You've been sending out regularly scheduled e-newsletters forever, but when was the last time you thought about how you are deploying them? These offerings need to get to recipients quickly and efficiently to maximize the from-me-to-you urgency of the message. After all, open communication is the key to any successful relationship. 

There are a plethora of choices out there, so here a few things publishers should keep in mind when considering a next-generation e-newsletter deployment service:

When I delegate the subject line creation process to someone, I usually think, "I would hate to be that guy." If we are working on a subject line as a team, then I think, "Thank goodness I don't have to do this alone."

The trend in email newsletters is toward personalization. Tech trade publisher IDG is taking the concept one step further by letting users create their own newsletters.

Email newsletters and alerts are a staple of most publishers' marketing efforts. Done right, email newsletters can generate both reader loyalty and advertising revenue. Done wrong, well, they simply add to inbox clutter - and can actually hurt your reputation and business. The following resources will get you up to speed on email best practices. Hint: Think relevance.

On Monday I interviewed Stephanie Miller, vice president of global market development for Return Path, who shared an interesting insight about email newsletters: deliverability should be viewed as an engagement metric.

Designing an email newsletter is a lot like designing a web page in 1996: lots of different browsers and no real standards.

Which, as any Web designer can tell you, makes it difficult to produce consistent and visually appealing results. Luckily, when it comes to the Internet, the practice of marketing through email is a well-established industry with many people making their best practices available.