Elaine Smith Writes

Anything She Wants

All About the Email, Baby!

Today’s post is all about the email.

Because I’ve got some exciting news to announce.

Okay.  Now I don’t want to mislead you.  This is not the announcement. This is about making the announcement.

I want to reach as many people in my circle of friends, colleagues, interested parties, etc. as I can in as efficient a manner as possible.  Makes sense, right?  So, I need to send out an email.  And, because everybody’s always talking about “branding,” I figure it will be best if the email could look a lot like this website.

And that meant learning to use one of those email list management services.  And one thing has led to another, and I’m off to the post office to sign up for a post office box.

Why? you ask.

Well, see, there are these regulations that establish certain standards for bulk email.  This is a good thing, right?  Without it, I’d probably have several thousand emails a day instead of several hundred.  I’m all for it.

Except for that one little part that requires a physical mailing address to be included in the email.

I’m sure that works out perfectly well for a big company, or any organization where the employees leave their homes and go to an office.  But for those of us who are self-employed, it can get a little tricky.

My first email of this type will only be going to people I know, people with whom I have a relationship. But it’s going to include a “Forward to a Friend” link — because, hey, it really is good news, and there might be people who my friends and colleagues think should know about it.  (Note to friends and colleagues:  please, please, please forward the email to anybody you think might be interested!)

Being currently in an optimistic frame of mind — because I do have this good news, and that always makes things look rosier — I’m thinking that, possibly, people whom I have never met might see this email.

Do we really think it is a good idea for untold millions — no exaggeration — if you really think about it, you will realize that no matter how successful this email will be in getting out the news, there will remain millions who have been untold.  Sigh.  But do we think it is a good idea for untold millions to have my home address?  Even if I thought that was a good idea, there’s a good chance my husband would not.

And so. . .a post office box!

Turns out, they are not that expensive, and — at least where I live — they are easily obtained.  (But you’ve got to have more ID than you currently need to vote — and that’s saying something!)

If you’re one of those friends and colleagues of mine, watch your inboxes for the email!  If you’re not, and you’re just dying of curiosity about this exciting news, you can sign up for my email alerts here.

And. . .we’re off!

Welcome to my very first blog post!

It’s a little scary to launch a new endeavor–especially one so fraught with narcissism as blogging.  You know those voices in your head? The ones that like to shout–or, more often, whisper insidiously–Just who do you think you are?

Well, they are working overtime today.

Who do you think you are to start blogging?  To have a website? A bookstore? Who do you think would ever be interested in anything you have to say?  What’s wrong with you?

But I’ve decided to tell the Tyrannosaurus Chatterboxicus to sit down and shut up.

I would like to point out to that garrulous TC that I am interested in what I have to say, and that’s enough. If nothing else, this should get me writing a bit every day. And if other people decide to come along, that will be great.

There may be interesting things here.

I’ll be talking about writing and creativity and what gets in the way. I’ll be talking about theatre and what I’ve learned as an actor, a director, a playwright. I’ll be talking about computers and website design and the bruises I’ll be getting from beating my head against the brick wall of trial-and-error programming.

I’ll be talking about visibility–oh, the shame of poking your head up and saying, “Here I am. Look at me.“–and having to combine all manner of esoteric business-like disciplines (marketing, pr, research, compliance, data design, accounting, etc.) with all manner of other esoteric creative-like disciplines (plot, theme, structure, imagination) into the more or less coherent whole of an Artist Entrepreneur.

Sometimes I’ll be talking about how hard all that is, and sometimes I’ll be pointing out some tricks and tools that have made it easier for me–and might work for you. And sometimes I’ll probably just be talking, and we’ll all wonder what the heck I’m talking about.

I’m learning this blogging software as I go along. Weird things will happen. The TC wants me to wait until I understand it perfectly, but you know and I know that just means it will never get off the ground.

Leap, and the net will appear. — John Burroughs

I’m leaping.

Bookmark this site if you want to see what happens next.