Some people still don’t understand feeds, and some people don’t want to understand feeds, but they should not be left out of your blog because of it.

There are a number of plugins available for WordPress which allows you to keep your readers in the loop when it comes to the goings on around your blog, but it’s important that you choose the right one for your needs.

Mailing List Scripts For WordPress

Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, but when you figure out the main goal of your website is, what you need from your mailing list script, and how much you’ll need from your mailing list script — then you can get set up some alternates for your non-feed users.

Email Notification 2.1.1

This is a blog notification tool which allows you to send out an email message whenever your blog is updated.

Some of the key points include:

  • Configurable to send excerpts or full entries
  • Can choose to send message on a post by post basis
  • Can Import/Export email addresses
  • Requires double opt in and provides unsubscription links
  • Can send out an email to subscribers without needing to make a post
  • Can easily add a subscription box wherever you’d like to see one appear

Although not deal breakers, there are a few points where a user may get hung up:

  • Script requires installation and is not fully plug and play
  • Sometimes config file requires a little manual modification
  • Defaults to ‘yes’ to send notification for each post - if you make a lot of future dated posts, this can cause some problems (this can be modified by altering the code)
  • Default email message sent out is not configurable from the WordPress admin panel (one would need to modify the code in order to change the mail template)
  • The subscribe and confirmation pages don’t integrate into a WordPress theme by default (again, one can modify this through the code)
  • Cannot delete users from the WordPress admin panel

This is definitely a good mailing list script if you want more control on a post by post basis and for sending out quick notices (or even a full fledged newsletter) to your readers.

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