Growing up with a mom as a psych teacher, I was always the guiney pig when she wanted to try out a new personality test. I learned of my extrovertedness at a young age and you've hit the mark on your insightful coping mechanisms.

Myself and several other local, extroverted basement dwellers have resorted to a weekly "entrepreneur's club meeting" on Thursday afternoons at a nearby watering hole. It's great to get out, socialize, vent, network and even discuss business ideas, struggles and potential partnerships. Every one of us looks forward to Thursday afternoons (we work it into our schedules) and our group has grown as friends-of-friends have joined in...

A general note for all...

Another important aspect of testing e-mail newsletters that wasn't mentioned in Jordan's article is e-mail browser testing. This should be done at the early stages of the game when you've initially chosen or built your e-mail newsletter template. We (web developers and e-mail marketers) struggle constantly with creating HTML-based newsletters that maintain their design integrity (layout, formatting, etc.) due to the variations in how e-mail browsers (Outlook, gmail, hotmail, yahoo, etc.) display the e-mail's HTML code. I won't get technical... But just know that when you're using a new template, you should send out a test e-mail to several e-mail addresses that utilize different e-mail programs. You may be surprised at how different your newsletter looks in each program.

How do you fix it? Dumb down your code (if you have the ability) to basic HTML. Try to stear clear of css style.

Good article Barry and thanks for including that "bonus point". I had never heard that before. Learn something new everyday!

Great article Jack...(of course it was, lots of stories).

You certainly have a smooth way of transitioning into a story (and making your point) without the reader even realizing they've been hooked. I've always tried to include personal stories in my articles, but thanks for the reminder about "leading" with a story to get them hooked.

Brody Dorland

Thanks for hosting this event Bree. I can't make it to this one, but I'd love to attend if there is another event planned in the future. Good luck to you all!