Buondì.
A purely ‘transactional’ article from me today, starting with a message for EIN (EasyItalianNews.com) subscribers.
There were thirteen thousand of them at last count, and a similar number of club members, so I’m guessing that there must be a significant overlap.
So, ragazzi, Saturday’s FREE emailed bulletin to subscribers failed to arrive in the editor’s inbox, and neither did it reach me. A couple of people have left comments on the EasyItalianNews.com website, saying they didn’t get it either.
I contacted our mailing list provider wondering if they had a technical issue, and they replied to say that they’d checked five of the thirteen thousand email addresses on the list and that their ‘log’ showed the bulletin had been emailed to those, at least. Did we have any specific email addresses that we knew hadn’t received anything, they asked. So I sent back details of the editor’s email and mine, suggesting that they check those. Since then, nothing.
But it was the weekend, so perhaps I’ll hear something today, before tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news goes out, or is supposed to.
And/or perhaps they will figure out that they had a more general problem – we’re pretty sure it wasn’t something at our end, so if we were affected then other people probably were too – and fix it! Here’s hoping.
In the event that Tuesday’s bulletin also fails to arrive in some or all subscribers’ email inboxes, then I will activate Plan B (not the morning after pill, don’t worry), which is to switch from this free and rather fallible mailing provider to a paid and probably equally fallible mailing provider.
That should fix this problem, but will likely generate others.
For instance, EIN subscribers have already given their assent to being emailed (that’s the whole point of subscribing), but when moving the list to a new contractor it might be necessary to ask again for permission to email. I don’t know yet, and hopefully we’ll be able to remain with the free guys, but EIN fans, be aware that it might be a possibility. Know that if you get an unexpected ‘please confirm’ email, it’s due to the change in provider going ahead.
The new system, if there is a new system, will be better in other ways, though. For instance, the EIN team will be able to manage subscribers, and so resolve problems for anyone who needs help, in a way that the free people weren’t willing to do.
It should also be possible to ‘clean the list’, as I periodically do with club members who don’t ever open these emailed articles, and that will reduce the cost. Eventually.
Talking of cost, below is a copy/paste of what I wrote on Friday, about the EIN appeal for donations, which is now even more pressing, given that many people will have missed Saturday’s begging letter, and that there’s now this unexpected and large bill looming (for the Plan B mailing provider.)
If you’re not interested, scroll down to the P.S. and check out the FOUR half-price ‘Ebooks of the Week’. There might be something there that grabs you.
A mercoledì.
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Don’t forget to read/listen to Saturday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news.
It’s FREE!
That’s because the site is funded by donations from users.
EasyItalianNews.com fans will already know that this week they’re doing an appeal for donations, a regular thing, every second month.
That usually brings in just enough cash to pay the writers, and my kids, who do the images, the formatting, and the audio recording, with hopefully enough left over to pay the accountant and any bits and pieces.
Most donations are small – in the $5-25 USD range, but that’s fine. From each according to their ability, to each according to their need, as Karl Marx put it.
If EasyItalianNews.com has helped you improve your Italian, but you haven’t yet got around to showing your appreciation with the electronic equivalent of cold, hard cash, go here to straighten that out.
On the other hand, if you haven’t yet used this great material to build your Italian listening and reading comprehension skills, and to strengthen your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, why not begin?
Subscribing is free (someone else is paying, so make the most of it…) and you’ll receive three emailed bulletins (text plus audio) each week, with absolutely no obbligation. Unsubscribe anytime, with just one click.
P.S. FOUR half-price ‘Ebooks of the week’ from 2018!
This week I’m rewinding five years and doing the half-price offer on four ebooks we published in 2018. Any of the four will cost you just £3.99 until Sunday 5th February 2023.
Regular ebook buyers should please be aware that these all sold quite well when first published, and since, so there’s every chance you have one or more of them already. PLEASE CHECK – I can do refunds if mistakes are made, but it’s a bore. One or two of you are regular offenders (you know who you are), so check your ebook library before hitting the ‘buy’ button, and save yourself having to write me an embarassed email…
And so (drum roll), this week’s half price ‘easy Italian reader’ ebooks are…
Yue a Bologna (A1)
Yue, a talented young Japanese from a rural community in Hokkaido, wins a one-year scholarship to study opera at the ‘Conservatorio’ in Bologna, home to Europe’s oldest university. But the thought of leaving her parents and brother for a whole year disturbs her. And, before studying at the ‘Conservatorio’, she’ll first have to learn Italian…
Buy Yue a Bologna just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog
Le italiane (B2) 
A cool-headed resistance fighter, an Oscar-winning actor, a doctor, a singer, an Olympian, an astronaut, a TV presenter, and a victim of the mafia. What do they all have in common? Read and listen to the moving stories of these eight determined Italians to find out!
Buy Le italiane just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog
Valeria, Michele e le maschere (B2) 
Valeria has been single for months now. She meets men but after going out a few times they seem reluctant to commit, or even return her messages! She wonders whether the dating app, Tinder, might be worth a try? Michele spends his Saturday evenings alone, playing computer games. If only he wasn’t so shy, he’d meet more people. And then, maybe find a girlfriend? Perhaps the solution is online… Read and listen to find out!
Buy Valeria, Michele e le maschere just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog
La Via Francigena (C2) 
“Venti giorni di cammino, di fatica, di entusiasmo e di scoperta. Venti giorni di avventura lungo una delle vie più importanti d’Europa, percorsa, negli ultimi mille anni, da principi, imperatori, cardinali, pellegrini, viandanti, giovani, vecchi, bambini, donne, uomini e animali. Una via che racchiude in sé la storia del nostro Paese, una storia fatta di accoglienza, generosità, passione e paesaggi mozzafiato: la Via Francigena.” Join Italian teacher and author, Roberto Gamberini as he follows this famous route of pilgrimage from Lucca in Tuscany to Rome in Lazio.
Buy La Via Francigena just £3.99 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Read reviews! | Catalog
How do I access my ebooks?
When your order is ‘completed’ (normally, immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook (.mobi/Kindle-compatible, .epub) cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them.
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OnlineItalianClub.com | EasyItalianNews.com | Shop (ebooks) | Shop (online lessons)
Philippa says
Good morning Daniel,
I did receive the EIN on Saturday as normal – thank you very much.
However I did find that I had 2 subscriptions set up (2 different email addresses – the EIN to the .gmail address did not arrive). I have unsubscribed now so I only have 1 subscription.
As usual I await eagerly the next edition.
Have a good week
Philippa
Daniel says
Our bulk email provider confirmed this afternoon that they have issues and that their developers are onto it. So hopefully Tuesday’s will get to everyone, even me!
jan says
My Saturday bulletin didn’t arrive either, however, I automatically accessed through the Thursday edition.