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An Open Letter To All Readers That Utilize A Text-Only Email Client: Changes Coming Next Week: Everything You Need To Know

Released: 12/21/2023

Author: Aaron Di Blasi, Publisher, Top Tech Tidbits

➜ This article is no longer current. You can find the updated version of this article here.

Since the very first week that I became Publisher for the Top Tech Tidbits Publication I have received emails from readers who are also assistive technology experts of various specializations asking me when we planned to convert the Top Tech Tidbits Newsletter into a "pure HTML format."

To help make sense of this request, some quick background.

The Top Tech Tidbits Newsletter was born a text-only newsletter.

Although HTML in email was just coming of mainstream age in 2004, many people, especially in the access technology community specifically, still used a text-only email client for maximum accessibility.

Unfortunately, due to hurdles in compatibility, this need persisted, even many years after that.

Fast forward 20 years, yes indeed, Top Tech Tidbits turns 20 in March of 2024, and we are finally at a point where we are ready to transition both the Top Tech Tidbits and Access Information News newsletters into a "pure HTML format," while still serving the needs of text-only email clients.

What Does It Mean To Transition The Top Tech Tidbits and Access Information News Newsletters Into A Pure HTML Format?

Here's what it means, for readers specifically.

Since 2004 the Top Tech Tidbits newsletter has been delivered to readers using a "hybrid" format of both text and HTML.

And since 2022, when Access Information News was spun off from the Top Tech Tidbits newsletter, it too has been delivered to readers using a "hybrid" format of both text and HTML.

What has made it part "text" is the fact that we have always included the full link text (beginning with https://www...) for every link included within each newsletter.

Including the full link text for every link within each newsletter is what has allowed text-only email clients to continue to be able to "read" each issue of each newsletter directly inside of their text-only email client.

Granted, these readers still had to copy and paste each link from the email into their web browser, but this was a workaround that many users of text-only email clients were already familiar with.

Beginning next week, with the December 25, 2023 issue of Access Information News, and the December 28, 2023 issue of Top Tech Tidbits, we will no longer include the full link text for every link within the newsletter.

In place of the full link text for each news item we will instead include just two words, "Read More."

We opted for this method over linking the title of each article because that would have forced linear agents and screen reader users to "back up," if you will, in order to click on the link for the article after reading the abstract.

With "Read More" following each article title and abstract all readers will now be able enjoy a more condensed and natural reading flow each week.

I Utilize A Text-Only Email Client. Will I Still Be Able To Read Top Tech Tidbits and Access Information News Each Week?

Yes you will. The good news for readers that utilize a text-only email client is that we will still include the full link text for one very important link. The link to that issue online.

This link will always be the very first link to appear to text-only email clients atop every issue.

Simply copy and paste this link into your browser just as you would any other link from your text-only email client and now you too will be able to enjoy the power of HTML, and the many new ways in which we plan to employ it for the benefit of readers going forward.

This same workaround will now apply to anyone reading either newsletter in an email client in which hyperlinks have been turned off for security purposes.

I know this to be the case for several of our government readers. For security purposes, some readers must use email clients that do not allow for native hyperlinks to be active within an incoming email.

In these cases you will now need to read Top Tech Tidbits on the web each week in order to avail yourself of all of the many links that it provides.

Why Does It Matter?

Transitioning the Top Tech Tidbits and Access Information News newsletters into a "pure HTML format" provides a number of benefits to a number of different groups of people across both publications.

1.) First and foremost are blind persons that utilize an HTML email client.

Blind persons that utilize an HTML email client have heretofore been forced to listen to (or try to skip past) the reading aloud of every link in the newsletter.

This is something that many readers have said they find exhausting.

I am very happy to report that beginning next week this will no longer be the case for a large number of readers.

2.) Secondly, removing the full link text from every link in the newsletter nearly halves the character count of each weekly newsletter that we send you.

This reduction in character count will allow us to reach even more readers as many spam filters block emails based on a predetermined character limit.

In addition, each newsletter that we send you must adhere to a specific character limit in order to maintain international compliance.

3.) Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the additional characters that this transition frees up will allow us to provide you with links to even more background, sentiment and expertise on all of the weekly topics that we already cover.

Something I am personally very excited about.

If you have questions or concerns about this coming change please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly at: publisher@toptechtidbits.com 📧️.

On behalf of all of us here at both Top Tech Tidbits and Access Information News, we look forward to growing and evolving alongside you in 2024!

EXAMPLE:

OLD VERSION: HYBRID TEXT AND HTML:

XX) Acme Corporation Joins Top Tech Tidbits

Acme Corporation has released an announcement explaining to readers why they support Top Tech Tidbits:
https://www.toptechtidbits.com/

NEW VERSION: PURE HTML:

XX) Acme Corporation Joins Top Tech Tidbits

Acme Corporation has released an announcement explaining to readers why they support Top Tech Tidbits.
Read More

Aaron Di Blasi, PMP

Publisher (2020-Present)
Top Tech Tidbits
The Week's News in Access Technology
https://toptechtidbits.com 🌐

Publisher (2022-Present)
Access Information News
The Week's News in Access Information
https://accessinformationnews.com 🌐

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