HTML-Email Compatibility of Client Software

"What is the best current information regarding HTML-email compatibility of major e-mail client software?" -- Simon Carter, Nettec

Two years ago I published an "HTML E-Mail Client Program Summary" in which I determined that about 13% of my readers could not see HTML e-mail. (http://wilsonweb.com/wmt6/email-client-summary.htm). A lot has changed since then. Nearly everybody can see HTML e-mail these days, except...

• Major corporations that are using older versions of Novell Groupwise (prior to ver. 5.5), Lotus Notes (prior to version R5), and companies that have deliberately crippled HTML compatibility to protect their network from viruses.
• A few behind-the-times AOL users haven't upgraded to AOL 6.0, 7.0, or 8.0.
• A few other text-only e-mail clients such as Eudora 3 and Pine.

I estimate that 90% to 95% of Internet users can read HTML e-mail. That doesn't mean that they prefer HTML e-mail, but that they can see it. Recently I've taken subscriptions to various publications allowing subscribers to select format (text or HTML) with HTML pre-selected. Between 18% and 23% select text as their preference; the rest stay with HTML. If possible, let your subscribers select their own preference. As a publisher I prefer to use HTML over text since URLs are not necessarily shown as clickable hyperlinks in text messages sent to AOL and Hotmail users.

What is your e-mail format preference? Please take a brief survey. I'll publish the results in Web Marketing Today on May 7, 2003. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=86596187406