The ezines that are available today bear an uncanny resemblance in intent to extended greeting cards (newsletters) of our past.
Some of the earliest newsletters date back to the early 1700's and were often political in nature. Some might even go so far as to say the earliest newsletters were filled with propaganda because the same information was not found in more reputable publications.
The 1800's saw a reduction in newsletters, but the often rebellious nature of many newsletters would not allow the genre to remain dormant. By the 1900's newsletters were once again on the rise and their importance began to be noticed and their acceptance began to grow.
Many individuals began to notice there were certain issues of interest that mainstream newspapers would not print. Perhaps their reluctance was due to a fear of retaliation or the fear of offending certain prominent members of a community (many of whom were paying for advertising).
Newsletters were important because they provided information not available elsewhere. They may not have been considered prime journalism. In fact, they were often filled with spelling and grammar errors because many who were interested in presenting an idea were not the best equipped to write about the issue.
As society raced to the end of the millennium a process known as desktop publishing began to allow more newsletters than ever to be developed. As the Internet grew in popularity the idea that originated with newsletters splintered off into a variety of tangents including forum posts, blogs and ezines.
These web-based newsletters suddenly opened the door for a variety of thoughts to be expressed to a much larger potential constituency.
While many of these ezines may have been op/ed there was also a growing number of newsletters that ventured into how-to, self-help and a variety of practical application ezines.
It seems that either the rebellious nature of the original newsletters has been tamed or perhaps the genre has simply been embraced by those who do not know of it's rebellious past and simply recognize it as a tool worth using in developing connections with potential customers.
Modern ezines can allow advertising, but they can also serve as a portal to other newsletters, articles or informational pieces that may benefit the reader.
What once served as a means of pushing an agenda is now often used as a tool that genuinely seeks to assist potential customers with ideas and information that the customer considers highly valuable.
Interestingly it would seem the tables have been turned, today's ezines may be less of a propaganda tool while many newspapers are often criticized for being too political in nature.
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