Separate Plain Text + HTML emails available with ESN

[karen2205]

Title
Separate Plain Text + HTML emails available with ESN

Short, concise description of the idea
Allow users to choose between plain text emails and HTML emails with the ESN system, rather than sending one email containing both plain text and HTML.

Full description of the idea
As above
An ordered list of benefits

• More choice - lots of users have their own strong preferences for one or the other system.
• Many mail clients don't deal appropriately with the two-part MIME emails (and yes, I realise broken email clients are not LiveJournal's fault) and display HTML (or something not at all intelligible) when the user wants plain text.
• Greater accessibility - while an inconvenience for many, the two-part MIME email may well pose a major accessibility problem for those using screen readers and also for those using PDAs and other non-standard-computer devices to access their comments when out and about.
• Less bandwidth wasteage - sending out both plain text + HTML is a waste of bandwidth. LiveJournal ought to be acting in a more socially responsible manner and not wasting bandwidth unnecessarily.

An ordered list of problems/issues involved

• Some users not knowing what the difference is between plain text + HTML and therefore not understanding the choice.
• Query re how much choice to give ie. should it be a global setting with all email from LiveJournal to this person going as plain text or HTML or should it be made more complicated with people able to subscribe to some types of notification with plain text and others with HTML (ie. one might want HTML notifications of friends uploading new user pics, but plain text everything else)? Too much choice can be confusing.
• Developer time - opportunity cost of dealing with this rather than any of the other suggestions.

An organized list, or a few short paragraphs detailing suggestions for implementation

• Sorry, I'm not geeky enough to do this bit very well.
• Ask the developers to design and build it.
• Get some people to test it (particularly to make sure the UI isn't unnecessarily confusing)
• Implement it.