Email Marketing Info for a newbie

Can anyone point me to a site please?

[TWhalen]

I'm looking for CURRENT information on email marketing campaigns - from beginner's information on how to get set up, to newsletter suggestions, to industry statistics on open and click-through rates.
The only info I seem to be able to find is from 2 or more years ago, and most of those sites just contain market-speak as a lead in to their products/services.
Is there a CURRENT and OBJECTIVE online resource available anywhere?
Thanks in advance.

[MarkHutch]

I would HIGHLY recommend NOT doing email marketing. Only send email to people that subscribe via a DOUBLE Opt-in process via your own website. Don't buy a list, don't trust another company to email for you and certainly don't use a harvester to obtain addresses from the web.

If you want to stay in the Internet business, stay AWAY from email marketing. It truly is more trouble than it is worth. We have even stopped emailing our own double opt-in customers because of that one tenth of one percent of people that will complain, even when they requested their address be put on our list. Just my opinion... I'm sure other will disagree.

[EliteWeb]

I hate SPAM but theres guys like Berry [webmasterworld.com] who love spam ;) However the truth is that people do sometimes buy, even if you "buy" a list from someone do you think they wanted their info shared in the first place?

A good place to look for information on e-mail marketting would be within the walls of the packets delivered from this board.

Promoting Through Email [webmasterworld.com]
Sending out e-mails without it looking like SPAM! [webmasterworld.com]

[TWhalen]

I agree Markhutch, I don't like email marketing of ANY kind (not even opt-in/permission based) but I need information to satisfy my employer as to why we're not doing it right now.
I need to find the pros to email marketing (unfortunately we ALL know the cons...).
And as EliteWeb stated, it DOES sometimes work, so in the interest of the company I work for, I must investigate this further as a possible means of generating revenue.
I'll check out those other forums - thanks!