On
the Fast Track with…
NotePad
Just what in blazes
is "NotePad?"
Well, we're going
to need a word processing program to write our ads, aren't we?
The most commonly
used word processing programs are Microsoft Word and
WordPerfect. No doubt you having been using one or the other
of these two program for years, without even thinking about it.
However, when you are writing and formatting ads
for use in emails you will NOT be using either of these two word processing programs!
What you WILL be using
to write your ads is a program called "NotePad"
NotePad is a little program that comes pre-bundled in ALL Microsoft
operating systems, but very few people even know it's there, and
even fewer people have ever used it.
So why are we?
The reason is that
NotePad is what is called a "Plain Text Editor"
You would never
know it unless you do a lot of email advertising, but programs like
Word and WordPerfect are NOT "plain text editors."
Huh? Wazzat
mean? Just what IS a "plain text editor?"
Well, whenever you type
anything into a
blank Microsoft Word (or WordPerfect) document, it looks just
fine. IT'S ONLY WHEN YOU COPY AND PASTE THAT DOCUMENT INTO
ANOTHER APPLICATION THAT "WEIRD" THINGS CAN HAPPEN.
And obviously we're going to be doing a LOT of copying and pasting
of our ads into other applications, aren't we?
Y'see, Word
invisibly reconfigures certain characters "behind the
scenes," so to speak. You never see this reconfiguration
until you copy and paste it into another application, and then you
STILL don't see it. However, when that message is emailed to
someone, those invisible reconfigurations now become visible. Certain email programs (like those
some of your prospects have) DO display these reconfigurations, and
it can completely destroy the effectiveness of your ads!
Let me show you
what we mean...
Let's say you have
a line in one of your ads that reads...
It's the
greatest thing since sliced bread!
You copy and
paste that line into another application (like one of the C.H.I.P.
mailing programs), and it STILL looks fine. It looks just like
it did before...
It's the
greatest thing since sliced bread!
But!... now comes
the problem. Your prospect's email program often DOES read
those Word reconfigurations that until then are completely invisible
and "hiding behind
the scenes." So, instead of the line reading, "It's
the greatest thing since sliced bread!" it comes out
looking like...
It&#@s the
greatest thing since sliced bread%%~
Can you imagine
trying to read an entire ad that has those spurious
characters in it? Kinda destroys the effectiveness of your ad
completely, doesn't it!?
NotePad, on the
other hand is a PLAIN text editor. NotePad doesn't have
all the frills and bells & whistles that Word has, and when you
type an ad into a NotePad document, "what you see is what you
get" - ALWAYS!
Now, then, let's
"find" and configure your NotePad program...
Step 1:
Click on the "Start" button in the lower left-hand
corner of your screen.
Step 2:
On the menu that pops up, look for "Programs" or "All
Programs" Place your cursor over the word "Programs"
(or "All Programs")
A second menu will pop up.
Step 3:
Look for "Accessories"
When you place your
cursor over the word "Accessories," yet a third
menu will pop up.
Step 4:
Look for "NotePad"
Click on the word "NotePad"
and a blank NotePad document will appear in the center of your screen,
similar in appearance to a blank Word document.
Step 5 (for
Windows 98 or Windows Millenium):
If you are using Windows 98
or Windows Millenium, in the gray menu bar at the top of your blank
NotePad document, you will see four items: File, Edit, Search,
and Help. Click on "Edit." On the drop
down menu that appears, click on "Set Font."
On the pop-up window that appears, to the left is a menu giving you
numerous options for the default font you want. Find the font
called "Fixedsys" and click on it to highlight
it. Font style should be "Regular," and size
should be "10" Now click on the rectangular
gray "OK" button to the right.
If you are using
Windows 98 or Windows Millenium your NotePad
program is now properly configured for writing email ads.
Step 5a (for
Windows XP):
If you are using Windows XP,
in the gray menu bar at the top of your blank NotePad document, you
will see five items: File, Edit, Format, View, and
Help. Click on "Format." On the drop
down menu that appears, click on "Font." On
the pop-up window that appears, to the left is a menu giving you
numerous options for the default font you want. Find the font
called "Fixedsys" and click on it to highlight
it. Font style should be "Regular," and size
should be "10" Now click on the rectangular
gray "OK" button to the right.
If you are using
Windows XP your NotePad
program is now properly configured for writing email ads.
You may now close
your NotePad program. That's all you need
to know for right now about NotePad, but we'll be coming back to it
in the next tutorial.
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