Introduction

Contents:

The Interface

• Logging into the list
• The Web Interface
• The Content Tab
• The Segments Tab
• The Mailings Tab
• The Reports Tab
• The Utilities Tab

How To

• Retrieve a Lost Password
• Create a New Mailing
• Create a New Member
• Create a New List Administrator
• Save your Subscribers List

The Interface

Loggin into the list

The first thing that you will need to do is to log into the site. To do this, point your web browser to:

https://lists.epa.gov/

NOTE: In certain browsers (Mozilla and higher versions of Netscape), the first time you visit this site, after you fill out the login information and click the OK button, all you will see is code. In order to get around this, simply click on your browsers Reload button. This should bring you directly to the list itself.

Once you log into the site, if you only are a list administrator for a single list, then you will be brought directly to the lists home page. But if you are a list administrator to multiple lists, the first screen you will see is a table showing all of the lists to which you are an admin. Simply click on the list name for the one you wish to work on and you will then be brought to that lists homepage.

The Web Interface

The home page is where most of the relevant information is located. On the bottom half of the page, you will see a list of recent mailings that have been sent, are in the works or are in need of approval (if any exist - if none exist, then you will just see the top half of the page and the rest will be blank). And on the top half of the page, you'll see the different areas within the administrators site that you have access to. These areas are Content, Segments, Mailings, Reports and Utilities.

Underneath these tabs is the main section of the Homepage. In it you can find quick links to most of the major sections you will need. On the left side, you will see individual links to the Content, Segments, Mailings and Reports sections. On the right, you can see a set of links called Shortcuts. These are links that will lead you directly to creating new mailings, new members, it links to the site map for the admin site and you can also access the public side of the list through the Read messages link.

Also on the very top of the page, in the right hand corner of the blue bar, you will see three lines. The first is the list which you are logged into, then the Language, and finally the email address which you are logged in as. If you are an administrator for more than one list, and you wish to change to another list to work on, simply clicking on the list name in the upper right corner of the page will bring you back to that original list of lists that you have access to. The Language, you can't change, but if you are looking to log out of the list, the third link from the top will allow you to do this.

The Content Tab

Within the Content section, you will be able to create the actual content of your mailings. When creating a new mailing, you have the option of either writing your content directly into that new mailing, or you can create the content for your mailing before hand, save it, and then import it at a later time. This can be useful for when you have a certain way you need your mailing to be, you can simply create a content and use it as a template each time.

NOTE: The Content section is only to create content to be later imported into a new mailing. This is not the area where you can create a new post to send to the list.

In this section, you can create new content, view the existing content, or view the text templates which you might have created.

Creating new content

1. Click on the Content tab.
   
   
2. Click on the New Content link.
   
   
3. Enter the Content Name and Description. Both of these will simply be the name and decription by which you can distinguis that particular saved content from another.
   
   
4. Enter the email address. This will be the email address that you want to have subscribers see when they receive the post.
   
   
5. Leave the To: section as it is.
   
   
6. Enter the Subject.
   
   
7. Select the Text Message tab and insert the content of your message.
   
   
8. Click on the Save and Test button to preview your message. Or, you can simply click on Save to save the new content for later use.

The Segments Tab

This section is not availble for use.

The Mailings Tab

The Mailings section will look very similar to the Content section. You can write your message directly into a new mailing, or you can import it from an existing conent that you have previously saved.

Within this section, you can create a new mailing, approve any mailings that have yet to go out, view the mailings status and schedule future mailings.

Look below on how to create a new mailing.

Test mailing checklist

If you have used the Save and Test option, then you should receive an email in the address you provided. This will allow you or whomever to look the post over from top to bottom to look for any changes that might need to happen before it goes out to the full list. When looking over a test message, here are a few things that you should watch out for:

• Is the message exactly as you want it to look?
• Is all of the content you want in there?
• Does the reply to name show up as how you wanted it to?
• Are there any special characters that might foul up a mailing?

Or, if you do not wish to send a test message, you can simply save the message, go back to the Homepage and click on the Send button.

You can also schedule a mailing, or a recurring mailing through the Schedule tab. If you have a mailing that needs to go out once a week or once a month, you can specify that it go out at a given time and date.

Sending your mailing from email

To send your message through your own email client rather than doing it from the web browser, all you have to do is write out your post and send it to listname@lists.epa.gov (where listname is the name of the actual list you wish to post to).

Approving a message through the web

Once a mailing has been created, it will probably need to be approved. In order to approve a message, you can either view messages that need approval straight from the Homepage, or you can go through the Mailing tab.

Approving a message through email

In order to approve a mailing through email, you simply need the post number. For example, you can send a message to lyris@lists.epa.gov with the following in the body:

login yourpassword
moderate approve 2930

Where yourpassword is your password and the number 2930 is the actual post number.

The Reports Tab

Within the Reports section, you can view graphical reports on Mailings, and Members. Within each report, you will either see a table of data, or you will see a graphical representation of the data. These reports can be an excellent way to keep track of the amount of members your list has, or how many posts this list has seen. You can also see information on how one list stacks up to another list you are a list admin for.

The Utilities Tab

The Utilities section is the main area if you ever need to change a setting, add/remove/edit a members profile, add or change list administrator, create web forms and create new documents. This is where you will probably spend the bulk of your administrative time.

List Settings

Within the List Settings section you will be able to look and change almost anything about the list itself. Remember, however, there is a list of things that are not allowed to be changed. So you might want to ask the Lyris Administrator at list_support@valley.rtpnc.epa.gov before making any changes.

Members

The Members section allows you to view an individual members settings, add a new member and/or list administrator, remove anyone currently subscribed to the list, edit any users settings or see the history of any member.

Web Forms

If you would like to create a form where people can subscribe or unsubscribe from your list on a website that you own, the Web Forms section will ask you a few simple questions and will create the code for you so you don't have to do it yourself. Then you simply have to copy and paste the code given into your webpage.

NOTE: In the HTML code itself, you might see some lines that look like "https://lists.epa.gov/" If you do see this, the text will need to be changed to read "https://lists.epa.gov/" If you don't do this, your web form will not work.

Automated Messages

In the Automated Messages section, you will be able to create new Documents (hello, goodbye, confirm messages sent to users), document associations and match phrases. However, it is usually a good idea to leave this section to the Lyris Administrators themselves. This usually cuts down on any issues that might arise in the process.

In the Document Content section, you can create, edit or delete any of the documents you have already created or had created for you (such as the Welcome message).

NOTE: Remember, there are certain things that every list needs, so make sure you don't change any of those. It is always a good idea to speak with the EPA Lyris system administrators before attempting to make a change like any of these.

You can also create more welcome messages, custom messages sent to people when they leave the list or when they are required to confirm their subscription in order to be included as a subscriber.

The Document Associations section allows you to create associations between certain types of documents which have been created and the types of messages that will be sent out. For example, if you create a new document to send out to people letting them know when they are held by the list, you can create this association and that document will automatically go out and a user gets held.

Match Phrases are basically matches that can be set up for when a particular word or something found in an email header, a certain document is sent out in response. For example, if you want to send out a custom help document to anyone who emails with the word "help" somewhere in the message, you simply create a Match Phrase to do this. The only problem is that even if a user has the word "help" somewhere buried in a message and don't actually want that help messages sent out to them, it still will. So you must choose wisely.

Administration

In the Administration section, you will be able to view, edit, add or delete existing List Administrators and their individual settings.

Login Status

The Login Status section is simply the location of where you can log out of the List Admin site, change your login, or change the list you are working on (the Change Language section only allows you to choose English).

Other

The Other section holds two areas. The first is an area where you can do manual searches and edits to subscribers and their information within your list(s). The other section simply talks about the Lyris company.

How To...

Retrieve a Lost Password

This process will send your password directly to your email inbox.

1. Go to the Public site: https://lists.epa.gov/read/?forum=listname (where listname is the name of the list you are subscribed to, and not the word listname)
   For instance, if you are subscribed to a list called epa_info, you would use the address https://lists.epa.gov/read/?forum=epa_info
   
   
2. Enter your email address that you are subscribed with and click the "ok" button
   
   
3. Since you don't know your password, click on the "email password" link and your password will go directly to your email account.
   
   

Creating a New Mailing

Sending a new mailing from the web

1. Click on either the Mailing tab or the New Mailing link under the Shortcuts section of the Homepage.
   
   
2. If you've already created and saved content for your message, then all you will need to do is click on the Import Content button. This will bring you to a list of available content where you can select which one you wish to import. Once imported, this should finish your mailing and you can click on the save button.
   
   If you haven't created any content for your mailing, continue.
   
   
3. Edit the Mailing Name. This will simply be the name by which you can keep track of this particular message. Users will not be able to see this name.
   
   
4. Edit the From: field. This will be the name and email address that users will see. You can change it to something other than yourself if you would like (for example, if you have a broader email address that you would like to use rather than your own).
   
   
5. Leave the To: field alone.
   
   
6. Enter the Subject of your mailing.
   
   
7. Enter the Message of your mailing.
   
   
8. Once the text has been entered, click on the Save and Test button to view your mailing. This will allow you to input a single email address to send the post out to so that you may view it to make sure that it is accurate. Then click the Ok button to send it out to that one email address.
   
   

Once sent out, the post will come to the email specified for viewing and you will be taken to the Homepage where you will see a single mailing in need of approval. In order to send the message to everyone, you will need to click on the Send button on the right side.

Create a New Member

Creating a new member can be done by using one of two different methods.

From the Homepage

1. Click on the Home if you're not already there.
   
   
2. Under the Shortcuts section at the top, click on Members.
   
   
3. Click on the "create new member" buttom just above the table on the right.
   
   
4. Fill out the necessary information (email address, name, List Admin information if applicable, password if applicable, etc...)
   
   NOTE: Remember that if you have an EPA email address, it will need to be @epamail.epa.gov and NOT @epa.gov due to the way the mail system is set up.
   
   NOTE: Also remember that if you are a List Administrator, you will need to create a password for yourself or for new admins that you are creating. They will always be able to change them later and should do so. But without a password, they will never be able to enter the Admin site.
   
   
5. Click on the save button and you are finished.
   
   

From the Utilities tab

1. Click on the Utilities tab.
   
   
2. Click on the Members link.
   
   
3. Follow steps 3 - 5 above.
   
   

Create a new List Administrator

Creating a new List Administrator can be done through the exact same method above except you will make sure the first three items in the List Admin tab are changed to Yes. This makes them a list administrator. But, you can also go through this process another way.

1. Click on the Utilities tab.
   
   
2. Click on the Administration link.
   
   
3. Click on the Administrators link.
   
   
4. Click on the List Administrators link.
   
   
5. Click on the "create new administrator" link.
   
   
6. Fill out the necessary information. This time, however, the List Admin section will already be filled out the way it needs to be.
   
   

Save your Subscribers List

One of the features of this new Lyris ListManager version is that you can now save a lot of different things to a file which you can open in other applications (such as Excel). You can save everything from created Content and archived Messages to certain Reports and even your Subscribers list. To do this, simply locate the small image of a disk in the top right of the table you're looking at. For the Content and Messages section, you will need to be in the "View all..." section.

Once you click on that small disk icon, you will be asked if you really want to save it to a .csv file (for the reports section, it may skip this part and go directly to the download). Once saved to your hard drive, you can then open up the file in Excel.