This week I want to talk about the “softer” side of things: how to run your lists and choose what you write about, what you send out, how you send it out, and why you bother doing it.

E-mail is the basic lifeblood of any small business communications. It is how you get and retain customers, how you find new prospects, and how you keep and motivate your staff. Even if you have a fairly non-Internet company, such as a hardware store, you can use e-mail to bring in new business and inform and amuse your customers. You can read my ten lessons in my column this week.