Papa Bear included knowledge-based content on fishing and the role salmon play in the North Pacific ecosystem.

Mama Bear included knowledge-based content on the role of doily making in a burgeoning cottage industry related to bed and breakfast establishments worldwide.

Teen Bear wrote a stream of consciousness ezine that read more like a common blog entry than any knowledge-based content his parents produced.

One morning the bear family sat down to finish their weekly ezines when they simultaneously discovered their Internet service was down.

The three made their way to McGruff's 24-hour Sushi Bar where they enjoyed a breakfast of Hirame, Saba and Shrimp Rolls.

Meanwhile a young lady named Goldie was wandering through the forest when she happened upon the cottage recently vacated by the bear trio.

While she knocked, she was an individual of pronounced curiosity. She stumbled into Papa Bear's office just as the Internet came back up. She saw his ezine ready to send. Goldie read of salmon and ecology and said, “This ezine is too hot.”

Then she visited Mama Bear's computer where she read of doilies and the latest fashions in bed and breakfast décor. Goldie said, “This ezine is too soft.”

Then she found Teen Bear's laptop and read about the latest olie impossible tricks on a skateboard using little more than a hard flip and a nose manual. She smiled and said, “This is just right.”

The bears came home and discovered Goldie reading Teen Bear's ezine. While they were grateful she enjoyed it they asked her to sign up online instead of breaking and entering.

The moral of the story is there are a multitude of ezines available for a wide variety of tastes. Not everyone will be satisfied with yours. Make it easy for them to opt in and opt out. It is OK for a visitor to sign up for your ezine and then opt out after a relatively few ezine deliveries.

Market your ezine effectively and honestly and you will find a more interested group of individuals that will look forward to what you have to say. Ezines can be a highly effective form of online marketing, but you don't have to trick people to drop by.

Most of all make sure the ezines you send are worth reading and compelling enough for those on your list to come back to.