Newsletter Review
Newsletter review is difficult and changes often as newsletters are always going through a state of change. I will try to keep my review of them as up to date as possible, changing as they change. This newsletter review contains some of those I subscribe to on a regular basis.
These reviews are personal opinions, I am not associated with any of these firms/individuals and do not receive any compensation. It is best for you to check each one yourself as with other things, your perception of their work may be different. And believe me, to put out any kind of publication consistently and make it interesting, is hard work.
(Updated Jan. 2010)
TechRepublic
You really can't call TechRepublic a newsletter or newsletters, although they have lots of those and I subscribe to many of their offerings. They have Blogs, Forums, Software Downloads, Articles, Photos, Videos, White Papers, Webcasts and so much of everything. You can find information on just about anything gadget or computer related on TechRepublic. This site is great for IT personnel as well as the ordinary computer user.
I can say without reservation that I have gotten very good information from TechRepublic many times. And they have led me to some nifty software programs too. They have many people who research and supply material, and you will likely find your favourites if you take the time to go through their extensive offerings.
There are two negative aspects I can think of;
One is they tend to repeat articles many times in various formats frequently through out their numerous publications, and some points made are opinions although from professional advisers in most cases.
The second is when you are invited to read an article, or download a pdf version and it takes you to a page where you must login to continue. I find this a nuisance and I usually move on without reading the piece at all. Granted, membership is free, but who wants to sign in every so often to read parts of a newsletter.
PCWorld, ZDNet and TechRepublic have established themselves as leaders in the online world.
(Updated Aug. 2011)
Windows Secrets
(Updated Jan 2010)
Windows Secrets - free version usually only contains a couple articles with lots of advertising. And it is loaded with suggestions of what's in the paid version.
Windows Secrets lets you decide what it is worth by saying you can pay whatever you think is fair to obtain the paid version.
So you can pay whatever you like to subscribe to the paid version to see if it meets your requirements. It is hard to argue the efficiency of that.
They have a resource bank of all their information from years past, including Fred Langa's material. If you have a need to research past articles, hints and tips, this may be for you. Details are on their site..
Scots Newsletter
Scot's newsletter provides information on Firefox, Vista and has a forum with lots of information. Lately he has been providing detailed information on the future Windows 7 version. (March 2009)
He has an RSS feed as well, and it is worthwhile to subscribe.
Feb. 2007 Update - Scot has become a Mac person having thoroughly tested this platform for his purposes. He still plans to continue Windows articles but will include more Mac material. There hasn't been much written on broadband lately, but lots on Vista and some other software issues. He is also online editorial director of Computerworld and by checking out this site you can realize how busy he is and how many things he would have on the go.
Scot has a concern as to whether some of his Windows readers will leave because of added Mac material. This could be interesting as it is hinted it may affect the newsletter future one way or another.
Scott has changed his newsletter to blog format with email or RSS notification. This is a step forward as far as I am concerned. If you want to check out Scots work, this would be the page to go to.
(February 2008)
Lockergnome
Chris Pirillo of Lockergnome fame has so many things on the go on the net it is hard to keep track of them all. I used to watch him on TV back when, and have read quite a few of his internet publications on a regular basis.
Lockergnome Provides a multitude of newsletters and other things. You can find your favourite ones by using the menu's here.
Chris Pirillo's venture of Call For Help on YouTube is very successful. This is where you ask questions via video using your webcam, and he replies on YouTube video sometimes answering many questions per show, sometimes answering only one, so show times vary. It looks like this production series is very successful for him.
This is a new way of getting information across the internet and it can be quite informative, although I find I can only watch two or three videos before bordom sets in and 'click to move on' sets in. On the other hand it is very easy to go back and find a video you need for information because you remember seeing the title as you were passing through. (February 2008)
Here is another plain style newsletter that I subscribe to. Leo has been around for a long time in the industry. Each edition of the newsletter includes a number of easy to read topics about Windows. His site has an easy to read layout, includes popular question and answers, archives and he also has an RSS feed. There is a place to submit your question if you don't find it already answered.
One thing I like about the format of Ask Leo is the Question & Answer style, which makes it easy to read and pick out the topics (questions) that are of interest to you.
Sometimes the simple things are the best, and this one is one of the best.
( Jan. 2010)
Information is not official, and is only an opinion gathered from personal experience. |
| If I make negative comments about any newsletter or similar products, it does not mean that it or its writer/owner is bad in any way. It just means that my personal experience with it was less than favourable. On the other hand if I make positive comments in a similar fashion, it only means my personal expectations were satisfactory. All of these people work very hard at producing quality publications. |