Master Autoresponder Bank
If you need to provide information by email immediately on request, this new CGI program can help.
Make a separate document subdirectory for the information you're making available by autoresponder.
Upload the information files into the subdirectory, one plain text file for each informational email to be sent out. Upload as many files as you want. Pile it in there. Stuff it full.
Then, let Master Autoresponder Bank send out the information as it's requested.
The information can be articles, recipes, lists of product specials, sermons, ezine back issues, poems, and anything else that can be presented in a plain text document.
Global content headers and footers may be specified for outgoing email.
A separate database can be updated with the email addresses information is sent to.
The autoresponder can process requests received from web page forms. And, it can process requests received via email.
Optionally, you can be notified whenever the autoresponder receives a request. For web page forms, this is a "yes" or "no." For emailed requests, there are three choices: "no," "only valid requests," and "any requests."
(Because of the chronic spam problem, published email addresses tend to quickly become inundated with garbage. Master Autoresponder Bank considers emailed requests to be valid only if the autoresponder's email address is on the To: header line. If the address is in either the Bcc: or Cc: lines, the request is ignored. Specifying "any requests" would send a copy of every request to you, valid or not, including spam.)
If Master Autoresponder Bank doesn't have the document requested, it can respond with a file containing an index of available documents or any other file you specify as the default.
We're using Master Autoresponder Bank to provide copies of WillMaster Possibilities articles upon request. As of this writing, only a few are in the autoresponder's document subdirectory. Over 200 articles are available. We're adding a few at a time until all are uploaded.
The Web Page Form Request Method
As mentioned, Master Autoresponder Bank can process requests received from web page forms and requests received via email.
The web page form method is rather straight-forward.
If you're making only one document available, only an email address is required of the form.
The form can, however, contain checkboxes (or radio buttons, if you want to limit choices to exactly one) representing a list of documents to choose from. Optionally, the Master Autoresponder Bank control panel can be used to specify the maximum number of documents that may requested with any one form submission.
The ability to request many documents at once is part of the power behind Master Autoresponder Bank.
A live demonstration of a form with checkboxes is on the product description page.
You'll see for yourself how easy it is for site users to request information.
The Emailed Request Method
In order to send email to Master Autoresponder Bank, your server must be able to relay/pipe incoming email to a CGI program. Several methods can be used by Unix/Linux servers to accomplish this. But not all hosting companies make those methods available to their customers.
The product description page and the user's manual linked from that page both contain more information about getting incoming email to a CGI program.
(If your hosting company does not provide a means of getting incoming email to a CGI program, the web page form method will then be the only method available. If you decide to change hosts or server, sometime in the future, and the new server does provide the means, then the full power of Master Autoresponder Bank will be available.)
You can try out Master Autoresponder Bank by requesting a list of WillMaster Possibilities articles currently available. Simply send an email to mailto:WMParticle@willmaster.com?Subject=documents
You'll notice that the email link above specifies a subject. This is more of the power behind Master Autoresponder Bank.
Only one email address is used to email Master Autoresponder Bank. This lets you add as many information files into your document directory as you feel like adding, and you still need only that one address.
No longer do you have the job of setting up a separate email address for each document. Instead, set up just the one email address and you're good to go for as many documents as you can stuff into the document subdirectory, now or in the future.
The email subject line tells Master Autoresponder Bank which document to respond with. If the subject of the email doesn't specify an available document, the default file is sent.
Why Use This Autoresponder?
Monthly service rentals can add up quickly. Within half a year, rental costs of just one autoresponder could exceed the retail price of Master Autoresponder Bank. Having your own program on your own server frees you from relying on a server you don't control to be up and not overloaded when you need it.
Ad-supported autoresponders may be good for testing or for non-business use. Allowing other people's ads on business documents obtained via autoresponder lacks a certain appearance of professionalism. Appearance counts.
When considering the relative merits and drawbacks of a free autoresponder, consider not only features, but also ease of use and the appearance of professionalism. The free Master Autoresponder, for example, does have the appearance of professionalism, but it requires a new autoresponder email address for each document and it lacks most of the Master Autoresponder Bank features that make the latter so easy to use.
Master Autoresponder Bank, in addition to the features previously mentioned, allows the webmaster to specify global Subject:, From:, and/or Reply-To: header lines for outgoing email. The Subject: line can have a placeholder within which to insert the file name of the document being requested. And, any individual document can be made to override the global headers specified in the control panel.
If you need to provide information by email immediately on request, consider how easy Master Autoresponder Bank can make things for you and for your information requestors.
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Will Bontrager
©2003 Bontrager Connection, LLC
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