Bring Web 2.0 to your email with WiseStamp extension for Chrome or Firefox

Update 1 September: I uninstalled @wisestamp because they added a cumbersome link on the Google Mail menu that displays popup updates from Wise Stamp. I remain impressed by the app and will miss it, but don't want to have my email experience cluttered with apps. I've have had a good correspondence with their support team, but I don't like the direction they are going - what if all the google mail extensions I use added an item to the menu and popus? No thanks. I will only reinstall if they provide an option to disable the alerts and menu. What are your views? Alternative apps for this purpose? I welcome comments.

I just installed the WiseStamp Chrome browser plugin and am impressed! Read on to see a screenshot of the signature I created for my Kabissa mail on Google Apps and lessons I learned setting it up. Not only do signatures look attractive, but they can include the latest content from Twitter or any RSS Feed which is really quite neat.

The installation is quick and easy, and the personalization is also straightforward and user friendly. WiseStamp supports four webmail services including Gmail and Yahoo mail, and the offline open source Thunderbird email program (which is looking great, by the way). The only sad part for our purposes in Africa where so many people are cybercafe "internet nomads" is that it is computer-specific - no synchronizing of settings between computers and browsers or server-based offering. 

Why WiseStamp?

I was prompted to look into WiseStamp by a Facebook update from @kanter linking to a great post well worth reading called Top 6 Social Media Mistakes And How to Fix them. "Mistake #2: You Hide Your Social Media Presence" rings true to me, and the remedy offered makes so much sense. I already do this, but the beautiful designs in WiseStamp signatures makes the links more apparent and the "Latest Post" directly in the email adds tremendous power. Or at least I think it will. 

Chances are, you already have lots of people you email on a regular basis, either directly or through mailing lists. Why not add your social profile links to these emails and let recipients know where they can find you online? This can be done with simple text links below your signature, or with plugins such as WiseStamp, which will allow you to design a beautiful signature with social media icons, links, and even a link to your latest blog post powered by RSS.

 

Email signature created with WiseStamp.

Decisions I took when setting up WiseStamp that you may want to consider

• I wanted to use it to promote Kabissa, not just me personally. So I will have my own personal gmail signature as usual, with the WiseStamp signature below with information and links related to Kabissa. Try to keep the text as short as possible (which I know is hard to do) and link to your website. Include your logo! 
• By default WiseStamp wants to display a link to its website in every email - I don't like to do that so was glad to see a setting to disable it (look for the settings on the very small, almost hidden, menu under the app title at the top) 
• The "Social" tab provides useful links for linking to Facebook, Twitter and an organizational RSS feed. 
• The "IM" (Instant Messaging) tab I left blank, since those are personal and don't directly benefit Kabissa the organization.
• In the third "RSS Feeds" tab I added four RSS feeds - one for twitter and three for different Kabissa groups. This is the max I would recommend and you would probably want only one or two feeds to avoid overwhelming your correspondents. 

Problems I ran into

• There is no way to add a "Facebook Like" link to email unfortunately, which is apparently still difficult to do in emails because Facebook Like requires an IFRAME code and Javascript to check with the user is logged into Facebook yet or not. Still, if Facebook could get around this issue and provide a simple link that people can use to email a "Facebook Like" link that would be very helpful. 
• The RSS Feeds sort order can't be set - seems to be a bug
• I am not especially happy about the warning when first installing the extension - see screenshot below. I initially cancelled the installation because it looks like spyware and I really don't see why WiseStamp needs to gather so much information about me as I browse the Internet. Still, they claim to hate spyware and to be bonified and I have decided to give them the benefit of the doubt - you may decide otherwise.  
   

Poll: Do you like sending and receiving formatted emails? 

Setting this up raises a larger question that I'd be interested in your feelings about. I have been advising people on the use of email for nearly 20 years (whoa! can that be true?) and have a traditional approach to its use. I have always advocated "plain text" which makes emails quicker to transmit especially on low bandwidth connections and is functional no matter what email system your correspondents are using. This is why the Pambazuka News email newsletter looks the way it does - the basic layout has not changed since its first edition as the Kabissa Fahamu Newsletter back in 2001. 

I nevertheless I have been using gmail as my primary email system for three years now which actively encourages me to use formatted text just like a word processor or blog editor. Other email systems are doing the same. Increasingly I am adding bullet points, hyperlinked text, etc without even thinking about it.   

What is your feeling about this now that email and the Internet has evolved? Should we be continuing to use the "plain text" options everywhere or Is it better and more user friendly to make emails look like blog posts with formatting? Should newsletters like Pambazuka News that provide a treasure trove of content every week also evolve to formatted "email magazine" format or is it preferable - and appropriate to Africa's IT conditions - that it remain plain text?

What do you think? Click here to go to the poll!