E-Mail Campaign with Outlook 2003 and Exchange 2000

[Toad1967]

Hello,

I am new to this group and relatively green when it comes to Exchange 2000. Here is what happened at our company. The CEO got his hands on a copy of Publisher 2003 and went great guns with the idea of a "Newsletter". This idea has blossumed in to a full on e-mail campaign. The first problem I have is with Outlook 2003 I found out quickly that there is a limit to how manny addys you can have in a list, depending on how much info is in the contact. In my case I maxed at 85. To chop these in to small distro lists is a administrative nightmare and with opt out changes and bounces, this doesnt seem like a long term solution. I have all these hundreds of contacts in a Public Folder with sub folders. Does anyone have a sugesstion on how I could set up an address list on the Exchange server or an distribution list in active directory ?

There is a right click option in AD that says "add Exchange Public Folders" I can not figure out what it does or what it is supposed to do. Does anyone know how to utilize that ?

I am hoping someone has thought about this or has done it and can give me some best practices advice.

I really dont want to have to out source my eCampaigns.

Toad

 

[Narizz28]

One work around might be through VB Script. Just set all the email addresses in a txt file, then use a VB Script with the CDO object to craft the email and fill the send to property with the contents of the txt file. From there, it's even possible to view and edit the text file through an ASP page, and define more arguments, and then launch the VB Script from that same web page.

But just my two cents worth.

 

[Toad1967]

Actually what I forgot to include in the original post is the option that the public folders has to "Show as a e-mail address book" on the Outlook Address Book tab of the properties of the folder. This enables it as an option under the Main Outlook Contacts, then you can shift select them all without restriction. This is a simple work around, but my boss is a K.I.S.S macromanager and I think he will like this unless I can provide a rock solid inexpensive long term secure solution.

Thanks for the recomendation Narizz, I
will keep it in my head as an idea.

Anyone else ? I am open.

Toad

 

[marko2002]

Toad1967,

I might be getting a little confused here, but could you clarify a few points . . .
are all the receiptients actually users and in active directory? and do they have corporate email accounts?
If so, a simple 'group' in AD would suffice with you adding all the intended receiptients into this group and then firing out whatever email you want to the 'group'.
As I say, I might be missing something here what with you mentioning public folders and such . . !!!

 

[Toad1967]

Oh sorry, I should have been more clear. Those public folders are all external contacts that several people within the company are hammering in to Outlook 2003 contacts, so they are all in the SMTP format.
Toad

 

[marko2002]

Toad,

Don't know if this will be of any interest to you, but here goes . . .
In AD, create an additional OU (called Newletter, or something) and in this OU right click on the right hand pane and select NEW>CONTACT, enter the details of the receiptient and then click NEXT. Then besides 'E-mail' click modify and select SMTP click OK then enter the email address of the receiptient. Click OK, then NEXT, then FINISH. You now have a contact that you can see through AD. Create a group and add all your contacts from that OU into the group!.
Viola!!

Hope that method is of use to you

 

[Toad1967]

That sounds good, but I have tried varitations of that concept. The proble is then all those huhndreds, I think thousands of e-mkails would have to be entered again. Do you see a way to import them from a comma or tab delimited ? Thanks for your input Marko
Toad

 

[marko2002]

I think Narizz28 was on the right track with the VB Script idea, although for bulk importing using LDIFDE or ADSI I would recommend the MS web site as I've tried this before with some success although never really had much of a need to be fluent with the process!

You could have a peek at

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/planning/activedirectory/bulksteps.asp

Hope this helps

 

[Toad1967]

Sorry for not spell checking myself on that last post, there is no excuse for poor typing like mine !