• by Loren McDonald , Op-Ed Contributor, November 3, 2011

Since 2002 I have written somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 articles and blog posts for various publications. This one is my 109th Email Insider column.

I had planned to use my 100th Email Insider as a milestone to reflect on the previous 99 written over the last five years, first as a substitute writer in 2006 and then as a regular in 2007. I missed the century mark by a bit, but what the heck.

Because I also write for my employer's blog and newsletters and for other publications, I've always tried to reserve Email Insider for topics that take an industry slant, look at emerging trends or practices or even put mundane email tactics into a larger context. The deeper, tactical and step-by-step approaches I usually save for elsewhere.

I'm sure I haven't always met my goals for this column -- but, regardless of the outcome, I put the same effort into every one.

One lesson I've learned after writing 100+ columns for Email Insider is that columns I hope might generate some conversation usually don't. But columns I write straight from the heart often generate good commentary and discussion, either in the comments section that follow each column or on Twitter.

Some columns resonate long after publication. I've listed them below, along with my personal awards that explain why they're still on my mind:

1. Most Difficult to Write: What Would Stefan Say? In the wake of losing Stefan Pollard -- a friend, peer, ex-coworker, guiding light and just great human being -– I was forced to reflect not just on Stefan's life but also my own.  For those of you who had never met Stefan, I hoped you could understand the impact he had on so many people in the industry. 

2.Most Engagement: My Name Is Loren. BTW, I'm A 'He' This column drew the second-highest number of reader comments on my column. What I had intended to be a warning to marketers of the danger of making assumptions about customer data turned into a reader confessional of their own horrid personalization experiences.

3.Most Practical: The Unsubscribe Link Location: Top, Bottom Or Both? On this question, which people are still asking, I was heavily influenced by some sage advice from Stefan Pollard at the time.

4. Most Needing a Rewrite: Why Aren't You Using Double Opt-In? I pushed pretty heavily in favor of the DOI process. However well-intentioned that I was, very few marketers use this approach.

5.Most Passing Fancy: Preview Panes: The New Subject Line I thought I was pretty cool, coming up with the concept of preview panes as the "new subject line." But with the explosion of smart phones and mobile devices soon thereafter, I should have updated it with: "From Names: The New Subject Line."

6. Most Helpful: Saying 'I'm Sorry': Keys To An Effective Email Correction Process I've run into a lot of folks in my travels who said this column came in very handy when they had an email "oops."

7. The Best Lecture: Fake 'Oops' Emails: Stop It Already Yes, mistake and correction emails generate higher open rates.  But if they aren't genuine, they look fishy and devalue the email for legitimate corrections.

8. Most Controversial: Why The Open Rate Must Die My feelings on this column haven't changed. I dislike the open rate for its inaccuracy and low value in measuring performance of your email program. But I was surprised at some of the negative reaction from people who thought I was off my rocker.

9. Best Use of a Swear Word:Five Lessons Email Marketers Can Learn From @Sh*tMyDadSays No comments necessary.

10. Most Hubris: The Last 'Best Time to Send?' Article Someone needed to stand up and tell people to stop suggesting there is one best time to send email. There isn't.

11.Best Attempt at Creating a New Term:Email's New Role In a World Gone 'Mocial' I coined the term "mocial" for this column to describe three channels that increasingly work together: mobile, social and local.

12. Best Evocation of a Meat-Wearing Pop Star: Email Must Embrace Its Inner Lady Gaga Anyone notice how "email is dying" rants have died down? Email, she got her "poker face" on, baby.

Enough of the retrospective. Email Insider readers: What topics or issues would you like to see me write about in the future?

Until next time, take it up a notch.