Hyper Text Markup Language is what one uses to create a Web page. Using HTML one can create nice¬looking newsletters, that can be distributed through e-mail. Don't know HTMU No problem! We have a clever workaround that does not require you to write a single line of code. Now, what could that be?

A fancy HTML editor like Dreamweaver? Wrong! No HTML editor needed! The trick is to use the Tables feature in Microsoft Word. Just prepare your newsletter in Word, as if you were typing a typical report with a table. Insert the required images in the table cells. Then set hyperlinks for each image. Once the HTML newsletter is ready, copy-paste it into the body of an e-mail message. That's it! We shall now show you how to do this, step-by-step. Carefully follow the instructions given below.

Before we begin, there are a couple of points to keep in mind. Set up your e-mail client to send mail in the HTML format by default. It may currently be set to send have your own website or server? Try using free photo sharing websites like Flickr or Snapfish. It is absolutely necessary to have the link to each image. For instance,
if the image name is masthead.jpg and it is stored in the newsletter folder of the server. the link to this image would typically be /newsletter/masthead .jpg.
This link must be inserted in your newsletter, where the image is to appear. Recipients receive the newsletter without the images. But their e-mail client will follow the link to your server and download the respective images. This is because you can't embed/insert images on an HTML page. Only the links to the images can be inserted.

How about a nice masthead (similar to what you see on the top of a magazine cover) for your newsletter? This should (heightl. They must be saved for the Web with a resolution of at least 72 dpi. What if people want to subscribe or unsubscribe from your mailing list? For this, you must ensure that you provide them with an e-mail link at the bottom of the newsletter. If you want to design a professional looking newsletter, then look at great examples. Subscribe to a couple of newsletters. Check out newsletters from news sites, product manufacturers, online shopping sites and companies.

Name: Make an HTML Newslatter.jpg Views: 350 Size: 19.4 KB

Before you jump into this workshop it would be a good idea to collect your thoughts and prepare a storyboard or structure. What is the content going to be like? Plan sections, type paragraphs and section titles. Do you want to have a short introduction at the beginning? What's the title of the newsletter? Sit with your designer and prepare all the images.

STEP 1- 4: INSERT A TABLE
When inserting a table begin with a few rows, and insert additional rows (as required) later. It's best to stick to a two column format. TIP: If you need to insert more rows in the table, then click in the last cell (bottom¬right) and press [Tab!. Alternatively, use 'Table II nsert I Rows .. .'
o Start Microsoft Word and open a new document. Hit the [Enter) key a couple of times to insert a few blank rows at the top of the newsletter. Then select 'Table I Insert I Table .. .' Specify two columns and five rows to begin with.

Click in the first cell. Type a section headline. Then type the text in paragraphs below that. The text shown in Steps 2 and 3 is for representation purposes only.
Complete your newsletter by typing text in other cells.
Type an introductory note at the top of the table (Step 4). You can apply shading by selecting the text. Then click 'Format I Borders and Shading'. Click the 'Shading' tab. Click on a light grey color.

STEP S - 6: INSERT IMAGES & IMAGE LINKS Next we'll insert the images that relate to the text. But this is being done just to give you an idea how the images will appear in the newsletter. Remember that the recipients will not be able see the images in your newsletter unless you insert the related hyperlinks to the corresponding images, which are on a Web server.
We assume that you have already scaled down the size of the images to roughly 1 inch (height) by 2 inches (width) or slightly larger.

We advise you to save the file (in the usual DOC format) before proceeding further.
a Click in the cell where an image is to be inserted. Then select 'Insert I Picture I From File .. .' Navigate to the folder where all the images are stored and click on
the image to insert it. Once the image is inserted, click on it and then drag its handles to resize it on the page. a Click once on the image to select it (Step 6). Then select 'Insert I Hyperlink'. In the Address box type the link that leads to this image on the Web server. For instance: Then click 'OK'.

Following the above instructions insert images where needed in the newsletter. In a similar manner, insert a masthead on the first row of the newsletter.
TIP: If you want to test out an image link, point to the image and press [Ctrl] + click. This will load the browser, which follows the link and fetches the image from the Web server.

The newsletter is almost complete. Next we shall add e-mail links that will enable people to subscribe or unsubscribe from your mailing list. You may create two e-mail IDs such as subscribe@myserver.com and (replace 'myserver' with your actual Web server address). We nave observed that the current practice is to insert a hyperlink to another Web page on the site, which has a simple form to subscribe or unsubscribe. To keep it simple, you may want to establish a single e-mail ID.

STEP 7 - 8: INSERT E-MAIL LINKS
At the bottom of your newsletter type text that reads something like this: To subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter send an e-mail tosubscribe@myserver.com. a Select the text of the e-mail ID. Then select 'Insert I Hyperlink'. a In the dialog box (Step 8), under 'Link to' click .E-mail Address'. Type the e-mail address in the boxes 'Text to display' and also for .E-mail address'. Optionally, you may preset the subject line. Click 'OK'.
a Save the file once again. Then minimize Microsoft Word and load Microsoft Outlook (or your default e-mail client). You will need to set the default mail sending format to HTML and this is explained in Step 4.

STEP 9 - 10: COPY THE NEWSLETTER INTO OUTLOOK
a Load your default e-mail client. If it is Microsoft Outlook, select 'Tools I Options' and click on the 'Mail Format' tab. Under 'Message Format' select 'HTML'. Click 'OK' (Step 9). a Open a new mail message and click in the body/text area. Press [Alt] + [Tab] and switch over to the newsletter typed in Microsoft Word. Press [Ctrl] + A to select the complete newsletter (with images and links). Then select 'Edit I Copy'. Switch to Outlook and select 'Edit I Paste'.

Finally type in the recipients e-mail addresses along with the subject line. Don't forget to send a copy to your own Web mail ID (Yahoo, Gmail. Hotmail) so that you can see how your newsletter appears to recipients. This is also a nice way to check for errors too .