1. Use master templates

Create a master template using a word processor like MS word. Opening a word document, change font to courier new - The same font that standard text files use.

Create a line of 60 characters across page. Use "select all" then move your right hand margin to end of line, to set margin for whole document.

This stops this effect:

--- Hi Welcome to My ezine and Hope...etc ---

Include any details that go in every ezine. -Title, date, lines for layout, contents list copyright etc

Save as a "text file with Line breaks" You can use this to format all your ezines.

Do same for any articles you write, so your articles are formatted and ready to cut and paste into your ezine.

2. Us a word processor A lot of editors' recommend using a new program just for your ezine, simply follow these steps:

Using master, open MS word or similar program and open your master file you have created. Now you can use grammar checker, spelling etc of a powerful program without formatting problems. When you paste any information, recheck margins.

Remember to check and save as July.txt or whatever for your newsletter and not over your master.

3. Another pair of eyes

Always get it checked "twice", wait until next day to read it again before sending. I use my wife as a first check, before it goes any further.

It's not a few who are too selfish to read rules, it's a daily deluge. It aught to be punishable as theft. It's so prolific, so large-scale it amounts to Grand Theft.

I reckon an editor's time is worth same as next person's and I presume that those of you who still go out to do a 9-5 don't say "Oh, that's OK, don't bother to pay me." at end of week or month. Do you refuse all money in return for your online efforts? Not bloody likely!

OK, so why then are ezine editors different?

What do we get in return for our time? That's many hours spent handling all list admin tasks that are necessary, keeping up with our subject matter, doing research, writing stuff, dealing with correspondence, scheduling ads, formatting it, making sure it has value to readers, sending it out on time ...

Yeah, we might get a few bucks worth of ad revenue, but don't ask me to work out hourly rate, my calculator doesn't have that many decimal places!

No, we get bombarded with autoresponders, counter offers and "vacation" replies, we get false email addresses that bounce on us, we get free email addresses that are over limits and bounce on us, we get spammed to death to our email addresses because some idiots think that a subscription to our ezine constitutes a "business relationship", moaners and whiners who don't like rules and cant follow them ...

All of this clogs up our email accounts, has to be dealt with and ROBS us of our valuable time. Felony, theft, plain and simple.

Oh, that's on top of genuine feedback from actual humans that are subscribed -- only sort of mail we do want, thank you.

There are also a breed of sub-humans who conveniently forget that they subscribed and accuse us of SPAM, which mean we have to spend half a day or more trying to clear our name. If an ezine requires that you subscribe to it, believe me it is NEVER spam.