Why not to send HTML e-mail:

1) Lots of people have HTML turned off
2) Any fonts you use that the recipient doesn't have will be substituted
and possibly make your page look like crap.
3) A lot of people do not have their e-mail set up to display at
full-screen. They will get scroll bars and set only a fraction of your
site at a time.
4) Some people consider it a breech of Netiquette.
5) Spammers do it all the time, because they do not care if the
recipient likes it or not.

Yes, lots of programs offer things that are better off not used. It
helps the company to sell the product. People new (or even not so new)
use the feature because "they can." Adding a loud, blaring flash file
with music and no easy way to turn it off is an example.

What is wrong with a simple link that interested people can click? It
can take them to a web page if they are interested.

I'm not trying to paint you with this brush, but so many people feel
that because they created a masterpiece or a news release they think is
important, everyone on earth should feel the same way and must get an
e-mail with everything in it.

Here's an example. I bought a camera through Amazon. Every so often, I
get an e-mail message telling me that people who bought this camera also
have bought this lens, or this tripod or whatever. They give me a link
to the product. And yes, I have bought more accessories, thanks to that
link. But had they sent me the html page, I would have hit delete in
less time than it took them to hit send!

Mike