Managing Contact Lists
I'm trying to do some advanced functions in contact lists. Here is what I'd like to do... I have an Excel spreadsheet with contact names for my volleyball club. Each line is a contact - Player, player email, mom name, mom email, dad name, dad email, address, etc. When I import them I put all the data under the player name. Then I put all the team members under the team name as a distribution list. So basically I have 36 emails under 12 player names with the distribution list named as the team name.
I mostly email the entire team with schedules and such so I want these emails to go to everyone on each team. I'd like to type in the name of the distribution list (Using the team name) and have the 36 emails show up in the bcc field (ultimately, but I can move them if needed)... Or show the team name and when I send it they go to the 36 individual emails.
Right now I create 3 contacts for each player with each of the 3 emails... But this is very time consuming as I need to add each additional email one at a time. As my spreadsheet has one line per player I can use the import wizard to import the first email into a contact, and I can import the other emails but they're not addressable in the distribution list. So now I just create a new contact each time for the other 2 emails. I tried the CardBook extension and it doesn't do this either. Then when I send to the distribution list I have to open the list and "ctrl-A" to select all the contacts within each team and drag into the BCC field to send the email. I'm hoping to find a simpler solution!
Any way I can accomplish this? I have over 150 players with 3-4 emails each... I'd like an automated way to accomplish this. TYIA!
All Replies (2)
Maybe an option when adding the contact into a distribution list to select which emails (or all emails) to add into the list. For example, under Jane Smith (player) she has main email of JaneSmith@gmail.com. Then she has MomSmith@gmail.com and DadSmith@gmail.com under her contact. When I add Jane Smith's contact onto her team (14 Black) I'd get the option of putting all 3 emails on that list.
Then when writing an email I could just type "14 Black" in the bcc field and the entire team, with parent and player emails would get the message.
Maybe I'm asking too much... But it would REALLY help!!
All contacts would need to be in an Address Book in order to get used in any Mailing List. You could import the csv file into Thunderbird as a complete address book- so let's call it 'volleyball club'
It would help if you had the .csv file column headers set up to use the default Thunderbird column headers prior to import.
re : For example, under Jane Smith (player) she has main email of JaneSmith@gmail.com. Then she has MomSmith@gmail.com and DadSmith@gmail.com under her contact.
You are trying to merge three contacts into one which is not advised because it makes more work for you. When a contact is selected to be in a specific Mailing list, only that contact's main email address is inserted because one name = one email address in a Mailing List. It would be better to set up separate contacts as separate contacts.
Once you have an address book called 'Volleyball Club' then you can create any number of sub groups which are called 'Mailing Lists'
- Click on 'New List'
- Add to 'Volleyball Club' and give it a name eg: 14 Black
- You do not need to manually enter each email address at this point.
- click on OK
In the Left Pain you will now see: > Volleyball Club > > 14 Black
In the 'Volleyball Club' address book you can select various names (hold down Ctrl key whilst selecting names to highlight them). Left click and keep depressed on the highlighted names to grab them. Drag them over to the left pane and hover over '14 Black' and release to drop contacts into that Mailing List.
You can use this list in several ways. No particular oder of preference - it depends upon what you want to achieve. 1. Via the 'Address Book' This only displays each contact. Select '14 Black' select first contact and then press 'Ctrl+A' to select all in list Click on 'Write'
This opens a new 'Write' window with all the selected names entered into 'TO' field. Then you would need to move contacts as required to Bcc if required and compose the email.
2. Via the 'Write' window Either use a precreated 'Template' email or click on 'Write' and compose new email.
Either start to type '14 Black' and choose from the drop down offered OR Use the 'Contacts Sidebar'. ('View' > 'Contacts Sidebar) Address Book - select 'Volleyball Club' It will show all contacts in that address book and it will also show all the 'Mailing Lists' in their own right. You could use the search by typing 14 and it will show '14 Black' select '14 Black' and click on the 'Add to Bcc' button or one of the alternatives as desired.
The name of the Mailing List is now entered inthe 'Bcc' field which is auto created.
3. Use an Addon called 'Mail Merge' This may require a slightly different approach eg: setting up your Mailing Lists as address books instead. Read on. This allows you to use a .csv file or a specific Address Book in Thunderbird such as 'Volleyball Club', it does not allow you to use a 'Mailing List'. Great if you want to send one tailored email to all people.
The Alternative way to get around this would be to create individual 'Address Books' in Thunderbird to act as 'Mailing Lists'. So whilst all your contacts would be in 'Volleyball Club' you would create '14 Black' as an address book - not as a Mailing List. Then this addon can be used to send one email in a To field to each recipient. No need for Bcc. You can also use 'Send Later' option, so alle mails get put into the 'Outbox' first, which allows you to check everything or delete a particular email before choosing to send to all the others.
Link to Mail Merge addon.