How to Keep & Maintain an Email Distribution List for Free

Email distribution lists let you send an email to a group of people at the same time. They save you the time of finding individual email addresses of the people in your group. When creating the client side distribution lists, select the email addresses that will need to receive the group emails that you send. These email addresses reside in the client's Contact list or the server's address books. This list can be maintained on your computer and edited whenever a change is needed. The best part is that this whole process is free and contained in your email account.

Instructions

Microsoft Outlook 2010

1. Select the "Home" tab and click on "New Contact Group." Outlook renamed its distribution list in the Office 2010 suite to contact groups.

2. Type a name for the contact group in the "Name" box. Select the "Add Members" button to add email addresses from your contacts or address book. Click the name and select the "OK" button. The email is added to the contact group. This contact group is maintained in the Outlook contacts.

3. Edit the contact group by selecting the contact group from the Outlook contacts. Select a name that needs to be removed from the list and click the "Remove" button.

Google Mail (Gmail)

1. Access your Gmail account and select the left "Contact" link. Review your contacts and check the email address that will be placed in the contact group or distribution list. Click the "Groups" button and select "New Group." The New Group dialog box will appear. Type a name for the contact group in the "Name" field. Click "OK."

2. Click the "Groups" button and select the newly created group. Select "Apply." The selected contacts are moved into the contact group. The contact group appears in the left task pane.

3. Edit any email address in the contact group by checking the name in the contact group and selecting the "More Actions" button. Delete the contact by pressing the "Delete" button.

GroupWise

1. Open Groupwise and start a new email. Type the email address that will appear in the distribution list. Select the "Address Book" button and click "Save Group." Type a name for the group when prompted. The email addresses are saved in the new group.

2. Edit the contact group by clicking the "Address Book" in the Groupwise window. Click the "Look In" drop-down box, and click the address book containing your contact group. Double click the contact group to see the email addresses.

3. Remove an email address by selecting the email address and pressing the "Remove" button.

References

• Microsoft: Create and edit a Contact Group (formerly distribution lists)
• Gmail: Creating Contact Group
• City College of San Francisco: Creating Groups in GroupWise 6.5 for Windows