* How do I join?
In the spring of 2006, I left the bravenet newsletter service and moved the Newsletter to Yahoo Groups. I sent out notices to all the old members to come re-join. I could not just sign everyone back up myself.
New and old members alike, to join find the handy purple join buttons to your right on just about any page of the site. Click on the button and follow the instructions on Yahoo's signup page, selecting the options you prefer. It's that easy.
* When I join, what's in it for me?
It's turning out to be several things you get when joining my mailing list for the Newsletter. Here's a run down of things I offer so far:
*Obviously, the actual Newsletter. I've archived the few full-blown versions I've conjured up on my website. As a subscriber, you'll preview such a newsletter a week or so in advance to it being published on the web. This version functioned in honor of the then-absent from the fandom, Cheezey, and her Third Earth Enquirer. Therefore, it had some "scandalous" news about the 'cats, a few columns as well as breaking news regarding RL happenings for Tcats. I usually throw in a few fun links to sites or tidbits about the 'cats I found funny or interesting, as well as fan fic and art highlights.
*Sometimes I send out a short newsletter when something interesting comes up I think the fans want to know about...be it an upcoming chat session, the comics releases, ThunderCats airtimes -- whatever. And of course, major and significant updates to my page. These type of newsletters never get published on the web and remain exclusive to those on-list.
*I pass along any exclusive stuff I'm emailed, too. For instance, when Ford Gilmore sent me a sneaky peeky of Lion-O from issue five back in October a few years ago, I sent that image along to my subscribers but never posted it or archived it on the site. A few things remain totally exclusive to subscribers.
*I've thought about doing the occassional contest for Tcat items of memorabilia, but I haven't come up with a good system yet. But I did recently give away a near-entire collection of Tcat avis to a subscriber who was first to respond to the offer. Who knows -- I may get tired of looking at some of my other ThunderCat stuff and decide to give it away ;)
* Can others see my email address when you send out the Newsletter?
I don't have the option on to hide your email address now that the Newsletter is on Yahoo Groups...so if you send a message to the group, yes - we all will be able to see your email addy.
Speaking for myself, I won't use your address for anything but sending you the newsletter and other ThunderCat-related notes.
* Are you going to spam me to death with crap I don't care about?
That's certainly not my intention. Everything mailed to you from the list will have something to do with ThunderCats or this site. I also clearly label each Newsletter post so that you will know right away from the subject line whether it's the official Newsletter, a breaking tidbit, a chat session announcement, etc. Now that it's at the new group, you also have several options for email when you join - to recieve each post as they are made, to get a daily "digest" of emails, or to simply recieve only special notices...or no email at all.
On average, I send out maybe one Newsletter, in one form or another, once a month, depending on what's going on.
If you join and decide it's not for you, there's always the "unsubscribe" option. I won't take it as an insult one way or another ;)
* Why are you forcing people to join your mailing list in order to partake in the ThunderCats insider chats?
Because I can, bwahahahaha! >:)
Seriously, when I held the chat with Peter Lawrence, I didn't know what I was doing, it was ill-planned and I hadn't even thought about a mailing list as a way to better prepare. There's a few other reasons why I sometimes institute the "join or be left out" policy:
*It's a helluva a lot more convenient for me. Now, I just go to the group, write one post and hit send...instead of writing an email, sending it to ten people, then hitting all the message boards and pasting said email. This way, it's also a one-stop place for those interested in the chats to join and get those updates. With my rampant LFS, I have been known to forget to email someone or post to a well-traveled message board only to be the recipient of ire from those who felt slighted by my forgetful mistake.
*The numbers, baby. Different chatrooms can handle different amounts of traffic, etc. Having a list gives me an idea in advance as to how many people to expect at a chat event. This, in turn, helps me better plan the event to run smoothly for both the guest and the fans.
*Having the list, I found I reach more people than the archaic way of mailing and posting...more of you seem apt to respond whether or not you can actually make it (which helps me prepare for the size of the chat) and/or send a question for the guest of honor.
On the bright side, all you need do is join the list. There's no charge or other exclusions on the chats. Just show up and...chat. There is no litmus test or requirements to join the list...just hit "join" and that's that! ;)
For those who can't make it, I always post a log of the chat on my site afterwards.
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