distribution list?

[Guest]

when creating a distribution list and go to select members, I require the
company contact name to select from?

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

You cannot modify that dialog box.
If you've already organized your Contacts by Company, why do you also need a
DL?

 

[Guest]

You may need a DL because you don't want to send all messages to every person
employed at that company. I work in media relations and have managing
editors, sports writers, ad execs, etc., from newspapers across the state in
my address book. My messages have to be targeted - sports writers don't care
that my university is closed for a hurricane, but editors do. I can't be
expected to remember the name of every reporter/editor/newsanchor at every
newspaper, television and radio station in the entire state, so I need to be
able to add them to my DL by company. But I also want their name in the
contact info so it's there if I need to call them or address them by name.
Right now, I'm having to manually edit every one of my 500 contacts to remove
their name from the name entry and put it in the title line so I still have
it but can search by company. To have DLs searchable only by full name and
not company demonstrates that the program is designed for teenage girls
sending jokes to their 30 closest friends. As for me, I'll be searching for
an email program that accomdates business professionals.

You cannot modify that dialog box.
If you've already organized your Contacts by Company, why do you also need a
DL?
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

when creating a distribution list and go to select members, I require the
company contact name to select from?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

I think you missed Russ' point, which was that distribution lists are the least efficient way to manage contacts with the requirements you describe. With contacts organized by company and categories, it's a pretty straightforward process to select the people you want to send a message to and generate those messages. The only DLs I use are those that are very small (< 10 members) and whose membership changes no more frequently than once a year.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

You may need a DL because you don't want to send all messages to every person
employed at that company. I work in media relations and have managing
editors, sports writers, ad execs, etc., from newspapers across the state in
my address book. My messages have to be targeted - sports writers don't care
that my university is closed for a hurricane, but editors do. I can't be
expected to remember the name of every reporter/editor/newsanchor at every
newspaper, television and radio station in the entire state, so I need to be
able to add them to my DL by company. But I also want their name in the
contact info so it's there if I need to call them or address them by name.
Right now, I'm having to manually edit every one of my 500 contacts to remove
their name from the name entry and put it in the title line so I still have
it but can search by company. To have DLs searchable only by full name and
not company demonstrates that the program is designed for teenage girls
sending jokes to their 30 closest friends. As for me, I'll be searching for
an email program that accomdates business professionals.

You cannot modify that dialog box.
If you've already organized your Contacts by Company, why do you also need a
DL?
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

when creating a distribution list and go to select members, I require the
company contact name to select from?

 

[Guest]

I'd love to know if there's a more efficient way to do this, because I've
been looking. I send press releases to approximately 50 news outlets at least
once daily. I grouped them by category, but then the only way to send
messages by category is using the To field, which means I then have to copy
and paste those addresses into the Bcc field so the competing companies don't
see who else is receiving the message.

And I find viewing the addresses in the category view is a bit confusing. In
the event of an emergency I need to be able to glance at my list and know
that everything is in order. As it stands, I can barely see what's going on
because of all the headings in the category view. It just seems bizarre to me
that there are a dozen different fields you can sort by, but you can only
view contacts by full name when adding to a DL. I'm simply trying to get my
address book into some kind of manageable order after a software upgrade that
deleted my DLs.

I think you missed Russ' point, which was that distribution lists are the least efficient way to manage contacts with the requirements you describe. With contacts organized by company and categories, it's a pretty straightforward process to select the people you want to send a message to and generate those messages. The only DLs I use are those that are very small (< 10 members) and whose membership changes no more frequently than once a year.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

You may need a DL because you don't want to send all messages to every person
employed at that company. I work in media relations and have managing
editors, sports writers, ad execs, etc., from newspapers across the state in
my address book. My messages have to be targeted - sports writers don't care
that my university is closed for a hurricane, but editors do. I can't be
expected to remember the name of every reporter/editor/newsanchor at every
newspaper, television and radio station in the entire state, so I need to be
able to add them to my DL by company. But I also want their name in the
contact info so it's there if I need to call them or address them by name.
Right now, I'm having to manually edit every one of my 500 contacts to remove
their name from the name entry and put it in the title line so I still have
it but can search by company. To have DLs searchable only by full name and
not company demonstrates that the program is designed for teenage girls
sending jokes to their 30 closest friends. As for me, I'll be searching for
an email program that accomdates business professionals.

You cannot modify that dialog box.
If you've already organized your Contacts by Company, why do you also need a
DL?
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
when creating a distribution list and go to select members, I require the
company contact name to select from?

 

[Guest]

Just a little input from another user - not a MS expert
For emails to categories - I don't know any other way to get the addresses
hidden other than to cut/past to the bcc field.
RE: viewing addresses in the category view - go to View - Customze current
view and choose only those fields you want
If I understood your question - hope this helps
--
Jack S

I'd love to know if there's a more efficient way to do this, because I've
been looking. I send press releases to approximately 50 news outlets at least
once daily. I grouped them by category, but then the only way to send
messages by category is using the To field, which means I then have to copy
and paste those addresses into the Bcc field so the competing companies don't
see who else is receiving the message.

And I find viewing the addresses in the category view is a bit confusing. In
the event of an emergency I need to be able to glance at my list and know
that everything is in order. As it stands, I can barely see what's going on
because of all the headings in the category view. It just seems bizarre to me
that there are a dozen different fields you can sort by, but you can only
view contacts by full name when adding to a DL. I'm simply trying to get my
address book into some kind of manageable order after a software upgrade that
deleted my DLs.

I think you missed Russ' point, which was that distribution lists are the least efficient way to manage contacts with the requirements you describe. With contacts organized by company and categories, it's a pretty straightforward process to select the people you want to send a message to and generate those messages. The only DLs I use are those that are very small (< 10 members) and whose membership changes no more frequently than once a year.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

You may need a DL because you don't want to send all messages to every person
employed at that company. I work in media relations and have managing
editors, sports writers, ad execs, etc., from newspapers across the state in
my address book. My messages have to be targeted - sports writers don't care
that my university is closed for a hurricane, but editors do. I can't be
expected to remember the name of every reporter/editor/newsanchor at every
newspaper, television and radio station in the entire state, so I need to be
able to add them to my DL by company. But I also want their name in the
contact info so it's there if I need to call them or address them by name.
Right now, I'm having to manually edit every one of my 500 contacts to remove
their name from the name entry and put it in the title line so I still have
it but can search by company. To have DLs searchable only by full name and
not company demonstrates that the program is designed for teenage girls
sending jokes to their 30 closest friends. As for me, I'll be searching for
an email program that accomdates business professionals.


Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:

You cannot modify that dialog box.
If you've already organized your Contacts by Company, why do you also need a
DL?
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
when creating a distribution list and go to select members, I require the
company contact name to select from?

 

[Brian Tillman]

I'd love to know if there's a more efficient way to do this, because
I've been looking. I send press releases to approximately 50 news
outlets at least once daily. I grouped them by category, but then the
only way to send messages by category is using the To field, which
means I then have to copy and paste those addresses into the Bcc
field so the competing companies don't see who else is receiving the
message.

Won't a mail merge from Word allow you to accomplish this?

 

[Guest]

I think she i sending "press releases" by email - mail merge would only work
for printed media - correct?

 

[Brian Tillman]

I think she i sending "press releases" by email - mail merge would
only work for printed media - correct?

I've been operating under the impression that mail merge works for email as
well.

 

[Guest]

I just looked at the various screens displayed during a mail merge sequence,
and do not find any reference to emails. Mail merge opens MSWord to process
the mail merge - the only document formats listed are "form Letters",
"Mailing labels", "Envelopes" or "catalog"
I don't see how a mass email could be constructed using mail merge

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Of course it can.
Just select e-mail messages as your document type.
Instructions abound everywhere.
http://www.slipstick.com/contacts/printlabel.htm
http://www.outlook-tips.net/howto/mailmerge.htm
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011186361033.aspx