The open web is something I think about often—usually with some fear and trepidation. For the past decade, the open web has been under increasing attack. The community, connections, and creativity that made the web so amazing have been replaced by groupthink, bots, and blandness. Nearly every day, it feels like we’re losing a little more of the open web.

A lot of people try to do something to maintain what’s good about the web. I like to think that I do, too. We write about the web, standards, accessibility, and community. We talk to each other. I usually end up lecturing or ranting to my family about the danger in which we find ourselves and the web. But it’s hard to keep up the fight, especially when you’re facing monoliths like Google and Facebook. What hope do a relatively small number of people have when defending against these behemoths?

That’s why I was heartened to see the inventor of the web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, tweet storm about his own fears and his hope for the future of the web. It’s reassuring to see that someone so entangled with the web—the creator of the whole damned thing—has similar feelings. But it’s even more reassuring to see that he still hasn’t given up the fight.

It’s going to be a hard fight, but a worthwhile one. Even when it seems like a small thing in our personal and professional lives, standing up for openness, access, inclusion, and diversity on the web can make a big difference. If enough people do that, it scales. It can change the world.

Just some random thoughts, but I wanted to write them down for future reference when I feel like the web is coming crashing down. Here are his tweets for posterity, too.

This is a serious moment for the web’s future. But I want us to remain hopeful. The problems we see today are bugs in the system. Bugs can cause damage, but bugs are created by people, and can be fixed by people. 1/9

— Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) March 22, 2018

I can imagine Mark Zuckerberg is devastated that his creation has been abused and misused. (Some days I have the same feeling #justsaying) 2/9

— Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) March 22, 2018

I would say to him: You can fix it. It won’t be easy but if companies work with governments, activists, academics and web users we can make sure platforms serve humanity. 3/9

— Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) March 22, 2018

General rules for us all: Any data about me, wherever it is, is mine and mine alone to control. If you are given the right to use data for one purpose, use it for that purpose alone. 4/9

— Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) March 22, 2018

If you have access to data for research purposes, it is REALLY IMPORTANT that you ONLY uses it for research purposes. So much important science and medicine depends on that data. 5/9

— Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) March 22, 2018

My message to all web users today is this: I may have invented the web, but you make it what it is. And it’s up to all of us to build a web that reflects our hopes & fulfils our dreams more than it magnifies our fears & deepens our divisions. 6/9

— Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) March 22, 2018

What can web users do? Get involved. Care about your data. It belongs to you. If we each take a little of the time we spend using the web to fight for the web, I think we’ll be ok. Tell companies and your government representatives that your data and the web matter. 7/9

— Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) March 22, 2018

And to every digital rights organisation large and small, to every journalist investigating the impact of data and the web on our world - thank you. Keep fighting for the web we want. The web will not realise its potential without you. #oneweb #foreveryone 8/9

— Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) March 22, 2018

For more of my thoughts on how we get everyone connected, and make sure they have a web worth connecting to, check out the @webfoundation blog: https://t.co/BSQgYn0oOg 9/9

— Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) March 22, 2018

I’m an email guy. I’ve written three books on email, spoken at a bunch of conferences on the topic, and help build tools for other email folks at my day job. I love seeing the email platform grow and evolve. I love seeing people working on interesting ideas that make email more valuable for the subscribers that receive them.

So, you’d think I’d be thrilled by Google’s announcement about adding dynamic content and interactivity to Gmail with AMP for Email. You’d be wrong.

Although I do love the idea of making emails more interactive and (in theory) more valuable to subscribers, I have severe reservations about Google’s approach to doing so and their ability to make it happen.

AMP for Email is an offshoot of the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)project, which “is an open-source initiative aiming to make the web better for all”. It’s goal is to allow publishers to create better performing pages for mobile audiences. Less bloat, faster load times, happier users.

While the stated goals of AMP are noble, there has been a massive backlash from the developer and publisher communities against how AMP for the web has been implemented. From concerns about a Google monopoly to accounts of even more bloated pages, the response from the web community has been full-throated and harsh.

As an email geek, I’m liable to disagree with a lot talk in the web world but not in this case. I think AMP for Email is a bad idea. An interesting idea with some cool demos, sure, but poorly executed by Google.

Here’s why:

• Although it’s touted as open-source, Amp is fundamentally controlled by Google. They set the agenda and everyone else falls in line.
• That agenda benefits Google first and the web and email next (if at all). If it was just about building faster mobile pages, there wouldn’t be amp-ad. Granted, AMP for Email doesn’t have an ad component (yet), but who wants to bet against me that it will eventually? Anyone?
• Amp goes against web standards. It’s essentially creating a fourth, proprietary language beyond HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Amp for Email uses that language instead of HTML and CSS. We have enough problems with basic HTML and CSS in email clients, now we need to worry about yet another markup language?
• People are already creating rich, interactive experiences in email using tools already available to everyone. Why not put your collective might behind improving that strategy instead of creating another one? Answer: Google wants to create and own its own version of the web and, now, email, too.
• From a practical standpoint, AMP for Email requires the use of an additional MIME type beyond the standard HTML and plain text ones.
• No ESPs support that MIME type and I don’t expect any to add support in the near future, making AMP for Email a non-starter for nearly everyone.
• Gmail is the only client that will be supporting AMP for Email off-the-bat. And we’re not even sure which version of Gmail will get that support. Even though it’s an open spec, so any email client provider could implement it, do you think anyone will anytime soon? I don’t.

Logistically, I just don’t see Google getting the adoption it needs to make AMP for Email work across ESPs and other email clients. I absolutely think the Gmail team should be working to bring interactive and dynamic emails to their users, but they should do it in the context of improving support for proper HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (if they can wing it).

Philosophically, I’m completely against Google’s AMP project and AMP for Email, too. I will always side with the open web and the standards that power it, and AMP is actively working against both. I’m all-in on a faster web for everyone, but I just can’t get behind Google’s self-serving method for providing that faster web.

What do you think? Email me or join the conversation over on the Litmus Community.

Every week, I get emails from people asking for advice about email marketing, design, and development. While I try to take the time to respond to each one, I’ve found that I get similar emails over time that might be better addressed via a blog post.

One of the most common questions I get is about the viability of email marketing and design as a career and whether or not people should consider specializing in email. Recently, Richard wrote:

I just read your book The Better Email and really enjoyed it. It’s actually made me want to consider a bit of a career change. I am currently a frontend developer and over time I realized working with React, Angular and all those other JS frameworks is not for me and I have been looking for a different path. I am using your book and resources on your site to become a lot better at email development. I guess my question is: should I go into email marketing or should I stay focused on one thing?

My hunch is that a lot of people are in similar situations. They may not be frontend developers, but they’re considering learning about email marketing and development and want to know whether or not it’s a worthwhile pursuit.

So, is learning about email a good idea?

The short answer is: Fuck, yes.

The long answer is still yes, but gets a little murky when you start throwing in the idea of specializing in email marketing or development. I’ve decided to split those topics out into two articles. This one focuses on why you should learn about email marketing and development, whereas the next one will focus on whether or not pursuing it as a career choice is a good idea.

So, why should you learn about email marketing, design, and development?

The main reason is that everyone online uses email. And since everyone online uses email, it’s the most valuable marketing channel out there. And, despite what some people say, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Beyond that, though, there are a few more reasons why you should probably start learning more about email marketing and design. Off the top of my head…

• Email is a very personal medium. Which allows for a lot of opportunities to connect with customers at a level which you can’t get elsewhere, except maybe in person. And that doesn’t scale.
• If you work with code, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll have to do something email-related during your career, whether or not you want to.
• If you don’t work with code, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll have to do something email-related during your career, whether or not you want to.
• Nearly every company uses email marketing in some way.
• Most of them do it very, very badly.
• If you know even a bit about email marketing and design/development, you’ve got a leg up on all of those other companies.
• Even if you don’t specialize in email, your email skills will be very valuable in other roles. You can set yourself apart by knowing just a bit about email.
• Email isn’t that complicated. Some people make it out to be, but it really isn’t.
• If you know a little HTML and CSS, you can build good emails.
• If you don’t, HTML and CSS is easy to learn.
• At some point, you’ll probably inherit some legacy email templates. The more you know about email, the easier it will be to work with those templates. Or rebuild them the right way when they make you go crazy.
• Did I mention that everyone still uses email?

All of those reasons aside, the main point is that email is not only ubiquitous, it’s an extraordinarily powerful communication channel. I often call it “the holiest of places online”.

The inbox is everyone’s home on the internet. It’s where they always begin and where they always return to. It’s where they invite their friends and family to stay in touch. It’s been around before Facebook and Twitter and will be around much, much longer than either.

As such, email provides a massive opportunity for people that know how to use it well and seemingly insurmountable challenges for those that don’t. The ones that can provide value in the inbox will reap the rewards, whereas those that consistently spam, stumble, and sell will be quickly relegated to the junk folder. And rightly so.

Most people have a very low threshold for bullshit and can sense it with just the quickest of glances. If you’re bullshitting your subscribers, they won’t be subscribers for long. Unfortunately, too many companies take the bullshit approach to email—undervaluing its power and the people who know how to do it well—and annoy the hell out of their subscribers. That’s why email marketers have to field the question, “Oh, so you’re a spammer?” whenever someone asks what we do. That undervaluing of email and the folks who work on it will be the subject of the next post…

But, since so many do email so poorly, there’s a massive opportunity for those that put in the time and effort to execute email well. If you can put yourself in you subscribers’ shoes, figure out what’s valuable to them, and when and how to deliver that value most effectively, then you’re golden.

Even if it’s not your full-time job, understanding email will help you in your career.

• For marketers, email is your bread and butter. Even if you user other channels, understanding your subscribers will allow you to create better content, deliver more effective messaging, and build better campaigns.
• For designers, email works within some amazing constraints. Understanding it will help you find better solutions for visual problems, write better UI copy, and think about design in a new way.
• For developers, email code is some of the craziest around. Working with it will teach you how to troubleshoot difficult bugs, hack around challenging problems, and understand your user base better.
• For customer support folks, these are your people! Your subscribers and users are where it’s at. Understanding how to effectively communicate with email will lead to better conversations and better support.
• For sales people, your job is to show the most value you can as quickly as possible. Guess what? That’s email’s job, too. If you can do email well, you can probably do sales well.
• For leadership, email is the ground floor. It’s where your users are. You need to understand their needs, their challenges, and what they find valuable if you want to build, grow, and lead an effective and profitable organization.

Email has something to teach everyone. It has immense value just waiting to be harnessed. And, even though nearly every company uses email marketing, too few take full advantage of email’s potential.

So do yourself (and your company) a favor and start taking email seriously.

In the next post, I’ll dig into whether or not email marketing, design, and development is a viable career choice.

It’s been a while since I last posted about The Email Design Podcast. We finished up 2017 with 87 episodes, the last ten of which I failed to mention here. With that in mind, here’s a quick roundup of all of the latest episodes. I’m looking forward to adding a bunch more in 2018. Use any of the links below to follow along in the new year!

• Episode 87: Inbox unsubscribe recommendations, Samsung Mail, and Thunderbird
• Episode 86: The 2017 State of Email Creative
• Episode 85: Apple Mail not loading images and an interactive checkout email
• Episode 84: Litmus Community Q&A Rapidfire
• Episode 83: Litmus Community Q&A Rapidfire
• Episode 82: Litmus Community Q&A Rapidfire
• Episode 81: MailChimp moves to single opt-in and Alto Mail gets retired
• Episode 80: POP/IMAP comes to Gmail on iOS and email mentors
• Episode 79: Dynamic content via web fonts and Microsoft gives up on Windows 10 Mobile
• Episode 78: The 2017 State of Email Deliverability

For a few months this year, I tracked and posted all of the books I read right here, on my website. I fell out of the posting habit, but kept up the tracking one. And, as I like year-end lists and tracking habits and activities, I thought I’d share all of the books I read this year. I marked the ones that were truly good with a 😊 and the ones that aren’t worth it with a little 🤐. The rest were pretty good, not much else to say about them. All-told, I finished 80 books this year, which might be a new record for me. Hopefully I can break that record in 2018.

Book of the Year

My favorite book of the year was Life in Code by Ellen Ullman. Ullman, who has been a software engineer for decades, collected some amazing essays on technology and its changing role in our lives. Although a lot of the essays were written around the time of the dotcom boom and bust, they are outrageously prescient for today’s world. In particular, her writing about the role of the internet in society and shaping people’s opinions was startling. It predicted what we’ve seen play out over the last year in politics, social media, and the corruption of American democracy.

Even if you’re not huge into technology, it’s worth the read. Ullman’s writing is very good and her stories uncover sometimes uncomfortable truths with which we all need to heed, especially as America (and the world) becomes more divided, with technology doing a lot of the dividing.

Here’s Everything I Read

These are all of the books that I finished this year. I started quite a few more but, for whatever reason, put them back down. Life’s too short for shitty books.

January

Although I was thrilled to be able to finish up Cixin Liu’s Three Body Problem series, I think the standout was Thrill Me by Benjamin Percy. It’s an extremely entertaining look at writing and fiction. It makes you want to read, write, and enjoy the writing of others unlike any other book on writing I’ve ever read.

• Thrill Me, Benjamin Percy 😊
• Death’s End, Cixin Liu 😊
• The Magic Words, Cheryl B. Klein
• On Bullshit, Harry G. Frankfurt
• The World Inside, Robert Silverberg 🤐
• Waking Up, Sam Harris 🤐
• The Zen Habits Beginner’s Guide to Mindfulness, Leo Babauta
• Some Thoughts About Writing, Patrick Rhone
• Mindfulness for Mere Mortals, Patrick Rhone
• The Art of Learning, Josh Waitzkin
• Booklife, Jeff Vandermeer 😊
• Searching for Bobby Fischer, Fred Waitzkin 😊

February

For entertainment purposes, David Mazzucchelli’s Asterios Polyp was superb. Tied for the best comic I read this year (along with Chester Brown’s Paying For It). The artwork and graphic design was central to the story and sucked you in completely.

For educational purposes, Heydon Pickering’s Inclusive Design Patters was fantastic. It’s the book on web accessibility we’ve always needed.

• Asterios Polyp, David Mazzucchelli 😊
• Sloth, Gilbert Hernandez
• The Fate of The Artist, Eddie Campbell
• Inclusive Design Patterns, Heydon Pickering 😊
• Networking! ACK!, Julia Evans
• The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Kelly Barnhill
• Horten’s Incredible Illusions, Lissa Evans
• Resilient Web Design, Jeremy Keith

March

Deep Work by Cal Newport was an easy pick for March’s favorite. It really made me take a closer look at my use of technology (especially social media) and how it plays into my ability to get real work done.

I didn’t get what was so great about Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. It was fine, but nothing to write home about. I enjoyed Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys much more. Hilarious.

• Chicken with Plums, Marjane Satrapi
• The Road, Cormac McCarthy
• Weaving The Web, Tim Berners Lee
• Can’t we talk about something more pleasant?, Roz Chast
• Louis Riel, Chester Brown
• Deep Work, Cal Newport 😊
• Wonder Boys, Michael Chabon

April

I can’t get over Mariko and Jillian Tamaki’s This One Summer. The story is heartfelt and took me back to those young teenage years, especially since we used to vacation in a small, lakeside cottage town. What really made it stand out, though, was Jillian Tamaki’s unbelievably good artwork. Some of the best work I’ve ever seen in comics, and I read a hell of a lot of them.

• Anything You Want, Derek Sivers
• Scrum Basics, Tycho Press 🤐
• This One Summer, Mariko & Jillian Tamaki 😊
• American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang
• Table Manners, Jeremiah Tower
• Just Draw, Mark Badger 🤐
• Tomboy, Liz Prince
• Spiral-Bound, Aaron Renier

May

Not a great reading month, but I’d put Mary Mann’s Yawn at the top of the list. It was a funny, interesting look at how boredom plays into our lives. Sounds like it’d be a wash, but it was really entertaining.

• Yawn: Adventures in Boredom, Mary Mann 😊
• Success Through Stillness, Russell Simmons 🤐
• The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
• The Little Book of Hygge, Meik Wiking
• Micrographica, Renee French 🤐
• Empire State, Jason Shiga

June

Both of Austin Kleon’s books were fantastic. Don’t dismiss them if you don’t think of yourself as an artist or creative person. They are applicable to anyone doing any kind of work. Which is all of us.

• Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon 😊
• Show Your Work, Austin Kleon 😊
• Dark Matter, Blake Crouch
• The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo, Drew Weing

July

I really enjoyed Phil Collins’ memoir, Not Dead Yet. I’d never listened to much of his music and knew less about his life. But it turned out to be very interesting and one of the better music-related books I’ve read. It gave me a new appreciation for his music, too. I don’t like all of it, but I went through and found a fair amount of good stuff that made it into regular rotation. And In The Air Tonight is a fucking masterpiece.

• Not Dead Yet, Phil Collins 😊
• Wilson, Daniel Clowes
• The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O, Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland
• Adulthood is a Myth, Sarah Anderson

August

Not much to say about Fun Home by Alison Bechdel that hasn’t already been said. Very, very good.

• French Milk, Lucy Knisley
• Age of License, Lucy Knisley 😊
• The Grownup, Gillian Flynn
• Displacement, Lucy Knisley
• Fun Home, Alison Bechdel 😊
• Dizziness, Gregory T. Whitman MD and Robert W. Baloh MD
• Work Life, Molly Erman 🤐

September

Paying For It by Chester Brown was one of the most thought-provoking books I read all year. It’s an honest look at prostitution and the people who participate in it. It’s a topic I’ve never really thought about, but one that turned out to be thoroughly interesting. Brown made me question a lot of my own assumptions about it and the appendix after the graphic novel was hugely educational. One of the best comics I’ve ever read.

• The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, Stephen King
• Pinky and Stinky, James Kochalka
• Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, Anne Helen Peterson 😊
• Thornhill, Pam Smy 😊
• Super Mutant Magic Academy, Jillian Tamaki
• Boundless, Jillian Tamaki
• Diary Comics, Dustin Harbin
• Diary Comics #5, Dustin Harbin
• Diary Comics #6, Dustin Harbin
• Scenes from an Impending Marriage, Adrian Tomine
• New York Drawings, Adrian Tomine
• Paying For It, Chester Brown 😊

October

Life in Code by Ellen Ullman was exceptional. That’s why it was my book of the year.

• Cat Burglar Black, Richard Sala
• Life in Code, Ellen Ullman 😊
• Strange Practice, Vivian Shaw
• Shortcomings, Adrian Tomine
• The Three Paradoxes, Paul Hornschemeier 🤐

November

A very light reading month, as my brain was fried after the release of The Better Email on Design. My favorite was definitely The Heartless Troll by Oyvind Torseter. A great fairy tale with equally great artwork.

• The Heartless Troll, Oyvind Torseter 😊
• The Best American Comics 2017, Ben Katchar
• Sleeping Giants, Sylvain Neuvel 🤐

December

Elie Wiesel’s Night is a remarkable book. It’s a heartbreakingly honest look at the lowest depths of humanity and one person’s journey through those depths. It’s one of those books I think everyone should read at least once, if not multiple times. Especially in today’s political climate, where self-professed Nazis are espousing the doctrines that led to one of the most nightmarish periods in human history.

• Night, Elie Wiesel 😊
• Behold the Man, Michael Moorcock
• Present, Leslie Stein
• Elizabeth and Zenobia, Jessica Miller

Have any recommendations for what I should read in 2018? Email me and I’ll put them on my list.

I finished reading Elie Wiesel’s Night last night. I don’t say this often about books, but it was profoundly moving. I’ve read other accounts of the Holocaust before, but none so visceral as his. The honesty with which he rights is exceptional for any author, but becomes astounding when given its context. To read someone grappling with something so inhumane, questioning his faith in the process, and owning up to his own feelings of guilt around his father’s murder is something that will undoubtedly stick with me forever.

I’m glad that it will. The book is massively important in exposing the cruelty which humans can unleash on each other and is a lesson which everyone should read. Especially given today’s political climate and our regression towards barbaric ideologies. We’re in a dangerous place as a country and as a world and only by openly discussing the mistakes of the past and moving beyond them can we remove ourselves from the dangerous cycle of history.

Oddly enough, the one section that stands out the most to me was not written by Elie Wiesel himself, but his son, Elisha. In an address given on November 30, 2016, at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, he says:

When Syrian refugees need our help, we must help them.

When Muslims in our midst are made to feel they won’t have the same rights as the rest of us, we must embrace them.

When children of hardworking and law-abiding undocumented immigrants fear deportation, we must insist on adding compassion into the equation.

When women are made to feel that they are objects rather than people, when our daughters are diminished in any way, we must protest.

When African American citizens feel they are strangers in the eyes of the law, and policemen feel estranged from the communities they serve, we must seek to rebuild that trust in both directions.

When the LGBTQ community feel they are at risk of being terrorized we must let them know we stand with them.

And when the State of Israel is singled out by the United Nations and BDS activists and treated as the world’s villain simply for making sure that Jews will never again be without a homeland—we must let Israel know she is not a stranger in foreign affairs but an essential partner in the global struggle for democracy.

Words to remember as 2017 draws to a close and we still face so many issues testing our principles and our resolve.

I just got published on CSS-Tricks and I’m thrilled. It’s my first article for them, but hopefully not my last. Head over to their site to get some tips for making HTML email campaigns more accessible using code, defensive design, and some plain common sense.

Read the article

After months of hard work and one too many late nights, the wait is over. The Better Email on Design is now available for purchase.

The Better Email on Design is the ultimate guide to understanding HTML email design and development. It teaches you how to build robust, responsive, and interactive HTML email campaigns that your subscribers will devour. Both the book and videos dive into topics like email structure, typography and accessibility, using images, responsive design, and even adding animation and interactivity to your email campaigns.

If you want a handbook to quickly reference when you’re building your own emails, the 225-page PDF book will be your best friend. If you want your own, personal email development workshop, there are over 6 hours of step-by-step video tutorials available, too. Combined, they create the only email design and development course you’ll ever need.

Buy & Start Learning Now