This getting started guide is intended to allow you to get started with the software quickly. Topics are described briefly within. Please see the related links section at the end of each topic for more in depth explanation.
First things first - information you will require
You need to make sure that you have a fully functional Internet connection. The type of connection does not matter (DSL, Dialup, LAN etc.). With regards to dialup users often subscription accounts are the best. Most free ISPs do not offer the level of service you require. If you only have web access for instance then you will not be able to use software like Group Mail.
Once you have your connections issues sorted out you should seek the following details (not all are required).
SMTP Server: This is the address of the mail server you wish to use for sending your email. If you are using Group Mail Pro or Plus you can choose to send directly to your recipients. The best results however with regards to speed and reliability are obtained by sending through a dedicated Mail Server.
POP3 Server: This is the address of the server you connect with in order to download your email messages from. You require the details for this server if you wish to use the Subscriber Plug-in or if you are required to check your email before sending. Do not confuse this with a web based email service.
DNS Server: This is an integral part of any Internet connection and Group Mail can usually determine the address to use based on your current connection settings. This server is used to translate names (like www.infacta.com) into IP addresses (like 194.123.42.200) - Group Mail uses this service when direct sending only.
Next you will need to find out the following.
Authentication: You should ask who ever administers the SMTP Email Server you are using if you need to authenticate your connection before sending. Group Mail supports a variety of different Authentication protocols.
Limitations: You should also find out are there any limits on their service - some ISPs only allow you to send a certain number of messages per session. Others require that you use a certain email address as your From Address when sending. Group Mail can cope with all variations in these - to get it all going correctly though first time you will need this information.
Now with all that information available you are ready to configure and begin using the Software.
Identification Setup: The first thing you should do is tell the software who you are. Do this via the Identification Setup screen, available from the Setup Menu. [more]
Email Setup: using the details collected above you should tell the software how it should send your messages. See Email Setup on the Setup menu. [more]
Message Setup: control what encoding and character sets you want Group Mail to use when preparing your messages. This is very important for users who want to send binary information embedded in their messages and also for international users using non English languages. [more]
Now you are ready to tell the software who you would like to send to.
It should be noted that this is where Group Mail differs from regular email packages. Instead of you having to select each recipient that you want to send you, you select the group that contains those recipients. Before you can do this you need to create groups.
To begin you should switch to the Group Manager tab. Click the New button, give your group a name and click OK. (ignore the other options for now). Repeat this process as necessary and create as many groups as you like. Please note that you can create these groups any time you like. To modify or maintain them just select them and click on modify (you can right click on the group also to do this).
related links
To add recipients to that group one at a time you should select it (click on it) and then choose the Add Recipient button which you can find at the bottom of the Group Manager tab - or you can also choose the Add button via the Browse screen (which can be entered via the Group Manager tab (see Browse or view and manage recipients button). Repeat this process as required.
To add recipients in bulk (say from a list or address book/data base) you should choose the suitable Import option from the Tools menu or the Group Manager Tab. Follow the Wizard instructions for further details.
related links
To edit / prepare a simple message for sending you need to switch to the Edit Message tab. Basic message preparation is very simple. Just select the Group to send to, enter a Subject line for the message to send and type your message.
To add attachments click on the + button located at the bottom of the Edit Message tab - or use the insert menu.
To spell check your message using the default dictionary press the F9 button or click on the Tools Menu / Spell Check option.
By default the standard message type that Group Mail sends is a Text message with only header personalization. Please review the following links for further information regarding advanced message creation.
related links
The fun stuff. Press F5, or click on the Prepare to Send button found at the bottom right hand side of the Main screen or on the File Menu. Group Mail will quickly validate your message and make sure that everything it requires is in place (settings as well). Next you will be presented with the Prepare to Send screen. This is where you can finalize your settings.
On the Prepare to Send screen you confirm the group you are sending to, the send mode to use and the email setup details. There are a host of other advanced features available on this screen which will be explained by the information found in the related links section.
As a rule of thumb you should always preview the message you are about to send - do this using the Preview/Test button found at the bottom of the Prepare screen - it is possible to preview the message in a variety of formats and you will be guaranteed to see the message as your recipients will.
Once you are happy with the settings and the message just click Send
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While Group Mail is sending your message it is compiling a number of real time reports which record everything that happens during the send process. These details can be used to confirm mailings, check and diagnose errors, restart mailings and more.
This information is stored in the Logs folder in a text format - the Logs folder is located in the Group Mail folder.
When a mailing completes you get the chance to view each log file. Just select the log file you wish to view from the list available and click View. It is recommended that you save each file to a folder of your choice - why? these reports are overwritten each time you do a mailing.
The important log file is the one labelled Full Send Details log - this contains all important information from the mailing session. To restart or continue a mailing you need to save the sent.log (see Preparing to send for more details).
related links
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