There’s a purpose behind email newsletters. But what if the recipients aren’t even opening them?

Taking email marketing cues from discount luxury deals site Fab.com, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links:

Clean inbox: If you’re a shopper or an avid subscriber of email newsletters, you know how emails can just pile up. Fab.com understands this, too. According to The Next Web, Fab.com has developed a system in which it stops sending you the newsletters you don’t regularly open, and then alerts you to the change. “The last thing we want is to clutter your inbox,” the alert reads. According to one writer, “This should be email marketing 101, and we’re hoping other startups take note.”

Recruitment versus retention: Shelly Alcorn of the Association Subculture blog thinks that when associations obsess over recruiting new members, they often lose control over campaigns, make unsustainable promises, and offer lavish prizes. Not only does this affect new members, but it gives the wrong vibe to current ones. Greenfield Services’ blog agrees with Alcorn’s statement: “An overzealous approach to member recruitment can lead to tensions with existing members and confusion for new arrivals. And those problems are magnified when leaders ‘judge staff and volunteer performance on new member recruitment numbers, rather than current member retention,'”  according to the blog.

The perfect fit: So you know your association needs to be on social media, but on which platform? First off, you need to know which network will work best for your association and its members. MemberClicks put together a list of social media platforms and their “personality.” From Pinterest to Google+, you can decide which social media network fits your association.

What’s on your reading list today?