Serotek? Newsletter? What gives! Serotek is a company that has always prided itself on breaking out of the traditional mold. Our corporate culture encourages things like hilarious April Fool’s posts like like GTO or the notetaker that just got bigger, and instances where employees offer software trial resets for everyone while the boss is too soused on margaritas to stop them.
So why is a company like that venturing in to the dry, purely informational world of newsletters? I’ll tell you why. It’s because of that one little word I tend to throw around a lot in all my talks and blog posts. You’re probably scratching your heads wondering which word I’m talking about. After all, I talk a lot, so that’s an awfully large set of words to choose from. But the word I’m talking about today is community.
One of the most beautiful things about a community is that it’s filled with people who have disparate interests, perspectives and opinions. Of course, the thing that makes a community so wonderful is also what makes it the most challenging, and yes, even frustrating at times. You see, all those people who have different opinions and perspectives? Sometimes, those perspectives and opinions are quite a bit different than your own.
So what does it mean to belong to a community where people question your opinions, challenge your beliefs, and ask you to defend your positions on things you feel passionately about? It means that you’re given an incredible opportunity to grow. You get the chance to hear voices that aren’t the ones in your head. Sometimes those voices speak sense, and, well, sometimes they don’t. Now what does any of this have to do with newsletters anyway?
The truth is that I don’t like newsletters. You give me a choice of listening to a podcast, posting comments on a blog, sitting in a chat room and debating with people, or reading something purely for news content, I’m going to choose the more interactive avenues every single time. I think that newsletters just aren’t a compelling vehicle for disseminating information. Once I read the newsletter, what’s the next step? Where’s the call to action? Where’s all the interaction that I crave? Where are the clever one-liners that make me chuckle? Why am I reading this anyway?
Suffice to say I’m not a fan of newsletters. However, I’m just one person in a huge crowd of people with diverse tastes and learning styles. It may be that lots of other people agree with me and think that newsletters are as antiquated as the rotary phone or MySpace. Or, it just may be that there are lots of you out there who want something in your inbox every quarter that gives you valuable information without the need to wade through lots of audio, or be distracted by those clever one-liners.
So, here’s your chance to tell us what you think. Leave us a comment here and let us know how you feel about newsletters. How often would you want to see one published, and if we do publish one, should we go after a specific audience? What kinds of information would you like to see in a Serotek newsletter? Do you want a newsletter at all? We want to know what you think. Oh, and you can certainly come in to the SAMNet chat rooms and debate with me as well. Whatever your opinions are on newsletters, Apple vs. Android, or even ranch Vs. Blue cheese, you’re bound to find someone in the community who is eager to have a dialog with you. Come on in, the water’s fine!
