So you ask, what exactly does a good signature line look like?

It should read like a mini bio with "Four W's:" Who, What, When, Where. The length is usually 4 o 6 lines (at no more then 65 characters per line). You should include your company name, URL, a business slogan, and a link to subscribe to your ezine or a freebie you may be offering. For example:

******************************************* Sally Smith- Smith's Hardware Store http://www.smithhardware.com/ "The Finest in Hardware Since 1910" Subscribe to "Smiths Hardware Post" send mailto:subscribe@smithhardware.com. "All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy" ********************************************

Take note of special characters encasing signature. This is optional but helps add a flair of creativity to your signature. Some people like to add a quote as in example above. There are two excellent sites online for finding quotes you can use in your sig line:

http://www.coolsigs.com http://www.siglets.com

Have you ever really considered just how many people use e- mail? There are millions upon millions of people out there who, if they're anything like me, just plain love to get e-mail and communicate with others using this wonderful medium. Part of beauty of e-mail is that people pay attention to e-mail. People will actually read your advertisements if they're mixed with information that's valuable to them. E-mail is ultimate marketing tool.

How to Harness Power ---------------------------

"Great," you say, "but how do I use this 'awesome power?'" There are an unbelievable number of innovative and really effective ways to use e-mail to advertise yourself and your business on Internet, but for scope of this article, we're going to focus on one.

E-mail Signatures --------------------------

E-mail signatures, or "sigs," are one of easiest and most effective ways for an Internet marketer to promote his web site (or other people's sites, for that matter.) For those of you who don't know what an e-mail signature is, here's an example of one I use on a daily basis:

Sincerely, Micah D. Cranman Sybren Design http://sybren.net

======================================== Would you like to tap money making potential of Internet with a powerful website? If so, contact Sybren today for a FREE consultation! http://sybren.net | mdc@sybren.net | 770-971-9868 ========================================

(NOTE: Signatures can also be an effective tool when used in newsgroups, discussion groups, or message boards. Use them anywhere possible!)

Signatures can be easily set up in any e-mail program that's worth something, and usually very easily. Just look in "help" section or browse around program menus and you should be able to figure out how to set them up pretty quickly. I personally use Microsoft Outlook Express, and have found it to be totally sufficient for my needs. (www.microsoft.com) Others swear by Qualcomm's Eudora Pro, (www.eudora.com) and still others by other programs. Just pick one that suits your needs.

Now, there are three key components to a signature, each with a different purposes:

1. The closing of letter - this is first four lines you see in signature above. It's purpose is two-fold: to avoid having to type a closing to save time (which can really add up if you get a lot of e- mail), and to provide information about yourself, and possibly, some contact information.