Traditional rules say that we need to identify the right customers, try to predict their purchase behavior, and influence that behavior through marketing. Whom can we possibly reach through e-mail, and how does traditional segmentation help us understand that?

You may have missed it because of the Thanksgiving holiday, but we finally saw some positive news about e-mail marketing in the mainstream press. On Nov. 23, the Wall Street Journal published an article by Ellen Byron called "E-mail Ads Grow Up."

I recently made a "bar bet" with a client. My goal was to improve the e-mail user experience by including a downloadable wallpaper; the clients disagreed that consumers would use this feature. Hence my bet.

It's the Monday after Thanksgiving, which means you are probably still catching up and reading through your hundredth (or so) e-mail. As I contemplate what to write, I'm wondering what would grab you in the 20 seconds of attention you'll give me today--the same dilemma that haunts e-mail marketers day in and day out.

My article last week certainly hit a nerve. If I ever wondered if anyone actually reads the column I write each week--well, now those doubts are dispelled.

Every e-mail program I've worked on was founded on a desire to better understand the customer and create an interactive dialogue. But virtually all have missed an opportunity to do just that by reading and responding to e-mail replies.

The end of the year is a great time to assess what you are doing well, what you could be doing better, and how you will do it all again next year. Keeping with the theme of Thanksgiving, I've decided to tell my story as a list of measurable outcomes for which I am grateful.

I'm mad as hell. Is anyone besides myself angry at the poor performance of our trade organizations? E-mail marketing needs help NOW. We can't wait any longer.

Just as advertisers can't afford to ignore the impact of digital video recorders on TV viewing habits, you can't afford to ignore the growing and inevitable impact of RSS on your e-mail program.

E-mail marketers have tested and retested a multitude of timing scenarios to discover the optimal time to send an e-mail. According to EmailLabs and CheetahMail, which do periodic reviews of the most popular times to e-mail, Tuesdays through Thursdays are the historic winners.