cenright@charter.net

An important role of the state chapters is to maintain ongoing communication with members about upcoming training, events, and opportunities of interest. In order to disseminate information in a timely and cost efficient manner, many chapters have explored the use of electronic mailing lists to facilitate widespread distribution of information. A distribution list is a group of e-mail addresses, usually grouped under a single e-mail address. When you send to a distribution list, you're really sending to everyone whose address is included in the list. It's much easier than repeatedly typing in multiple e-mail addresses or cutting and pasting from a spreadsheet.

The following options are described to assist state chapters in using distribution lists. If you have access to IT support through your organization, you may also have other choices for electronic communication and dissemination that you can explore.

For chapters who have access to Outlook, distribution lists can be easily set up to allow e-mails to be sent to groups of people. The following steps allow the set up in Outlook:

• Select File | New | Distribution List from the menu.
  • Alternatively, hit Ctrl-Shift-L (think list).
• Type the desired name under Name:
  • The list name is what you will use to address messages to the list.
• Now, you can add new members immediately using the Add New... and Select Members... buttons.
• Click Save and Close.

You should be aware that when you send messages to a distribution list through Outlook, the To field on received messages shows the individual addresses of all members of the list. If you want to protect the privacy of members and hide the e-mails that make up the list, put the name of the distribution list in the Bcc field (View | Bcc). The distribution list can be updated with the Update button if original e-mail addresses have changed. Distribution lists set up through Outlook ate limited to 128 entries.

An alternative to Outlook that offers a greater opportunity to personalize e-mails that are sent to members is the software PIMEX MailExpress http://www.pimexonline.com/Products/mailexpress.htm. This free software provides an easy and efficient means to send emails that are personalized to members using a simple text or HTML template, so all addressees will receive letters intended for them only. The free edition of PIMEX MailExpress has one limitation - it can only import up to 300 e-mail addresses at a time. If you would like to send more messages, you can buy the advanced edition of PIMEX MailExpress for $29.95. The advanced edition of PIMEX MailExpress can send up to 20,000 e-mail messages at a time.

Scheduling Meetings: Please note that both Outlook and Timebridge.com offer ways to electronically schedule group meetings. You can normally select various times to track best possible attendance, and you can set the system to automatically send reminders. Outlook is a common program available through Microsoft office, while Timebridge.com can be accessed on the web.