Newsletters
Summer in the City
Apr 28th
It’s here. No warning, no heads up. The heat has arrived in New York City. It’s really remarkable — it’s as if everyone has forgotten that, just a few days ago, they were donning turtlenecks and winter coats. Now, it’s bikinis in Central Park and no signs of spring — just summer.
One reason I like living in the Northeast is the fact we have four solid seasons, and usually the transition into each season is often the most enjoyable part. However, this year spring has sprung right over us. Summer is not my favorite season in NYC, mostly due to the humidity, but I have to admit it is nice to see the sun and people enjoying the outdoors.
In my travels, I’ve seen many different types of climates. In Southeast Asia, for example, the climate ranges from hot to hotter. Even locals I know in Singapore and Malaysia claim to never get used to the heat. On the extreme opposite, friends in Stockholm always seem shocked when the first snowfall hits. In fact, one year when I was visiting, the subways had technical issues due to the cold during the first snow. It was as if it was the first time they’ve seen cold in the region. Maybe they forgot about their history of long winters!
Bottom line, of the four different seasons, I’ve learned I’m a winter girl through and through. I try to avoid the heat. However, I wouldn’t mind spending some time in the sun if, say, I was in the Maldives or perhaps Bali for a few days. Where would you enjoy finding time in the sun?
-Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher
The Age of Electronic Media
Sep 8th
Have you ever heard the phrase “Don’t believe everything you read”? Well, the Internet has made this phrase even more important than ever. Wikipedia had their problems several years ago when Jay Leno made them a laughingstock by going online during his show and editing the definition of elephants. Leno altered the definition to claim that elephants roamed wild throughout North America. Wikipedia has since locked access to many of their sections to prevent this.
I received an email from a friend touting the fascism of Sarah Palin this weekend. He sent a list of books that Sarah has ‘supposedly’ banned while she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. I looked at the list of books and was shocked, and then I noticed that all the Harry Potter books were on the list. This struck me as odd and so I googled “Sarah Palin banned books.” I found out this was a hoax. When Sarah Palin supposedly banned these books in 1996, none of the Harry Potter books had been published. But, of course, this Internet lie was circulating and some people will take this as Gospel and never believe anything else.
There is something to be said about electronic media having a “bricks and mortar” base. About seven years ago I was a guest speaker at The Leading Hotels of the World management conference, and I spoke about the Internet and my newsletter. There were so many websites and newsletters floating around the Internet touting travel, and many were written by disgruntled travelers or travel writers. My point was that a travel Internet site, backed with bricks and mortar, makes for a more reputable read.
As a publisher of two newsletters, eFlyer USA (celebrating its five-year run in December) and eFlyer Asia (launching this week), I find our way of producing and writing even more refreshing.
-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
Coming Soon: eFlyer Asia
Aug 18th
Your team at Global Traveler is venturing into the Asian marketplace soon with eFlyer Asia. eFlyer Asia will be an html weekly newsletter with news, deals and reviews written specifically for the Asian traveler. eFlyer USA has been an overwhelming success with over 50,000 opted-in email subscribers. eFlyer USA will celebrate its five year anniversary on December 1!
Following closely in its footsteps, eFlyer Asia will reach out to business and luxury travelers living throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Currently, there is no source in Asia that reaches out to these high-yield travelers.
Global Traveler will be selecting an Asian-based editor for eFlyer Asia in the coming weeks.
Asia is a growing market that needs an informed source that does not pander to the industry. Only Global Traveler, with no ties to the industry, can bring the Asian reader this much-needed product.
Keep your eyes peeled for eFlyer Asia!
- Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
The Lump
Jan 23rd
A dear old friend of mine emailed me after I sent her a shameless plug for my weekly blog here. She mentioned a newsletter that I wrote for the company where we both worked years ago. That got me thinking….
The Lump was a slightly irreverent (okay, more than slightly) review of the weekly happenings at Lerner Newspapers. It would cover anything from our softball failures to our various office sports pools. I also squeezed in important work stuff. I had a lot of fun doing it and it had a fairly strong following. Some diehard Lump fans even saved them (still not sure why).
Shortly after we hired a marketing manager, I ended The Lump after she wanted to approve each newsletter before it was distributed. Corporate America reared its ugly head. After a fun-filled 75-week run, I ended The Lump.
Nothing in The Lump was really controversial. It wasn’t even politically incorrect. The Lump did take good-natured pokes at people and procedures (myself and my department included). It’s a shame that a few people might be too sensitive or take themselves too seriously to take a bit of humor.
Perhaps the big worry was about our company image. If image was a concern, they needed to move us out of the ever-flooding basement which we rented for cheap. Or at the very least, rid the carpets of the ever-present odors and mold.
A few other attempts at newsletters were launched, but never embraced and quickly folded. Why? Because nobody wants a dry, fact-filled company update.
What do they want? Info and fun. Yes, they want to know about upcoming meetings or events. But they also want to see a goofy picture of a salesperson duplicating the Heisman Trophy pose. They want to know the receptionist’s favorite cartoon character. Silly stuff, but it gets people to continue reading other “important” stuff, like the spoonful of sugar approach to taking medicine.
So, is the the corporate newsletter like a holiday fruitcake – ever present, but never really enjoyable?
-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist (and author of the now defunct GT newsletter)
