SOAR

We are extremely pleased to announce a significant upgrade to Email List features - the 1st of three service upgrades that we will be rolling out over the next few weeks. This release includes a lot of feature additions and usability improvements to the Email Lists feature.

For customers with the Advanced package, all of these features are now available on your SOAR website.

We will be monitoring performance of this upgrade over the next 2 weeks. After we have addressed any performance issues, we will be rolling out the following two features sequentially.

• Automated Email Lists
• EBlast – email notification of new website content and event reminders

Please take a moment to read through this email, it contains a lot of information about the new Email List features.

Administration Menu

Management of Email Aliases and Lists was previously accessed through the Administration/Members control panel. As we continue to add Member, Roster, and Email features, this single control panel is getting very crowded. Thus, we have created a separate control panel for Email functions.

Email functions are now accessible from their own control panel at Administration/Email.

Bounce Processing

One of the significant upgrades to the Email system is how undeliverable (i.e bounced) email is processed.

When we originally created the Email system, we implemented a method to keep track of when email was not delivered. This method included a scoring system that would determine when a threshold was reached an action should be taken. When this occurred, the system would automatically remove invalid email addresses (i.e. bouncing) from Email Lists and then notify the site administrator of this action. No individual bounce notifications were provided.

Through customer feedback we have found that this method is not desirable and is not working as we originally intended.

With this upgrade, undeliverable email is now handled as follows:

• A notification of any email that is not deliverable (network issue or invalid email address) will be sent to the List Owner
• The List Owner is a single address for all lists and is configurable – Administration/Email/Settings/Email Lists
• If the List Owner is not set, the Site Email address (Administration/Control Panel/Contacts) will be used as a default
• Your List Owner can then fix any invalid email addresses
• Your List Owner can then make a judgment call on removing a member form an Email Lists do to bouncing email.

You can set the List Owner email address at Administration/Email/Settings/Email Lists.

Member Association

Another significant upgrade to the Email system is how unit members are associated with Email Lists. In the previous Email system members where not linked to Email Lists – only their email addresses were. This caused some usability issues when multiple unit members were using the same email address. For example, the same email address was used for a scout, his mother, and father – 3 website accounts – 1 email address.

In the new Email system, website members are individually associated with Email Lists. From the previous example the scout, mother, and father would each be linked to an Email List separately. This becomes important when you update just the scout’s email address, but not the parents or vice versa. The new email system removes these previous usability issues. This upgrade alone will make your life a lot easier when managing Email Lists.

Conversion of your Email Lists to the new system may require you to review your Email Lists. Rather than associate the just the first website member with a matching email address, we associated ALL members with the email address. We felt this method would be easier for you to reconcile – just deleting members vs. adding and deleting members. Alternatively, you can wait for the Automated Email List feature which will create Email Lists with the proper associations.

Note: messages to your Email Lists will be sent to the same members as before. Your action is required to prepare for future changes you make to member accounts and their email addresses.

Display of List Addresses

You may have noticed that your Email List address of example@pack123.com are displayed as pack123p-example@pack123.com or pack123p-example-bounces@pack123.com in messages sent to your lists. This is part of the Email System that keeps customer’s Email Lists separate from each other.

With this Email system upgrade, we believe we have removed the majority of cases where these “dash” addresses are used. This should remove any additional explanation to your unit members and help with member’s perception. If you find a case where this is still occurring, please let us know.

Note: This is only true for email messages going to your Email Lists. System or bounce message notifications may still use the “dash” email addresses.

List Types

The name of the “List” List Type has been changed to “Restricted” to remove confusion. A new List Type called “Public” is now available. The following is a description of the Email List Types available:

• Restricted
  • Anyone on the Member List with receive email, but they cannot send email to the list
  • A separate Authorized Senders list defines who can send to the list
• Members
  • This is the default List Type
  • Anyone on the Members List will receive email AND can send email to the list
  • You can add additional Authorized Senders to the list
• Public
  • Anyone on the Member List with receive email
  • Anyone may send email to the list
  • Note: This includes spammers
  • Be careful with this list type

Some examples are helpful to describe how to take advantage of the different List Types.

• An announcement list for your entire unit
  • We recommend using a Restricted List Type
  • Add all unit members to the Member List
  • Add your Scoutmaster/Cubmaster, Committee Chair, Secretary, and other leaders to the Authorized Senders
  • This makes sure all members receive the email, but access to the list is restricted to a vital few.
  • You don’t want unknowing unit members to hit Reply All and sending email to the entire unit by accident
• Patrol/Den lists
  • We recommend using a Member List Type
  • Add all patrol/den members (scouts & parents) to the Member List
  • Add your Scoutmaster/Cubmaster, Committee Chair, and other leaders to the Authorized Senders
  • All patrol/den members will receive email AND they can have an email discussion amongst themselves
• Need an Email Alias with multiple email addresses? i.e. join@troop123.com
  • Create an Email Alias called “join” – point it to join-list@troop123.com
  • Create an Email List called “join-list” – use the Public List Type
  • Add unit members you want to receive these emails to the Email List members

Return Types

A number of customers have asked for additional flexibility in defining the email addresses used in Email Lists for where the email message comes from and what happens when Reply/Reply All are used on email messages. The new Return Type for Email Lists will provide greater flexibility in that area.

Three Return Types are available for your use:

• Sender
  • This is the default
  • This is also the current method in which Email Lists are setup
  • Where does email come from? Original Sender
  • Where does email go with Reply? Original Sender
  • Where does email go with Reply All? Original Sender + Email List
• Email List
  • All mail comes from the Email List address
  • Where does email come from? EMail List
  • Where does email go with Reply? Email List
  • Where does email go with Reply All? Email List
• Other
  • Define the email address where email comes from for an Email List
  • Where does email come from? Defined Address
  • Where does email go with Reply? Defined Address
  • Where does email go with Reply All? Defined Address +Email List

Note: You should be careful with the combination of a “Restricted” List Type and “Email List” Return Type. This could create a scenario where a unit member that receives an email would not be able to reply to any valid email address.

Global Senders

Tired of adding in Authorized Senders to each Email List you create? We have a new feature to take care of that for you !

Global Senders is a list of unit members that will be added to the Authorized Senders list of all Email Lists. Global Senders will be shown on the Email List page, under the list specific Authorized Senders to make your life easier as well.

Check out Administration/Email/Settings/Global Senders.

Send Email

How do your unit members know which Email Lists (and Aliases) are available for their use? Currently you have to communication this information to them.

The new optional Send Email feature provides a method for unit members to access the email addresses of Email Lists and Aliases. When this feature is turned on, it will display a “Send Email” menu item in the User Block at the top left hand of the page. When members click on this menu item, they will be shown a page that displays all Email Aliases and Lists. If a member clicks on one of these, their default email application on their computer will open a new email message with the TO field filled in.

By default, this feature is turned off. To enable this feature go to Administration/Email/Settings/Email Lists.

Members without Email Addresses

Previously, you could only add unit members to an Email List that had an email address. That has changed now that the Email system support associating unit members (vs. email addresses) with Email Lists. You will now see ALL unit members in your addition/deletion lists, whether they have an email address or not.

It is important to add unit member without email address to the proper Email Lists. This will insure that should you modify their account at a later date and add in an email address, they will automatically be included on Email Lists.

Usability

A number of usability improvements are also contained within this release that are the result of customer feedback. They are:

• Buttons (vs links) to indicate actions that can be taken
• More detail on the Email List view screen to describe what List Members and Authorized Senders
• The ability to change the List Type after an Email List has been created
• The ability to change the Return Type after an Email List has been created
• When viewing an Email List, names displayed are links to that member’s profile
• When viewing an Email List, email addresses are links to send a message to that unit member
• When adding/removing List Members, Authorized Senders, and Global Senders
  • A new table format is provide that displays the member’s name, email address, role, and if they are a leader
  • The table can also be sorted by any of these fields

Account Notifications

The Account Notification (Member/Notify) feature was sending email FROM the email address of the member. This was originally thought to be useful to help avoid SPAM filters. It turns out the opposite is true, these emails are hitting more SPAM filters.

The FROM address for Account Notifications has been changed to the Site Email (Administration/Control Panel/Contacts) just like Password Resets and New Account Notifications.

Password Resets

When multiple accounts use the same email address, only the first account registered with the email address could have their password reset through the website. Any password reset request for the other accounts would reset the password for the first account with the email address.

This issue has been resolved.

Do I need to do anything?

If you have purchased the Advanced package and are currently using Email Lists, you should do the following.

1. List Owner
   • Set the List Owner email address (if different than Site Mail) for your site
   • Administration/Email/Settings/Email Lists
2. Global Senders
   • Define a list of unit members that can send to all Email Lists
   • Administration/Email/Settings/Global Senders
3. Email List Members
   • Review your Email List members and delete those that should not be on the list.
   • OR wait for the Automated Email Lists feature
4. Members without Email Addresses
   • Add them into your Email Lists
   • OR wait for the Automated Email Lists feature