Conte nt of this chapte r
You define different „distribution lists“, the mailing lists.
You edit and delete mailing lists.
7.1 What is a mailing list?
Mailing lists are the key element for sending out newsletters using the OpenEMM. A mailing list contains all prospects and subscribers for an individual mailing or a newsletter. The mailing list manages all declarations of acceptance (or permission information) which recipients have given when requesting e-mails. For each newsletter you will create an individual mailing list.
7.2 Creating a mailing list
When you log on for the first time, there is no mailing list. The following steps will allow you to create a new mailing list for your newsletter:
1. Click in the left area of the web page on the Mailing lists button. In the sub-menu select the option New mailing list. An entry dialog is then displayed on the right which you can use to input your data. Self-explanatory content has already been entered in the respective fields for your guidance.
2. Enter the relevant data in the fields Name and Description. Each time you have to select a mailing list, the OpenEMM will display the relevant text. Recipients, however, will not see this text. You should try to use meaningful descriptions which will make your work easier once you have to manage many different mailing lists. Especially if several employees use the OpenEMM, unambiguous mailing list names are a must.
Fig. 7.1: The New mailing list sub-menu will be the basis for your newsletter.
3. To conclude your entries, click on the Save button. The system saves your data. The browser automatically switches to the mailing list editing screen (see chapter "Modifying a mailing list").
If you click on Overview under Mailing lists, your new mailing list will be displayed.
The overview of mailing lists shows you the MailinglistID of each mailing list. These IDs are created automatically. You need a mailinglist ID when creating some formulars e.g. for subcription or fullview.
Ple ase note : You can also create a mailing list from the list of recipients for a target group (see chapter "Target groups - Dynamic filters"). The OpenEMM will highlight all recipients selected by that particular target group as subscribers in the recipient database and transfer them to a new mailing list.
7.3 Modifying a mailing list
Carry out the following steps to change the name, description, sender address or character set of a mailing list.
1. Click on the Mailing lists button, then the Overview sub-menu in the left-hand navigation area.
2. The contents area will display a list of all mailing lists defined so far. Click on the name of the mailing list or the Edit symbol at the end of the line.
Fig. 7.2: Clicking on a mailing list in the overview calls up its detailed view.
3. The contents area will now display an entry dialog with current mailing list properties. Just change the text in the entry fields or the item in the drop-down list. Save the new settings by clicking on the Save button.
Fig. 7.3: It is not a problem to modify a mailing list later.
7.4 Deleting the recipients of a mailing list
The recipients of each mailing list can be deleted at any time with just a few editing steps. To do so, first call the detail view of the desired mailing list. Click on the desired names in the Mailing list column or alternatively click on the edit symbol.
Fig. 7.4: You remove recipients who are no longer needed from the mailing list with the Delete recipients of this mailinglist command.
Now click on the Delete recipients of this mailinglist link in the detail view. Before OpenEMM takes action, you can give the program more exact information on the procedure as follows. Two filters are available:
Delete only active recipients: OpenEMM deletes all recipients from the mailing list who have their status set to active. Recipients with a bounced or blacklisted status are, for example, not deleted.
Don't delete admin- and testrecipients: Place a tick here if admin and test recipients are not to be deleted from the mailing list.
Fig. 7.5: You have two filters available for deleting recipients from a mailing list.
To execute the changes, click on Delete and confirm the subsequent security question with Yes.
Ple ase note : If the recipients are still on another mailing list, only the information regarding the selected mailing list is deleted, the recipients themselves are not deleted.
7.5 Deleting a mailing list
If you want to delete a mailing list altogether, call up the mailing list overview. You now have two options:
Click on the Delete symbol at the end of the unwanted mailing list in the overview.
Click on the name of the unwanted mailing list to call up the edit dialog. In this dialog, click on the Delete button.
Fig. 7.6: Only after confirming that you want to Delete the mailing list by clicking again on the button will the mailing list be removed.
In both cases, the OpenEMM asks you for confirmation. This is meant to ensure that you do not inadvertently delete the wrong mailing list by clicking on it. Only after confirming that you want to Delete the mailing list by clicking again on the button will the mailing list be removed once and for all from the OpenEMM server.
Ple ase note : You should think hard before deleting a mailing list. Once deleted from the database, it is very difficult to re-create that particular mailing list. Moreover, the permission information saved on individual recipients is also deleted so that you can no longer check whether or not a particular recipient ever subscribed to a mailing list.