A distribution list is a collection of contacts. It provides an easy way to send messages to a group of people. For example, if you frequently send messages to the marketing team, you can create a distribution list named Marketing Team that contains the names of all members of this team. A message sent to this distribution list goes to all recipients who belong to the list. Outlook 2007 converts the address list to individual addresses, so recipients see their own names and the names of all other recipients in the To box of the message instead of seeing the name of the distribution list. You can use distribution lists in messages, task requests, and meeting requests.
Inside Out: Use nested distribution lists
Distribution lists can contain other distribution lists as well as individual addresses. For example, you might create a distribution list for each of seven departments and then create one distribution list containing those seven others. You could use this second list when you need to send messages to all seven departments.
You can create distribution lists in your Contacts folder using your contacts list. You can store addresses from any available source (the Global Address List [GAL], a personal address book, a contacts list, and so on). In general, you should create your distribution lists in the location where you store the majority of your addresses.
Follow these steps to create a new distribution list in the Contacts folder:
Click File, New, and then select Distribution List to open a distribution list form, as shown in Figure 18-24.
Type the name for your distribution list in the Name box. This is the name by which the list will appear in your Contacts folder. If you’re creating a distribution list for the marketing department, for example, use the name Marketing.
In the Members group, click Select Members to open the Select Members dialog box, shown in Figure 18-25.
In the Address Book drop-down list, select the location from which you want to select addresses (for example, the Global Address List or the Contacts folder).
In the Search box, type a name that you want to include, which locates the name in the list, or select the name in the Name list, and then click Members.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 to add all addressees to the list, and then click OK when you’ve finished.
If you want to add a longer description of the distribution list, click the Notes button and type the text.
Click Save & Close. The new distribution list is added to your contacts list.
You can easily add and delete names in a distribution list. For example, perhaps your department has added a few new employees and you need to add their addresses to the department distribution list.
Follow these steps to add or remove names in a distribution list:
In your Contacts folder, open the distribution list to display the distribution list form.
Perform one or more of the following actions:
To add an address from an address book or a contacts folder, click Select Members.
To add an address that is not in a contacts folder or an address book, click Add New.
To delete a name, click the name, and then click Remove.
Click Save & Close.
Inside Out: Fine-tune distribution lists
You can assign categories to a distribution list, mark it as private, or add notes to it by using the distribution list form. You can also update addresses in a distribution list if their source addresses have changed. For example, if you’ve changed a colleague’s e-mail address in the contact entry and now want to update the corresponding address in the distribution list, you can open the distribution list, select the address, and click Update Now on the distribution list form.