Batch emailing

[Tubacap]

Does anyone know if you can send out mass email notifications via any eServices module by Emergency Services qualification?  Kind of like the select/deselect module under your unit stats in the main page.

I would think this would be useful for dissemination of information that would be useful for things like GTLs, Pilots, SOs.

[RiverAux]

Other than downloading the capwatch database and harvesting the email addresses in the datatables, I don't know how to do it.  I assume NHQ has some more effective way of doing this for those general email blasts that they send out. 

[whatevah]

A good idea, but you should get approval from your members first. I know I'd be pretty annoyed if I started getting mass emails on stuff I didn't care about.  My wing has several opt-in email lists for mission/training stuff like that.  Check with your wing to see if you can do that for your own unit. They use the same email list software that Delaware uses. http://www.pawingcap.com/listservs

[Airrace]

A good idea but in my case I have a e-mail blocker on mass e-mails. It detects if their are more than 25 names attached to the e-mail and automaticaly puts in the trash.

[RiverAux]

There are ways around that. 

[Tubacap]

Jerry, will I see you at the wing conference???  J/K  we are from the same wing.  I understand that the listservs are there for general consumption, but sometimes I am looking for just GTLs in a specific location for availability.  The listservs, in my experience, have not culled sufficient response to be considered all inclusive, although they should be!

[gistek]

It's easy to gather e-mails from e-services, but linking them to member data requires you use CAPWATCH. If you want to link them to ES information you also have to have access to that database.

HOWEVER

If you send out e-mail to more than a few people, you must follow the CAN-SPAM laws.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm

Make sure your topic is relevant.
Include a notice regarding why the recipient is on the e-mail list.
Provide an easy way to opt-out of future e-mails.
Identify yourself.
Maintain a list of opt-outs and apply it against any future bulk mailings to members of that list.

I'll be at the PA Wing Conference, probably somewhere around the PAO/IT workshops. See you there.

[RiverAux]

HOWEVER
If you send out e-mail to more than a few people, you must follow the CAN-SPAM laws.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm

The link you referenced does not seem to agree with your comment.  The CANSPAM act apparently applies to commercial emails and wouldn't seem to apply to the use of email addresses voluntarily given to an organization like CAP for emails sent for CAP purposes. 

[gistek]

Spam identifiers don't care if the e-mail is commercial, community service, or personal. Neither do ISP's. If you don't follow the CAN-SPAM rules, and an AOL user reports you, you could loose your e-mail account.

When the Group 2, PA Wing newsletter was new I received a warning from my ISP that complaints had been filed by AOL users.

[RiverAux]

It may be advisable to follow those procedures, but it is not required by law as you implied. 

Personally, if a CAP member doesn't want CAP-related email their opt-out is to remove their email from the CAP system.  If they've given their email address to CAP voluntarily they should expect CAP to use it. 

[Eeyore]

I assume NHQ has some more effective way of doing this for those general email blasts that they send out. 

NHQ uses a vendor, RealMagnet (http://www.realmagnet.com/) for their email blasts. They are great, my company uses them on a regular basis.

[gistek]

I'm not a lawyer, but my ISP told me that if I didn't follow the CAN-SPAM rules they'd drop me. I suppose it's possible they wouldn't actually have the right to do that, but I don't have the money to find out after the fact. Therefore I opted to add the few simple lines to my e-mail needed to comply.

I'd forward this to CAP legal, but I still haven't seen an answer to a question submitted several years ago about the permissibility of hosting a CAP website on an ad-supported free service.

[RiverAux]

Your ISP can probably drop you for any reason they like, so I'm not surprised they told you that.  I'm sure there are other legal activities that you could do via email that they could drop you for if they didn't like them. 

But, thats a different issue than whether you (or CAP) is required by LAW to follow the spam act.

[Al Sayre]

Try setting yourself up a google group.  That way when you send an email to the group it only goes out to 1 address.  The Google group then resends it to all members.  If you add a bunch of members right off the bat you'll get a hang up until you explain it to google, but if you add 10 the 1st day then 10 the second day etc. untill you fill out your group you shouldn't have any problems...

[Mustang]

It's easy to gather e-mails from e-services, but linking them to member data requires you use CAPWATCH. If you want to link them to ES information you also have to have access to that database.

HOWEVER

If you send out e-mail to more than a few people, you must follow the CAN-SPAM laws.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm

Make sure your topic is relevant.
Include a notice regarding why the recipient is on the e-mail list.
Provide an easy way to opt-out of future e-mails.
Identify yourself.
Maintain a list of opt-outs and apply it against any future bulk mailings to members of that list.

I don't believe CAN-SPAM applies here since there's an existing relationship between both parties (CAP).  CAN-SPAM pertains to unsolicited commercial email.