Outlook 2003 Question
 

Does this version allow a contact to be assigned to multiple categories for e-mail purposes?

Example: "John Smith" belongs on several of my e-mail lists. He has a Junior and a Freshman at Lakeside, a 7th-grader at Henderson, is a donor, participates in my golf tournament nearly every year, wants to receive my prayer e-newsletter, and has a kid signed up for the Castaway trip this summer. I'd like to have him assigned to six different "categories" (I think that's what they were called in the last version I used):

• Parents--LHS Class of 2007
• Parents--LHS Class of 2009
• Parents--HMS Class of 2011
• Parents--Castaway 2006
• Golf Tournament Players
• YL Weekly Recipients

Is this possible now? A large number of my contacts belong in multiple groups, which made the last version of Outlook I used (2000, maybe?) not work well for me. If not, is there a contact management software that anyone would recommend for this? I've been less than satisfied with ACT!.

Thanks in advance.

--Ben

Not sure if I'm missing something, but why don't you create separate distributionlists for various events? Each contact is a separate entity, but you can add an individual contact to how many distributionlists you wish.

Yes you can do this. You have to make sure you have outlook installed with the personal address book feature. That allows you to make multiple groups and have users assigned to multiple groups.

For example, John Smith. I want him to be the *churchgoer group. I also want him to be in the *football group.

So if I send an email to the *football group. He would get it. If I send an email to the *churchgoer group he would get it.

is that what you mean?

File New then click distribution list.

Is that all you want?

Exactly.

EDIT: In the last version I used, the highlighted option was not available.

It has been so long since I've used Outlook, I can't remember why this didn't work for me. I just remember everything to do with e-mailing became unwieldly with Outlook. I'm thinking it had something to do with the size and number of distribution lists.

Another question before I take the plunge:

I need to import roughly 2,000 contacts, and put them into various "Categories." Is it possible to batch move items into Categories? For example, can I select:

User1=LAK
User2=2007

and put all 50 or so of them into a "LHS Class of 2007" Category?