>Also, one cannot send commands to LISTSERV using multipart/alternative,
>commands must be sent as text/plain.

But you can, at least in most cases.

The issue of plain text vs. HTML depends a lot on what you are doing on your
list. It is also impossible to discuss "HTML" as an abstract concept because
HTML content ranges from plain text with highlight (bold, italics,
underscore, colours, etc) to very complex pages with applets.

On a discussion list, most of the time, HTML is going to mean electronic
stationery, fancy signatures, scrolling text, you name it. This will tend to
detract from the discussion rather than add to it, unless of course the list
is about electronic stationery :-) On the other hand, there will be lists
where the ability to highlight text is invaluable. If the list members can
agree not to get too fancy with their electronic stationery, everyone can
benefit.

For a newsletter, you have to ask yourself what you are promoting, and to
whom. Consumers, as a rule, prefer graphical solicitation. Professionals, on
the other hand, tend to prefer to get to the meat of the offer as quickly as
possible. They don't need a visually appealing, animated description of what
the product is and what it does - they buy these products for a living. But
of course there are products you can only sell visually, so again it is all
a matter of what best fits your specific needs.

  Eric