As part of my Action Pack subscription, I’m subscribed to a number of fluffy Microsoft Partner newsletters filled with marketing speak. I keep the subscriptions because occasionally there’s a local event that I check out, but usually the content is not that interesting.

I was surprised, though, that the OEM Systems Builder newsletter actually had a large, funny header that immediately drew me into the rest of the content. It’s amazing what a little genuine humor can do for the credibility of a newsletter. They certainly know their target audience: crochety systems builders and IT staffers who are constantly hammered with insane demands.

In case you’re curious, here’s some bad pictures of what the Action Pack is—lots of Microsoft software (everything a small business would use, from Office to operating systems) and marketing stuff to help sell “Microsoft Solutions”. The materials are all very slick, so they’re just fun to get in the mail every quarter. It costs $199/yr to maintain the subscription ($299 for the first year). !@(images/05/1127-actionpack2.jpg:N popimg: “ActionPack”)