If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Distribution List & Contact Folder - Difference?
Outlook allows you to have contact folders and distribution lists. They seem
to serve a very similar purpose. What is the difference? How are they *meant* to be used? |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Distribution List & Contact Folder - Difference?
A distribution list is a single data item, stored in a contacts folder, that contains a list of names and addresses. It contains no other information -- no phone numbers, no company names, no mailing addresses, etc.
DLs are quite useless, IMO, except for small, relatively static lists, such as peer colleagues or a committee whose membership changes only once a year. In those scenarios, you can send a message to everyone on the list by simply typing the name of the list into a message's To box. The vastly more detailed information available in individual contact records in a contacts folder allows for reports, mail merges, searches, and other similar operations. -- Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003 http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for Administrators, Power Users, and Developers http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=54 "serg.kr" wrote in message ... Outlook allows you to have contact folders and distribution lists. They seem to serve a very similar purpose. What is the difference? How are they *meant* to be used? |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Distribution List & Contact Folder - Difference?
Thanks for the reply.
However, you may have misunderstood me when I mentioned "contact folder". I am referring not to a single contact, but a collection of contacts grouped under a single folder. Specifically, it is what you obtain when you go under New-Folder, and selecting "Contact Items" under the field labelled "Folder contains:". Then, when mailing a new message, it is possible to navigate to this folder and select the contacts you want to send the message to from the list. In my confusion, it appeared that these contact folders were essentially the same thing as a distribution list. However, I played around with it a bit more and I think I may understand the difference a bit better. It seems that you cannot have the same contact in two different folders (at least I did not figure out a way to do it since you cannot copy/paste contacts). Also, it is much easier to send an email to a distribution list rather than all the contacts in a contact folder. Well, thanks for the help anyway. If you have any more tips, please post. "Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]" wrote: A distribution list is a single data item, stored in a contacts folder, that contains a list of names and addresses. It contains no other information -- no phone numbers, no company names, no mailing addresses, etc. DLs are quite useless, IMO, except for small, relatively static lists, such as peer colleagues or a committee whose membership changes only once a year. In those scenarios, you can send a message to everyone on the list by simply typing the name of the list into a message's To box. The vastly more detailed information available in individual contact records in a contacts folder allows for reports, mail merges, searches, and other similar operations. -- Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003 http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for Administrators, Power Users, and Developers http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=54 "serg.kr" wrote in message ... Outlook allows you to have contact folders and distribution lists. They seem to serve a very similar purpose. What is the difference? How are they *meant* to be used? |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Distribution List & Contact Folder - Difference?
Your definition of contact folder is exactly the same as mine -- a folder containing individual contact records.
The problem with distribution lists is that they're difficult to keep up to date and cannot be used for mail merge. I'd rather keep all my contacts in one folder and distinguish them by categories and other property values. -- Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003 http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for Administrators, Power Users, and Developers http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=54 "serg.kr" wrote in message news Thanks for the reply. However, you may have misunderstood me when I mentioned "contact folder". I am referring not to a single contact, but a collection of contacts grouped under a single folder. Specifically, it is what you obtain when you go under New-Folder, and selecting "Contact Items" under the field labelled "Folder contains:". Then, when mailing a new message, it is possible to navigate to this folder and select the contacts you want to send the message to from the list. In my confusion, it appeared that these contact folders were essentially the same thing as a distribution list. However, I played around with it a bit more and I think I may understand the difference a bit better. It seems that you cannot have the same contact in two different folders (at least I did not figure out a way to do it since you cannot copy/paste contacts). Also, it is much easier to send an email to a distribution list rather than all the contacts in a contact folder. Well, thanks for the help anyway. If you have any more tips, please post. "Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]" wrote: A distribution list is a single data item, stored in a contacts folder, that contains a list of names and addresses. It contains no other information -- no phone numbers, no company names, no mailing addresses, etc. DLs are quite useless, IMO, except for small, relatively static lists, such as peer colleagues or a committee whose membership changes only once a year. In those scenarios, you can send a message to everyone on the list by simply typing the name of the list into a message's To box. The vastly more detailed information available in individual contact records in a contacts folder allows for reports, mail merges, searches, and other similar operations. "serg.kr" wrote in message ... Outlook allows you to have contact folders and distribution lists. They seem to serve a very similar purpose. What is the difference? How are they *meant* to be used? |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Distribution List & Contact Folder - Difference?
Oh, I see. Sorry about the confusion.
Thank you for the help. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Distribution List & Contact Folder - Difference?
serg.kr wrote:
In my confusion, it appeared that these contact folders were essentially the same thing as a distribution list. Contact folders contain contact items. DIstribution lists contact name/address pairs. However, I played around with it a bit more and I think I may understand the difference a bit better. It seems that you cannot have the same contact in two different folders (at least I did not figure out a way to do it since you cannot copy/paste contacts). Not only can you have contact records all with the same name in multiple folders, you can have multiple contacts with the same name in the SAME contact folder. Also, it is much easier to send an email to a distribution list rather than all the contacts in a contact folder. I disagree. Select the contacts with click/ctrl-click or shift-click (or group them my category and select the category), then click ActionsNew Message to Contact to send to all the contacts you've selected. -- Brian Tillman |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Distribution List & Contact Folder - Difference?
"Brian Tillman" wrote:
[Also, it is much easier to send an email to a distribution list rather than all the contacts in a contact folder.] I disagree. Select the contacts with click/ctrl-click or shift-click (or group them my category and select the category), then click ActionsNew Message to Contact to send to all the contacts you've selected. That's easier? With my distribution lists, I simply start typing the first couple letters of the DL title into the to/cc/bcc box, and it's ready to go. I don't even have to bring up my contacts, much less click around like that. Granted, I'm just an OE guy that got forced into Outlook when my employer went to Exchange server, so meetings/tasks/sharing/etc. is lost on me. But it seems (if contact folders are supposed to be all that) MS could at least give contact folders the functionality the "useless" DLs have. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|