Creative destruction (III): the new free newsletter

| Monday, April 18, 2011

The last two entries were about live blogging and link journalism. Today I would like to explain to you briefly what’s happening with the free newsletter. I’d appreciate your thoughts in the comments section too.

First of all, THANK YOU VERY MUCH to all those of you who wrote in and suggested ideas about passion and creativity last month, and to those of you who took the time to leave me a comment or say hi on Facebook and Twitter!

It meant a lot to me because it wasn’t easy deciding to make a change like that. If I haven’t replied to your email yet, don’t worry, I will.

I’ve been busy doing some more creative destruction for the last few weeks after rediscovering my passion back in the middle of February. If you have a look around the site, you’ll see there have been quite a few more changes too, as well as the link journalism and live blogging. We also needed to do something about the newsletter…

Changing the focus, not the whole newsletter…

The focus of the original newsletter was “learn Spanish/English through looking at the news/current affairs”. As we all discovered a few weeks ago, I should really be concentrating on the world news part of that.

The focus of the new free newsletter, then, will not be teaching but world news analysis. It will be called “Today’s Top 10 World News Links” and will contain only the very best world news analysis I can find each day—(and remember, I read a lot)—so that you can start to understand what’s going on in our world in as little time as possible.

This is how I’ve summed it up so far:

The world is a complicated place which is full of constantly changing important stories. This is an easy way to read some of the best world news writing on the Internet and stay up-to-date with what’s going on in the world. It’s free. When you join this newsletter:

You will understand the world more;

You will stay up-to-date on the world’s top news stories;

You will read some great writing and analysis;

You will save yourself lots of your valuable time;

You will get different links for each language you speak / want to learn

The English links will be different from the Spanish links, of course, because they’ll be links to the original (untranslated) articles. Great for practicing your advanced Spanish whilst learning more about the world…!

You can subscribe to both the English links (to analysis written in English) AND the Spanish links (to analysis from Spain and Latin American sources) if you want.

What to do about 700 subscribers?

I spoke to the kind people at MailChimp—who look after our e-mail list technology—to see what to do about moving people between lists, given the new change in focus. After all, more than 700 of you signed up for 50% language learning mixed with 50% news.

Their considered advice—given that this is not a complete change of focus from, say, ’viagra updates’ to ’how to blog better’, but more a nuanced shift in focus that you’re already expressed half an interest in, was to not delete the old list and all the people on it but to start sending the new e-mails out t and make it really easy for you to unsubscribe if you don’t want the new mails.

This week I’ll start sending out some updates about more creative destruction and the Top 10 World News Links.

Choose 1 of these 3 options…

All of this means you now have three options:

If you’re already subscribed to the old list—and you’re interested in what I’m doing and in finding out about what’s going on in your world—you don’t have to do anything, you’ll start receiving the new world news analysis emails automatically. I will shortly send you an e-mail so that you can choose which language(s) you would like to read your links in;
If you’re already subscribed to the old list—and for some reason you’re not at all interested in understanding what’s going on in your world and don’t want to receive these emails at all—just click on the unsubscribe link in any of the e-mails. No worries and no complaints from me. It’s been nice meeting you and I wish you all the best in your life and your language learning;
If you’re reading this and you don’t remember subscribing to the old list—and you want to understand more about your world—just sign up below to start receiving the new e-mails. Here’s an example:

From: Matthew Bennett
To: You
Date: 22 April 2011
Subject: Today’s Top 10 World News Links: 22/04/2011

Hi,

In a very surprising turn of events this morning, everyone wondered why John McCain’s smiley face had turned up to shake hands with LIbyan rebel leaders in Benghazi. (The Atlantic Wire)
At the same time, Obama has authorised the use of armed drone aircraft over Libya for the first time in a ground attack role. (AP)
But US drone missiles have, on the same day, killed 25 people in a Pakistan tribal area, only the day after Pakistan’s army chief complained about such attacks. (AP).
Clashes following Friday prayers in Syria have left more than 30 dead; are we seeing the beginning of a Syrian revolt? Will Assad be supported by the West? (Guardian)
Charlie Rose has interviewed Hilary Clinton and Henry Kissinger, together, about US foreign policy, technology, cultures and the Arab uprisings. (Charlie Rose)
Which is very relevant when US power is in decline. World-famous US investor Warren Buffett has said the US dollar will lose purchasing power in just 5 years time. (Washington Post).
The Economist has an interesting article about China’s trade expansion into Africa and how it must carefully tend the relationships it has started to create. (The Economist)
And given the turmoil in North Africa, though, you can see why the Chinese might want to silence Ai Weiwei, but Salman Rushdie has written a commentary arguing that China must set him free. Telegraph
Pope Benedict XVI has appeared in an audience question & answer debate for the first time ever and answered questions on suffering, Japan, Iraq, Ivory Coast and Jesus. ( Telegraph )
And while we’re on religion and politics, Wikileaks has revealed that Pope John Paul II was cajoled by the US into justifying the wars in Kosovo and Iraq. (l’Espresso)

More tomorrow…!

Matthew.

You can sign up below…

Remember:

If you don’t want the new emails, just unsubscribe by clicking on the link in any of the emails.
If you are interested in your world and you do want the new emails, you don’t have to do anything: just sit back and enjoy reading the web’s best world news analysis.

Thanks for all your patience and for reading…!

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