But go for the Beer Money
Go with the option that allows you generate some revenue from the emails. I prefer single emails with clear topics in the subject line. One caveat, if I received 5 or more emails a day on a constant basis I might feel differently.
I like the way it is: instant updates because I like to read the latest financial news
I never subscribed to anything because one email a day is too much for me. I prefer to visit throughout the day. There is very little on the www to compete with WS.
Live updates every time. This is one of a very few services I don’t mind getting emails from even several times a day.
Keep up the very good work.
Once per day plz
I, too, just show up once or so a day and read the new articles and comments off the top of the list.
If I did subscribe, it would probably be to get instant notice of new articles, the way, I guess, it works now. The downsides would be 1) I might not be mentally in gear to read Wolf Street at that instant, and 2) I’d have to come back anyway to read the comments.
You didn’t ask, but I want to speak out in support of the linear, most-recent-first arrangement for articles. It seems to create a “voice” for the blog, which I like. Contrariwise, emptywheel switched lately to a newspaper-page 2d layout which I can’t easily keep track of, I find.
1 per day, to summarize all the comments
option 1 is fine with me.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Concentrate on content.
Love the articles coming throughout the day. More would be fine, being how instructive and informative they are and as the person said, we are able to delete what does not entice one personally.
Thank you so much for bringing such well researched TRURH so we are able to speak intelligently on many subjects, topics!
Do what pays you. Thanks
Wolf, I love your website. Too many emails just pushes me to delete. I would delete more if I have to open each one to see what the topic was.
I want the fewest emails. I prefer every other day with a list of all articles. Currently, I try to go to your website every day, but sometimes it is every other day.
I prefer the random posting but once a day is OK. Whatever saves you expense money is most important.
I’d prefer one email per week with your thoughts about the week behind and what might be happening the week ahead. Below this reflection it would be nice to have all of your articles the week. And if you want to include an advertisement, certainly.
Love your work, especially on Bay Area housing.
The Bay Area housing articles are golden!
The quality of your pieces means I don’t care when they come.
JUST KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!
The updates I have been getting are great and there are no problems with several updates every day. If you have more updates send them as you get them they are very informative. It would be harder for me to seperate them out if you put them all in one email. Its easier for me to read them 1 at a time. thank you
Go for the beer money! I read every e-mail you send: it’s like we’re on the same wavelength. No fluff here that I can see.
Option 2 is preferable. I already find 3 emails a day to be unmanageable…sometimes I miss an article. Immediacy is overrated. Go with the daily digest, please, and make yourself a little coin. :)
I love the email updates the way they are now. Maybe one per day would be an idea. Please not too fancy, because I get enough advertising style emails. Good content does not need a fancy wrapping. The articles are plain solid.
Three cheers for Banners & Beers! I really mean that – although I prefer Ale.
Wolf, thank you and your team for all your outstanding reporting.
Go with the beer money. Any way you can send beer samples? Or scotch? Either option is good just don’t go for the new ungodly monthly subscription price like David Stockman’s Contra-corner. Wolf Street is the numero uno business/finance site for me.
I’m one of the weirdos who likes BOTH, scotch and bourbon! But no samples on this site
:-]
I don’t think I need to be emailed six times a day if you do eventually post up to six articles a day. That said, I’m glad you want to step it up. I’ll look forward to that!!
My favorite quote of you:
If the service is free, you’re the product . . .
I don’t mind. I really appreciate this blog and have learned a lot from it.
Three things: I wish comments had an edit feature, and;
do you have a general email to which we can contact you, and;
it would be nice if this blog had a search feature to search out archived articles or member comments.
I would like updates as soon as you have them. I do not care how many come on any particular day. Thanks for sharing all your work
It is OK now but if you increase the article count I vote for 2… once a day.
One email a day is the best fr you and I. I would even remove the ad-blocker from your website. I appreciate your insight and effort.
I would add that you may leave open the option to send an occasional second (or third) email if you have something of unusual importance.
Once a day linked sounds good.
One email per day works fine.
content significance and relevance should drive distribution schedule, not the passage of time.
i enjoy reading spam-free email anytime.
have a great day :)
Wolf, your emails are the adage, ‘content is king’, so no matter how they arrive I am an avid reader. Your headlines are the hooks that get me in. Go with what is best for you, and make money doing so. Your readers will follow. In this interconnected world what the butterfly is doing in Washington or Bonn is relevant to all. Thanks for all the good work.
I like it as it is.
I don’t subscribe to your email service – I use your RSS feed instead (please don’t let that go).
If I did rely on emails, I’d pick once a day, but an option to let the reader pick the frequency might be good.
Subscribing to the feed works great. I have no intention of letting it go.
for readers who’d like to check it out:
http://wolfstreet.com/feed/
I prefer the RSS feed to to the emails. I’d prefer to have a couple of lines of text with the feed, but no biggie there.
I’m finding trouble with my email feeds – nothing to do with WolfStreet, upstream want to filter my emails for my own good – so I’m making some changes. So I have to manage my firewall to filter unwanted junk, and sometimes I get it wrong, or something changes and I have to fix it. Fewer emails are better.
Daily digest, pls. and thanks.
Wolf, I would rather not state a preference since if you should happen to do it my way I would have nothing to complain about and that does not sit easy with me.
I always enjoy and usually learn from your posts, but the comments, not so much.
A “certainty” filter would be a nice option. By that I mean a box in the comments field where, by checking, commenters could indicate they have total faith in their opinion. Subscribers could opt to not receive these comments.
I am certain this is a good idea.
I say go with the beer money. I like your stuff.
I too get the RSS feed. I think that’s much better because the RSS reader gets all the new articles for you when you want them. There are no emails cluttering your inbox.
Besides, if Wolf Street gets hacked, all the people who’ve given you their email addresses could be exposed.
Currently, the email addresses are not on my server. They’re on WordPress servers (they do the email updates). So hopefully they don’t get hacked.
Thanks, Rice Farmer, for linking to my articles over the years, starting back in the Testosterone Pit days! People should check out your site (linked under the name).
I think you need to consider the state of the world economy and keep the option of sending out immediate e mails should you become aware of something urgent. eg Deutche Bank, Monte dei Paschi or a crash in housing some where.
These urgent e mails could have a high light system to notify readers that something potentially serious is happening.
I am a Kiwi who travels overseas a lot so I read your posting every day to get the truth about the worlds finances.
Like the rest of your readers I think the world is in serious trouble financially and I am now beginning to think politically as well.
People appear to have lost faith in life time politicians having watched they and their families and friends (bankers) grow wealthy while the rest of us are left behind.
It is absurd to here of people making massive bonuses for running large companys into the ground or encouraging cheating practices then getting rewarded for it
I am in my early 60s and have worked incredibly hard all my life to be able to semi retire now but I have never financially harmed another person to better myself. I have always believed in the free market world and still do but I am aghast at the economic policies now being followed around the world. We are no longer a free market world. If shares fall, circuit breakers trip and stop trading FREE MARKET!!!!
I am equally aghast at the worlds news media. There was a time when the media REPORTED. Now they appear to try to BE the news.
As a Kiwi I have no skin in the game when it comes to the USA elections but am baffled by the medias concentration on and hate for the Republican candidate.
We in NZ had a government that lasted 9 years, towards the end of which they took us for granted. People totally lost faith in career politicians and voted in a self made millionaire who had no political experience. We are now one of the best performing countries in the OECD.
Career politicians are there only for themselves and their cronies, big banks, lobby groups, big business. It is because of these connections that capitalism is now on its knees.
We need to return to a time when a company issued shares to raise capital to grow and people purchased the shares depending on how well the co. performed. This idea of puts, naked puts, shorting, and all the other new PRODUCTS that are used to try to make money in the share market do NOTHING to increase the productivity of any country.
Keep up your incredible work and maybe one day normality will return
but I think a very large crash will come first.
I like it the way it is now. More than 6 emails a day would probably change my mind.
Man does not live on bread alone he also needs beer money. Your emails are cool and I look forward to reading them. Send as many as you like.
I’d vote for updates as they happen.. As it is now, I check wolfstreet multiple times in the day.
I enjoy the finger on the pulse updates. Would love for you to have the beer money also.
Make it easy on yourself but I vote for Option 2. Preferably sent post evening meal. If I want to check earlier it is no trouble to just visit your site, which is a great resource.
I like the once a day idea, but for time sensitive articles send them out right away if you can.
For me, who gets over 100 emails every day, an extra few makes no difference. So whatever works best for you is fine by me.
But I think posts you don’t like should stay and be criticised on line and not allowed to disappear, unless they are just rude or disrespectful.
John, you’re trying to use WS as platform to preach your “debt jubilee” propaganda. It’s always the same thing. After about a dozen times, it’s just pure propaganda. I get tired of reading it, and I get even more tired having to rebut it every time. So it gets hung up in my propaganda filter. All your other comments go through just fine; and thank you for them!
Wolf,
Most economic theories are propaganda of one sort or another. I recently read that extreme Marxism and extreme Capitalism are functionally equivalent, in one you line up for bread, in the other you line up for iphones. Interesting.
Having said that, we seem to be a well read bunch congregating here on WS. Why not exploit that and start a sort of informal commentary on the latest books and or theories floating around out there, in the financial sphere. I bet we could give Oprah a run for her money.
Get yourself some beer money. Great resource
Fine as it is. If you can add a “+” and “-” ability to agree and disagree with someone’s comments……similar to Imgur and Seeking Alpha posts. Thanks!
I tried your email alerts some months ago
But I look at your site twice a day and look at almost all of the email comments for my nothing needs to be changed
I do appreciate your and other comments even though I disagree occasionally but usually someone else has already done that LOL
Michael
You are doing fine…don’t change a thing!
Hi, Wolf,
I prefer the immediate updates, meaning I prefer option #2. WHY?
(1) Because the update is immediate – I don’t have to wait for it and (2) Because if it’s one-topic–per-e-mail, if the topic isn’t of interest to me I can simply delete it without opening it. The current system is CONVENIENT, IMMEDIATE, and CURRENTLY WORKING JUST FINE.
Thanks for asking. PLEASE don’t change anything!!!
1 time per day notifications, but I defer to group consensus.
People ask me how I know what I know when I get into financial conversations.
I tell them about this site and recommend them to turn off their TV, and to read every article of today’s postings, and to read through the comments because some very intelligent people chime in with some very useful information. Then..to keep reading each and every article from prior postings, along with the comments. I explain this will expand their financial vocabulary and an increased understanding of the underpinnings of global financial machinations.
“Your 401K valuations are at risk – know WHAT you are in and WHY you are in it” is included in the dialogue.
I love this place – I am addicted..lol.
Thanks Wolf for being the leader of this pack.. and to the frequent commenters. You are my classroom.
I keep wondering what business we could start.
We are a buncha people that seem to have “swallowed the red pill, not the blue one” (The Matrix), and we may see behind the curtain of the “Wizard(s) of Oz” in different ways from the programmed mob.
hi mr. wolf
i hope you feel great today. to provide additional feedback…
Question 1: At what point does it become a hassle for you to deal with these updates in your inbox? NO hassle because you are not spam. i like your website because you are serious.
What are “too many updates per day?” i don’t know because i love real time detailed complete data. like hanjin’s bankruptcy or deutsche bank’s slow motion collapse, a big story could easily provide 100 unique updates per day. do what you feel is best.
Question 2: Would you prefer one email a day with all articles of the last 24 hours linked in it? seems like this would be easiest to administer for you.
Please include several advertising banners to earn money and promote your books and wolfstreet gear. The design of your updates is fine because i do not care how they look. clear logic, concise accurate facts, and perfect spelling was enough for me.
Thank you kindly.
Happy to receive timely emails. Would be good to be able to toggle immediate updates with a subscriber defined amount with a summary email of publications each day.
Some more detail in a summary of the article content would help sift through whether I read immediately or wait until later.
The articles are great so do what gets you paid.
I think banner ads would be great. Water filtration systems, cooking sources, solar power, Emergency food, quality supplements, we’re all needing something. I would feel very comfortable clicking through from your site.
Daily@ mails at the most.
I stopped the subscription, but still come and look, as there were to many @mails.
Dont put advertising in every @mail, or even every second one.
Generally take it easy with the advertising, or you will run into a major add block issue.
Then you start with the, “turn the ad-block off” pop ups, which gets your page closed instead, and you removed from bookmark lists, and firefoxes favorite tabs display, on the new tab, which is how I travel to you most times.
PrototypeGirl1
October 8, 2016 at 10:27 pm
I think banner ads would be great. Water filtration systems, cooking sources, solar power, Emergency food, quality supplements, we’re all needing something. I would feel very comfortable clicking through from your site.
clearly she left out the Sarc. indicator.
When it comes to site and @ mail layout.
” dont fix, what isnt broken”
Every time I open a new window I use you or Reuters, from the firefox new tab menu in the previous window, as they are both low immage, fast loads.
I prefer the individual updates, but if option 2 helps the beer fund, go with it.
I’m fine with updates as they come. I can check the topic and see if it is one I want to read now or later.
I dont mind the immediate updates so I can filter out what I dont read, but too bad you cant get some beer money for that. But once a day is ok too. Your Bank of England style is simple without alot of distractions, and is probably easier for you to do.
The current formula is fine. The articles are automatically archived in my Inbox and I read them whenever I have time. Keep up the wood work! Cheers from Quebec.
a daily index with self explanatory titles of each article would be best for me I could then chose which I wanted to concentrate on
Your articles together with David Stockmans are the most realistic commentaries of what is going on in this crazy world . The controlling nature of the daily media and slanted govt hype and statistics ) make one realize we live in a world which even Goebels ( Hitlers propaganda expert ) wouldn’t recognise
Dear Wolf,
I am a Dutch native and financial pro for many years. I really like your comments and articles. For me a daily update is fine because in general your articles are not time sensitive, although actual, they give insightful background. Ads do not bother me I am more interested in the continuity of your independent thinking.
Wolf,
I have no objection to an advert banner, you give away top quality and thought provoking content every day, so if you can receive a small reward for doing so, then that’s fine by me.
With regards to emails, I agree up to 6 a day could become overwhelming for some, is there any way you could offer the choice? Google news alerts give such a choice for example, between receiving news as it happens, or once a day.
Excellent site, I read it every day.
Wolf,
Just reading back and I see you commented that the system cannot offer a choice currently.
In that case I would vote for an email for every new article as it is published, rather than a single email for the day/week etc.
People not wishing to receive so many emails always have the option of visiting the site when they can in place of receiving the emails.
Enjoy what you Americans call beer!
We Americans have over 4,000 craft breweries. They’re everywhere. They’re taking market share in huge gulps every year from the big brands. I drink only locally or regionally brewed beers. Lots of choices. I LOVE a good IPA. Goes great with steak!! Clearly, you have missed out so far. So give it a try.
:-)
Wolf,
Agreed, love the local craft beers. If your in Texas the Shiner Wicked Ram IPA is one of my favorites. Texas beer, whiskey and vodka. Still a little weak on good wines.
Lakewood and Community breweries in Dallas have some good labels as well.
4 basic food groups = Trout – Walleye – Bass – Beer
A good craft brew and an Amish country walleye dinner with all the fixings. It doesn’t get any better than that. Minnersoatans know how to deliciously prepare fresh spring walleye fillets.
Get the beer and lots of it !
Thanks
I love this blog any way you deliver it but one a day works best for me.
Thanks for all your good work.
Hi,I think more than ten postings is too much ; at that point I would suggest switching to an email with the 10+ article links all in one mail. I find it easy to identify which postings to read in depth as the “bye line” gives a realistic indication of the content to come!
Always most interesting
best Peter