newsletter via email

[Eleco]

Hi all,
I was wondering if there is a Newsletter Module that is soo simple to use that my friend Piero could work it out even if he is a complete catastroph with computers!
I was thinking of something like this: you send an email to an address (newsletter@domain.com) and the software thinks about everything, redistributing the message automatically to each subscriber (I will configure the web page to subrscribe/unsubscribe).

Thankyou for any help. Bye!

[Connie]

I think there are some newsletter-scripts around which get their input for the newsletters by email around
this must not necessary be a CMSMS module

you then can include the subscribe/unsubscribe-form of that newsletter in CMSMS for the frontend

check out at hotscripts.com, I am sure you will find what you need

[faglork]

I was thinking of something like this: you send an email to an address (newsletter@domain.com) and the software thinks about everything, redistributing the message automatically to each subscriber (I will configure the web page to subrscribe/unsubscribe).

What you mean is a simple moderated mailing list, available on every decent mailserver. No need for a module or a script.

hth,
Alex

[NaN]

A very simple Email Module is the FEUMailer.
It simply send emails to users of selected usergroups.
But at the moment there is no subscribe option.
So there actually is no newsgroup.
But it is very easy to use.

[Eleco]

Thanks to all of you.

@Connie: I'm checking hotscripts.com. Any suggestion on a kind of script?

@Flaglork: mailserver? Where shall I find it?
I'm hosting this website on Tophost.it (good & cheep, rather basic)

@Nan: Thanks, unfortunatelly I need the subscribe/unsubscribe-form

[tyman00]

If you need the subscribe/unsubscribe automatically Your best bet is to setup NewslettersMadeSimple and tell your friend to only edit certain areas.

[Connie]

Eleco,

I am still thinking about your idea that your friend writes the text of the newsletter offline and sends it by mail to a script which will distribute the mail to the subscribers.
I think that is no good idea at all.
For sure your friend will include images in the mail message. And for sure these images will be local and not available at the server.
Every mail which contains images must use the absolute URL of the image...
so all the mails will be incomplete...

why not look for a decent newsletter system where your friend can write the text of the newsletter with an rich text editor like FCKeditor, include images, use templates for that mail etc.

if you install your friend as a user in that newsletter program with limited rights, he won't be able to destroy too much ;=)
You will be the sysadmin and he will write the mails, why not?

[Eleco]

Thankyou Connie for your patience.

My friends does not need images in his email, just a little html like colors and fonts (it's the newsletter of our small local religious community, we just need to say what time we'll meet and stuff like that).
He would really be happy of using Outlook Express to send email, as he already knows how to do it.

I already tried to show him NewsletterMS, but, believed or not, it was too much for him (part of the problem is that he doesn't understand English). I know I will end up being the one to transfer his emails on NMS every week... 

I also tried Yahoo Groups, that does exactly what I'm talking about (write an email to a specified email and Yahoo redistributes it to subscribers). But after all the setting up etc, I discovered that it adds advertising on the right side of the email... not what we are looking for! 

I'm interested in what Faglork was saying: a simple moderated mailing list, available on every decent mailserver....

[Connie]

I think this is the best solution:

you add all adresses to a mailinglist list at the webserver (I think nearly every hoster offers that)
your firiend writes mail and sends it to the adress of the mailing and the mailinglist sends it to the subscribers

that is really easy

you can offer subscriptions with a simple form at the website
you can add adresses manually editing the mailing list

and your friend just needs one mail-adress where he has to send the mail..

Look for something like Majordomo .. it's easy to use after it is installed, maybe your hoster offers it as standard..
I used this since my first domain in 1995...

[faglork]

you can offer subscriptions with a simple form at the website
you can add adresses manually editing the mailing list

AFAIK all listservers including the majordomo you mentioned support subscription/unsubscription based on e-mail. No need to edit by hand.

So you set up a web form which sends a request to the listserver. It is as simple as that. Look here for examples:
http://www.google.de/search?q=subscribi ... iling+list

hth,
ALex

[Eleco]

I'd be happy to have a subscription/unsubscription form at the website.
I've read this article about Majordomo http://www.wilsonweb.com/articles/majordomo.htm
and that worried me a bit, I think people will not be able to subscribe/unsubscribe by them selves... What do you suggest?

[Jeff]

http://www.komando.com/tips/index.aspx?id=224

Here is a page about some newsletter options.

[Eleco]

Thankyou ajprog, and thankyou everybody, I think I now have enough information to study on.
I'll let you know what I'll end up using. Bye