In a recent discussion with an interviewee for a email designer role, I caught myself defending the general client consensus that HTML and the beautification that goes with this, is what we were looking for, even though in my head I was thinking that plain text is actually the correct way to send a message through an email channel.
HTML emails give me the opportunity to quickly scan the content and see if I'm interested. I don't care about reading through a bunch of text just to see what the offer or content is...
I prefer HTML e-mails but I guess it's whatever works best for both sender/receiver.
Benny - 17 years ago
This poll is heavily skewed towards designers by virtue of being linked via twitter from Smashing Magazine. If you want the data to remain useful please refrain from voting for HTML if you are a designer...we all know what designers prefer.
I like the freedom of using html formatting in emails, but I also like accurately knowing what the basic end-user feels about this small intrusion.
Mike Hague - 17 years ago
"Wow I guess I'm old school I prefer plain text emails. I find that a lot of the html formatted emails I receive the "text enhancements" can over power the text it's self making the email hard to read, html formatted emails are more suspectible to virus/worms and other nasties especially from a Windows user Finally html formatted emails consume more bandwidth and hard drive space."
Wow I read this comment and thought .... What are you on about? ... HTML emails are hard to read? -- only if the author is bad at web design, bandwidth and harddrive space? lol -- what you cant spare 80 odd KB? .... If email clients would start catching up with internet browsers emails using CSS etc would be much much better! Outlook for example is going the wrong way in terms of CSS support... anyway HTML rules as long as the designer knows what they are doing!.
I prefer plain text, but it's important that the automated messages include relevant URLs to take me right to the topic in question rather than forcing me to login and navigate the site myself.
Wow I guess I'm old school I prefer plain text emails. I find that a lot of the html formatted emails I receive the "text enhancements" can over power the text it's self making the email hard to read, html formatted emails are more suspectible to virus/worms and other nasties especially from a Windows user Finally html formatted emails consume more bandwidth and hard drive space.
John - 17 years ago
Plain, because plain is simple. Just tell me what you want. If you feel I should look at a picture, add in a link to a webpage and tell me what I will find there and why I should go there.
Your developers will also love you for Plain, because they dont have to plague themselves with getting the HTML work across clients.
I can't believe my vote - but it's for HTML
In a recent discussion with an interviewee for a email designer role, I caught myself defending the general client consensus that HTML and the beautification that goes with this, is what we were looking for, even though in my head I was thinking that plain text is actually the correct way to send a message through an email channel.
Pure text. Why? E-mail is for messages, and messages only. You send it, send the message and I read it. What's the point in HTML in it then?
I prefer text because then I know that the mail will render correctly regardless on what type of device I use to read it.
HTML, it's prettier. And awesomer. And not outdated. And I use Gmail, so it doesn't matter much.
i prefer text. Simple.
HTML emails give me the opportunity to quickly scan the content and see if I'm interested. I don't care about reading through a bunch of text just to see what the offer or content is...
plain text. If it comes in html and I'm required to click the view images option in gmail I just delete the email.
I prefer HTML e-mails but I guess it's whatever works best for both sender/receiver.
This poll is heavily skewed towards designers by virtue of being linked via twitter from Smashing Magazine. If you want the data to remain useful please refrain from voting for HTML if you are a designer...we all know what designers prefer.
I like the freedom of using html formatting in emails, but I also like accurately knowing what the basic end-user feels about this small intrusion.
"Wow I guess I'm old school I prefer plain text emails. I find that a lot of the html formatted emails I receive the "text enhancements" can over power the text it's self making the email hard to read, html formatted emails are more suspectible to virus/worms and other nasties especially from a Windows user Finally html formatted emails consume more bandwidth and hard drive space."
Wow I read this comment and thought .... What are you on about? ... HTML emails are hard to read? -- only if the author is bad at web design, bandwidth and harddrive space? lol -- what you cant spare 80 odd KB? .... If email clients would start catching up with internet browsers emails using CSS etc would be much much better! Outlook for example is going the wrong way in terms of CSS support... anyway HTML rules as long as the designer knows what they are doing!.
I prefer plain text, but it's important that the automated messages include relevant URLs to take me right to the topic in question rather than forcing me to login and navigate the site myself.
HTML is okay, but I prefer simplicity - so TXT and text that is to the point is all I need, and I really appreciate when it happens that way.
I think I simply like the eye-candy.
Wow I guess I'm old school I prefer plain text emails. I find that a lot of the html formatted emails I receive the "text enhancements" can over power the text it's self making the email hard to read, html formatted emails are more suspectible to virus/worms and other nasties especially from a Windows user Finally html formatted emails consume more bandwidth and hard drive space.
Plain, because plain is simple. Just tell me what you want. If you feel I should look at a picture, add in a link to a webpage and tell me what I will find there and why I should go there.
Your developers will also love you for Plain, because they dont have to plague themselves with getting the HTML work across clients.
do you feel like having the HTML email with few images enhances the experience?
I clicked the wrong one! Deduct one vote from plain text and add it to HTML...
I agree with @emma, keep the images to a minimum.
I prefer html but few images and dont over do it.
I just read e-mails on Thunderbird, while I haven´t a gadget. So HTML is good to me.