Why would an association publish e-newsletters for its members, but none for non-members? I’ve come across several that operate this way.

I can see how some e-newsletters would have content that should be restricted to paying members. But if an association has the capability to create e-newsletters in the first place, why wouldn’t they also have at least one that is available to whoever wants it?

Our flagship newsletter is available for free. Many of the external links are for members only (requires log-in), but most of the newsletter content itself is open. The result? Non-member subscribers join online.

You can’t give everything away for free (and definitely shouldn’t), but restricting everything is even worse. E-newsletters are a tremendous tool. That’s why pretty much every company on the web offers them — but you don’t see them restricting all their subscriptions to paying customers.

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