View Full Version : Best Email Program to send mass emails????
I want to send my community of over 900 members a newsletter. I tryed Outlook Express and it just sat there and froze like a piece of @*&$
I like to know what Bluehost uses. since they send emails to 45,000 people successfully Thanks
Alex
macgyver2
02-10-2006, 12:50 PM
While I've never personally tried it (I don't have that many friends *sniff* :)) Bluehost recommends Dadamail (http://mojo.skazat.com/) for lists with more than 100 subscribers. From a quick perusal of the (good)documentation, it looks easy enough to set up.
Their own Perl mailing script :) I think you should use a newsletter script (find one in fantastico)...
EDIT: Too late (mainly because of tabbed browsing :P). Oh yeah, macgyver2 answer is also better. :)
rando
02-10-2006, 01:28 PM
I personally recommend that people try dadamail, mostly because it's a sneaky way of getting people to test it for me. If they use dadamail and I hear no complaints, it's another tick on the "we should probably use this" board. :)
I will let you know. I just download, installed, and now trying it.
Well the test works, as soon as I tried to send I got
Software error:
Dada Mail 2.10.6 Warning: Server is way too busy to open list db file,/home/stangett/public_html/lists/stangette_archivesdb.lock - Resource temporarily unavailable
Well I turned off "Archiving" ....Thought it worked but it just stopped after I sent. I even tried batch sending at 50 messages every 30 seconds and it just doesn't do anything at all. :( calling support now
OK heres what I learned today. The reason why I got bumped out was because Bluehost by default limits your Sendmail and SMTP to 50 emails an hour. That would explain the problem. They said to email support@bluehost.com to request an upgrade.
Thought I'd share that with ya :)
rando
02-10-2006, 07:39 PM
OK heres what I learned today. The reason why I got bumped out was because Bluehost by default limits your Sendmail and SMTP to 50 emails an hour. That would explain the problem. They said to email support@bluehost.com to request an upgrade.
Thought I'd share that with ya :)
We won't bump you by too much, though. We'd much rather you use software that sends messages out more slowly throughout the day.
rjewett
02-11-2006, 09:07 AM
I hit a similar problem with the 50/hr limit and Bluehost support bumped me up to 500/hr. But you have to convince them that you have a ligitimate purpose for sending that many emails. Of course, your 900 requirement already exceeds this, and at some point you may exceed their MAX limit and need a workaround.
I looked at Dadamail, functionally it seems to solve your problem. But you are having problems running it, and I don't like products that have a free version but you have to pay for the Pro version, which is probably the only version that works :)
Lex, you did not describe your problem in much detail. Is your email list maintained in Outlook? Is the newsletter you write part of a CMS on your server? If you have 900 recipients you should be maintaining this on a server where users can optout automatically and be removed from the db.
I faced this last year building a website for a charity. Their members would signup for a charity event. The night before an Admin would "notify" users by using the admin page. The notify PHP would generate the recipient list from those registering for the event and construct the html body from the charity information, like directions and special instructions to attendees. I used the WebHost sendmail to send the email. This worked until I hit the per hour limit on my host (and they absolutely refused to increase it).
The workaround is fairly simple, if you have server side scripting, I use PHP. I created a webpage that has a javascript timer, <body onload="setTimeout...". I put the recipient list and body of the email in the Session (or use Cookies). The webpage displays a form that allows input of the number of emails to send and how long to pause between sends. After the timer expires the javascript auto submits the form to the server. Where the email block is sent, those recipients are subtracted from the list in the cookie and we return to the same webpage which "waits" for the next timeout.
rando
02-11-2006, 01:08 PM
I looked at Dadamail, functionally it seems to solve your problem. But you are having problems running it, and I don't like products that have a free version but you have to pay for the Pro version, which is probably the only version that works :)
As far as I know, DadaMail's pro version is the same as the free version except it comes with support.
horizon93
02-19-2006, 02:47 PM
We have several lists on our site. It is a site for a school and our parent list is around 2000 addresses. Would dada mail be able to hanfle that?
rando
02-19-2006, 11:08 PM
I like to know what Bluehost uses. since they send emails to 45,000 people successfully Thanks
Just as a side note, our customer mailer is a custom piece of software I wrote years ago and ported to bluehost's systems in early january. It's not really available anywhere. :)
Hey guys. Thanks for the replys. Well in any event, Dadamail had too many bugs for me to figure out. Even with the increase of emails per hour, I adjusted the batch send so low it was just dumb to use. So I bit the bullet and bought Atomic Mail Sender. It took a little to get use to, but because it had its own internal SMTP server, sending out my newsletter was quick and simple. So long story short. I bought a program to achieve my problem.
My mailing list is from my "community members emails" I export them though Vbulletins Admin CP features as a TXT file.
scottcrew
02-21-2006, 05:12 PM
I use a program called WorldMerge. I don't send as many as you do, but it might help you out... It's a stand-alone program that you set up an Excel database with your recipients and you then can personalize the newsletter/emails.
It uses your ISP's SMTP server or has a direct send option...
HTH!
............
I like to know what Bluehost uses. since they send emails to 45,000 people successfully Thanks
Alex
Why can not for us to use?
I have 8981 members in my forum now, I can not send bulk mail to my members, even only 122 members in someone group !:(
My registered members those who are not unsolicited, and I am not a SPAMMING!:mad:
ZhongFu
02-25-2006, 08:33 AM
Has anyone tried PHPlist (http://tincan.co.uk/phplist)?
-ZhongFu
jon3330
02-25-2006, 02:52 PM
I use a program called WorldMerge. I don't send as many as you do, but it might help you out... It's a stand-alone program that you set up an Excel database with your recipients and you then can personalize the newsletter/emails.
It uses your ISP's SMTP server or has a direct send option...
HTH!
I tried WorldMerge but it would no send webpages (html with images) I like the address part but need to send 100 plus newsletters in html (just like my webpage) HickoryCreekNews.com (http://www.hickorycreeknews.com)
Has anyone tried PHPlist (http://tincan.co.uk/phplist)?
-ZhongFu
Maybe this (PHPlist) is a feasible method, I am trying it now.:(
I hope DO NOT let me give up BH!:eek:
jas0995
03-23-2006, 09:35 AM
I have a mail list with about 300 members that I send mail to. It is not
hosted here, but I did all my testing here.
I tried DaDaMail and spent a LOT of time messing with it and never got it
working in a useable way. I don't remember all the problems now.
But PHPmail works in a way that makes more sense to me. It will try sending
all the mail at once, and when it looks like it hits your hourly limit it stops, and
you have to do a re-send. It will only re-send to members that did not go
through the first time. This way users do not get dups.
-John
MarkArgentino
03-28-2006, 08:50 AM
Has anyone tried PHPlist (http://tincan.co.uk/phplist)?
-ZhongFu
Hello ZhongFu,
I've used phplist now for about 2 years. It's an awesome program once you get it set it up the way you want. The subscribe page options are excellent as you can design many (possibly unlimited?) different subscribe pages and each subscribe page can lead the subscriber to unique thank you and 'further reading' pages.
The internal email manager function is terrific. The bounce function and all other options with the program run very well, and quick. I've only had prior problems with sending our my mass emails, but eventually contacted tincan and had them throttle sending my newsletter and now it works like a charm. This is a problem with most larger list sending programs. Bluehost knows this is an issue as well.
I would highly recommend this program for people that have complex and numerous subscribe pages on their site.
All the best,
Mark :D
jansportw
03-28-2006, 09:49 AM
ZhongFu (or anyone),
I was wondering what settings are best for throttle sending my newsletter with phplist on Bluehost, assuming bluehost can up me to ~500 max/hour?
Jansen
MarkArgentino
03-28-2006, 10:00 AM
ZhongFu (or anyone),
I was wondering what settings are best for throttle sending my newsletter with phplist on Bluehost, assuming bluehost can up me to ~500 max/hour?
Jansen
I had to contact tincan (and pay $200+) to find out the settings that work for me. I will share them with you:
# define the amount of emails you want to send per period. If 0, batch processing
# is disabled
define("MAILQUEUE_BATCH_SIZE",20);
# define the length of one batch processing period, in seconds (3600 is an hour)
define("MAILQUEUE_BATCH_PERIOD",60);
# to avoid overloading the server that sends your email, you can add a little delay
# between messages that will spread the load of sending
# you will need to find a good value for your own server
# value is in seconds (or you can play with the autothrottle below)
define('MAILQUEUE_THROTTLE',3);
These settings work perfectly for my situation when sending my monthly newsletter through bluehost.
Let me know if you need anything else or have any other questions.
Thanks,
Mark :D
UncleGeo
05-23-2006, 08:00 AM
PHPListst is indeed a fine program but starting in March (06) it's been rendered useless.
I will say that it is fairly simple to learn and configure and has many useful features. I've been very happy until now.
The problem is, after a year and a half of virtually flawless operation it now refuses to send more than 20 e-mails at a time. I have to manually "reprocess queue" every 20 minutes or so and on a 2000 subscriber list this took me a week!
You can make the adjustments Mark suggested using File Manager in your Blue Host control panel. You make the changes to the config.php file in the directory where your PHP List is installed (write down the previous settings!). When you find config.php, highlight it and choose "edit" on the right side of the page. A screen will open allowing you to edit the file. You'll have to scroll down a ways. The file is nicely annotated so look for it under "Miscellaneous Settings". Change only the settings as above in Mark's post and then save. I had tried different settings than Mark suggested (to no avail) and now I will try Mark's settings and report back.
I would love to solve this as I am now paying 75 bucks a month to send to my three lists through Constant Contact. I would like to hear from a Blue Host tech on this as I suspect it probably also involves a setting on the Blue Host server (maybe one made in March?). I know Blue Host does not provide support for Fantastico installed programs but maybe just a look into why this might be happening?
My subscribers have all opted in, I don't send viagra spam and I would abide by any Blue Host rules (whatever they may be!) and limits.
Help me be a good Blue Host citizen!
UncleGeo
05-23-2006, 02:48 PM
I used Mark's settings and it is working on a 400 member list sending 20, waiting and then sending 20 more -all automatically like it's suppposed to. I'll try it on my larger list of 2000 soon.
So my guess is that Blue Host either changed a setting for sending mail or upgraded some software that unintentionally interfered with PHPList's functioning.
If you all can get PHPList running right then I do highly recommend it!
Mark, I owe you a beer.
UncleGeo
05-25-2006, 04:06 PM
On my larger list of 2000 it appears also to be working with Mark's settings.
I called Blue Host and got my max e-mail set to BH's max of 500/hr. You should check with Blue Host to see what your limit is set at.
I've been cautioned on PHP List forums against allowing PHPList to actually send 500 per hour because it can block all your incoming and outgoing e-mail once the limit is reached which will happen fast with a 500 limit.
Moderator: How would we start a separate PHP List forum?
KnowProSE
05-25-2006, 08:56 PM
*Gurgle*
I worry about all the uses of email lists. I am on *way too many* email lists as it is, and I'm surprised more people haven't gone with RSS. Sure, you might have to train your community, but it's a lot easier to contend with and also allows centralized discussion if you allow comments/forums on your site.
I subscribe to RSS where I can because it's just easier than an email box full of rules and folders. I have over 300 rules in Seamonkey at this point... :o
UncleGeo
05-26-2006, 07:05 AM
I hear ya, I get 150-200 e-mails a day and 15 are real. I wrestled with the list concept and found the only ethical solution was an opt in with unsubscribe and PHP handles this fairly well.
I have a business list and though RSS is certainly a great idea I cannot afford to miss customers on my sale circulars.
That said though I really like your idea. Some of my customers would be quite thankful to have first notice of desireable items at a good price as long as I don't junk up the feed with too many items.
Neat idea indeed. I am new to RSS though. I need to learn 1) how to implement it and 2) how to implement it responsibly (what are the accepted practices?). I've heard it's not rocket science but I just have not done the research yet. Any pointers or links would help.
Thanks for the idea!
KenJackson
05-26-2006, 08:06 AM
I've never used any such software, but as a recipient, the two I appreciate the most are LISTSERV (http://www.lsoft.com/) and Majordomo (http://www.greatcircle.com/majordomo/).
I thoroughly resent it when anyone sends me email without a valid return address or requires me to go search through some stinking slow, noisy website to unsubscribe.
Both of these packages allow recipients to return email with commands like UNSUBSCRIBE, REMOVE, or LEAVE to get off the list.
UncleGeo
05-26-2006, 08:47 AM
One of the problems as a sender is that I am not a programmer or server guy. I need programs that do not require a boatload of geeks to run. For people like me you kind of have to go with what's available at your hosting service -or change hosting services. $6.95 a month at Blue Host is by far the best deal I have from any of my vendors so I'd like to stay -especially as I get actual live humans on the phone!
Administrators should be sure the return address is a real one that someone checks. If a recipient then unsubscribes by putting "unsubscribe" in the reply line or body I take them off manually. The unsubscribe link for PHP List does take you to a very simple page where you just click unsubscribe. While not as elegant as a simple reply, it is not as bad as the ones you mentioned that make you wade through a load of crap to find an unsubscribe link (that may not even be there).
There are legitimate businesses reasons to send bulk e-mail to customers. My 2000 customers are all in one close knit industry and want these mailers. My choice of an opt in/opt out list seemed to me to be the most ethical. In short, PHP List works for me because I don't need to be a programmer to operate it and it is easy for recipients to get on and off.
KnowProSE
05-26-2006, 09:34 AM
Neat idea indeed. I am new to RSS though. I need to learn 1) how to implement it and 2) how to implement it responsibly (what are the accepted practices?). I've heard it's not rocket science but I just have not done the research yet. Any pointers or links would help.
Thanks for the idea!
Hmm. Well, the easiest way to do RSS is with a blog - it's standard to have RSS with it, and there is some blog stuff in Fantastico you might use. Stick it neatly in a subdirectory, and point to it from your main page. When you have announcements or anything else - like a newsletter - post it on the blog as well. That way people can subscribe to the RSS feed.
One of the problems with email newsletters and so on is that people don't like to sign up a lot of the time... or at least, that's my experience. But an RSS feed lets them be a voyeur!
And on your end, that could mean having to worry about less emails... while moving up in Google Rank for whatever it is that you write about. That's the big secret about blogs and business. Search Engine visibility, etc. You already have your customers/clients. It's the new ones that you want. :-)
UncleGeo
05-26-2006, 11:33 AM
...indeed, and I thank you for it.
I also have a political newsletter that RSS would be perfect for.
I think I'll give it a whirl!
KnowProSE
05-26-2006, 06:10 PM
...indeed, and I thank you for it.
I also have a political newsletter that RSS would be perfect for.
I think I'll give it a whirl!
I believe it will work for you. After you set it up and post one or two messages, you may want to start registering with services such as technorati.com. That way bloggers find out too. They may even point to what you write about, if they find it interesting. And that could be good for you as well - even bad press is press. ;-)
evocation
08-15-2006, 08:30 PM
has anyone found a good solution for large mailing lists? I'm trying to set up a system to let some local non-profits stop using constantcontact.com, and am writing it from scratch, but have it all sorts of limits and automatic restrictions. I'm trying to use perl and sendmail. I have other perl cgi tools that I'd like to integrate, so I'm avoiding PHP.
Do I really need to set up my own server and commercial T1, or is there a solution with bluehost I use till I can afford that jump?
Basil
08-15-2006, 09:05 PM
I'm no expert on email (hate it) but I assume the restrictions set by bluehost would be null if you were to use a remote SMTP server..
Bruce W
12-01-2006, 04:31 PM
Looking at Dada Mail's site, it seems to be "announce only" with a plug-in that can make it a discussion list. Has anyone tried this plug-in?
I'm working on a fan site, and I'm doing 90% of the programming from scratch. I don't know if this will help anyone.. But what I'm trying to do is use the database to send a few at a time. Or what I will do, rather, as I have to modify the existing page and write a new script...
Anyway, this site is getting enough traffic and will be that I think it'll work.
I've already got emails to send at scheduled times as people browse the site, so this should be no problem to do.
Just an idea...
taevans
12-02-2006, 05:48 AM
I have used both Mailman and DADA Mail on BH. I prefer Mailman for small groups (under 100) because it permits discussion by everyone on the list. But, it crashes every several weeks and a tech at BH has to restart it.
I use DADA Mail for large lists. It is well supported on the Internet. It was my first ever script install and it went smoothly, except for a hickup. On my first newsletter the transmission stopped. I contacted BH. They told me that for transmissions of five minutes or more I needed a dedicated IP (more money, but not exorbitant). I purchase the dedicated IP. I throttle the "send" to 50 addresses in a batch. I looked at pHpList before deciding on Dada mail, because the later seemed to be an easier install and was recommended by BH (which suggested they may have som expertise if you get into trouble).
jenny4
07-22-2008, 05:13 AM
what is remote SMTP server
Early Out
07-22-2008, 05:20 AM
Using a remote SMTP server means setting your mail program to send out its messages through a server other than the BH servers. In theory, this would bypass the BH restrictions on the volume of outgoing mail.
You'd have to have access to an SMTP server somewhere. You probably couldn't use your own ISPs outgoing servers, because they usually have similar restrictions, and often won't accept outgoing messages at all if the sender isn't physically connected to their network.
BlueHerring
08-18-2008, 12:07 PM
If you try to send more than a handful of emails through a script to smtp.comcast.net.
It would be really nice to know where a site is in terms if its limits, so a script could play nice and leave some room for other sources of email send traffic. As well, to know what Bluehost would prefer scripts to do, IE, use cron jobs or set up a ping to a webpage, send 20 messages at a time 25 times an hour, or 50 a time five times an hour, etc. I guess it's just a black art for experts these days, because of the sorry state of email on the internet.
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