Glossary Terms for Lyris ListManager™ users
Mailing List Services Glossary
Mailing List Glossary
There are currently 192 names in this directory
A
A/B Split Testing
A testing method: the ability to send different versions of a message to random subsets of your mailing list, and then compare the results to see which version is most effective. This type of testing eliminates any demographic or action-based bias that could alter your results.
Abandonment
The number (can be expressed in percent) of people that leave a website after going to the first page.
Action Tracking
Allows you to track a recipient's movement through your web site, after a clickthrough. Action tracking can then track which pages a mailing recipient visits, how much interest they show in a particular area, and what they purchase.
Aliases
A forwarding email that can be used as an alternate address for sending Lyris ListManager™ commands. For example, you may want people to be able to send mail to "listservices@…" and have it delivered to ListManager™ as "listmanager@".
Anonymous Mailing Lists:
The process of removing all identifying marks from the headers of the messages distributed to the mailing list. In the case of anonymous mailing lists, the "From" defaults to "Anonymous" and can be set to something else if desired.
Anonymous:
ListManager™ supports anonymous postings to mailing lists by removing all identifying marks from the headers of the messages distributed to the mailing list. Some types of mailing lists benefit from allowing people to be anonymous when they post.
Archive Search
All archives can be indexed for fast searching or the searching option can be set to disallow.
Archive Settings
List options that control archive access. Settings include "Members Only" can read archives, or both "Members and Non-Members" (visitors) may access the list archives. Other settings include "no archives", "store archives" for a certain number of days or "never store archives".
Archives
The ability to store or save messages on a server of each users email conversation, such as on a discussion list.
ASP
An Application Service Provider, who may run on premise licensed installations of software for remote access by a customer base.
Asynchronous Bounced Email
A bounce that returns sometime after the message was sent. This occurs when the receiving server attempts to process an invalid email; it acknowledges the message and continues to attempt to deliver it until the delivery fails.
Asynchronous Discussion
A discussion where not all the members have to attend at the same time, to take part in the discussion
Attachment
One or more files sent along with an email. Used as an easy way to share documents and/or images.
Authentication
The process by which an ISP (the mail server recipient who delivers incoming mail to their customers inboxes: i.e. Hotmail) can verify the supposed identity of the sender. To confirm that an email message has actually been sent by the domain name in the “From” field of that email. Email, by nature is insecure and can be easily “spoofed” therefore; an email address is an unreliable way to authenticate a user. To verify users, systems such as DomainKeys have been created as a mechanism for verifying both the domain of each email sender and the integrity of the messages sent (see DomainKeys and SPF).
Autoresponder
Email that automatically answers when an email is sent to it by emailing back an email text or documents of your choice to an email address you designate. Typically used for automated replies, price sheets, white papers, etc.
B
Black List/Blacklisting
A list of domains and IP addresses reported for sending (emailing) SPAM (unsolicited commercial email). ISPs (i.e. AOL), companies, organizations and others use these lists as a reference to filter their inbound email servers from receiving messages from these listed sources.
Bounce Handling
ListManager™ has bounce management by setting a bounce limit, rather than a retry number within a given number of days, in order to hold a member. One bounce per day is counted.
Bounce Limit
Use to establish the number of consecutive failed deliveries an address may have before being set to "held" status. A successful delivery "resets" the count for an address, so addresses with intermittent delivery problems are not removed.
Bounce Rate
Percentage of email addresses that failed to receive a sent message, for example, during an email marketing campaign
Bounced Emails
Emails that have failed to reach their destination. Bounce Limit Setting), ListManager™ automatically disables their membership so that ListManager™ no longer sends them mail.In addition, if the mail server initially accepts the message and later determines that the user does not exist, ListManager™ will be able to record that address as having bounced. In this situation, the receiving mail server will reply to ListManager™ with error mail. This error mail will go to the bounce email address and will contain the user’s unique member ID number, so ListManager™ will be able to track it back to the particular address unable to accept mail. This kind of bounce will not appear in delivery reports, as the mail server initially reported that it accepted the message. Many large ISPs (e.g., AOL) accept all mail and bounce back undeliverable email later.
Built-in Reports
Lyris ListManager™ offers extensive reporting options for both mailings and memberships. Eight categories that comprise the built-in reports include:MailingsMembersServer PerformanceWeb SiteCustom ChartsPurchasesInterestSales Cycle Map
C
Calendar
Lyris ListManager™ includes an interactive calendar with an “at-a-glance” window to view essential information, such as mailing progress reports and events. In addition, you can easily edit events and unsent mailings through the calendar interface.
Can Spam Act
“A law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have you stop emailing them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.”
Chart Builder
ListManager™ offers extensive reporting options for mailings and membership. There are eight categories of pre-built reports: Mailings, Members, Server Performance, Web Site, Custom Charts, Purchases, Interest and Sales Cycle Map. ListManager™ includes a wide variety of charts. If there is a particular chart that you'd like to see that is not included as a default, you may create it as A Line Chart, 3D Chart, Bar or Pie Chart or a variation of these.To analyze the performance of your mailings there are several metrics to create a custom chart such as a Line Chart, 3D Chart, Bar or Pie Chart or a variation of these. Metrics include:Opens as compared to purchases over time.Clickstream - Recipients who visited particular pages on your Web site.Clickthrough - Mailing recipients who clicked on links in your mailings.Forwards - Mailing recipients who forwarded your mailings.Interest - Interest levels of recipients who visited particular pages on your Web site.Mailings - Delivery success, failure and related statistics.Members - Membership data; what kinds of members are on your list(s).Misc. - SQL query charts; only server admins can add metric here, anyone can run it.Opens - Recipients who opened a particular mailing.
Clickstream
Tracking that allows you to detect what other pages your list members visited after clicking on a link.
Clickthrough Heatmap
Report that shows the percentage or number of unique clicks on each link. This means that if a recipient clicked the same link several times, ListManager™ counts only one click. Alternatively you can see a percentage or number of all clicks instead of unique clicks.
Complaints
A report of unwanted or junk mail. This occurs when one or more list subscriber, upon receiving an email, report that email as unsolicited aka SPAM. (For example: complain to their ISP.) ListManager™ handles spam complaints automatically. If you have signed up for various ISPs' feedback loops, Lyris ListManager™ automatically processes the spam-compliant data you receive from the ISPs and promptly removes these subscribers from your lists. You may view a report that shows which members and which mailings are generating spam complaints.
Conditional Content
Used to create unique, one-to-one emails tailored to the exact needs and interests of your recipients, without having to write (or send) more than one message. An example, suppose you know that Mary has a dog, but Tim does not. You can tell ListManager™ to add a special paragraph-promoting dog treats into all messages going to customers who have dogs. Mary would get this special paragraph in her email, while Tim would not.
Confirmed Opted in:
When a list member has verified (confirmed) permission for their email address to be included on a specific mailing list, by responding or confirming the list subscription request verification.
Content
The message you want to send in the mailing. When you create a new mailing, you can type the message directly into the mailing, or create the content separately then insert into the mailing.
Content Blocks
Responses that indicate that the message is ejected for issues detected by a content filter. The filter may conclude that your message contains spam-like content, non-RFC compliant content, blacklisted URLs in the content, etc.
Conversion Pipeline
A graphic representation of the number of messages sent vs. how many were actually received by the recipients.
Conversion Rate
A measure of the number of people who took a desired action, where the desired action is a goal, such as buying a product, visiting a webpage, filling out a form, downloading a white paper and so on. For example a simple conversion rate for online sales can be found by: Total number of sales/number of website visitors.
Conversion Tracking
An action that a visitor takes on a web page, such as clicking on an ad link which leads to a purchase, another link, form or other. (see Tracking)
Copy
As a site admin Lyris ListManager™ allows you to copy an existing list to create a new one with the same attributes.
Cross Posting
A duplicate posting occurs when one person attempts to post a seemingly identical message to the same mailing list or segment more than once in one day. ListManager™ looks at the entire message body to determine if a posting appears to be a duplicate. By default, ListManager™ rejects duplicate postings to all lists and segments via email. This setting can be changed to allow cross posting.
D
Daily Message Limit
Defines the total number of messages that can be distributed to the mailing list in one day.
Deliverability
The process of getting email messages delivered to the inbox. Good deliverability depends on email confirmation, sender's reputation and good email practices among other things.ListManager™ dynamically adjusts its behavior to accommodate the sending characteristics signaled by the destination server; this maximizes deliverability and keeps sending speed as high as possible.
Deliverability Dashboard
A graphic representation in ListManager™ that allows the list owner to view five different graphs with information about deliverability and MailStreams.Sending BacklogTop Domain StatusComplaints by DomainMailStream BlockageMailStream Volume
Deliverability Rate
The number of emails sent out less the number of emails returned, bounced or not delivered in the recipient inbox.
Demographic Analysis
Display members according to demographic information you may have about them. Additional demographic fields may be added.You may import members from a text file, or with additional demographic information using a CSV (comma-separated values) file. Use to send test mailings, segments, etc.
Demographics
Information (data) relating to the population and the groups within it, such as age, salary, address, sex and so forth. The associated database (SQL) stores demographic and behavioral information for the member email addresses.
Destination URL
The URL you would like recipients to be taken to when they click on the trackable image. For example, if you are advertising a product and would like to track who actually goes to the page displaying that product, make the destination URL your web site's URL for the product.
Digests
Each night, the user will receive a single email message containing all the messages contributed to the mailing list that day in plain text; all HTML and attachments will be stripped. At the top of the message will be a numbered list of the subjects in that digest, followed by the complete messages themselves. Digest recipients will not receive messages sent to segments. (see Index)
Discussion Group Management
Tools that will customize features of the discussion list such as:How the message looks: whether or not to prepend the list's name to the Subject line, or whether postings can be anonymousSpecify posting security: who can write to the list, and who can see the list of membersSpecify automatic reasons to reject messages
Discussion List
Groups of people, using email to “discuss” their interests among one another. Discussion lists can be considered online communities without boundaries. Unlike the traditional list, the discussion list facilitates two-way communication among its members. Members of discussion lists can read all posts to the list and can reply to the topic at hand.
Discussion List Forum
Forum interface allows those who are not ListManager™ administrators to interact with mailing lists, or forums, through the web interface instead of by email. Server administrators are able to see all lists and read all messages in the discussion forum interface. However, to post messages to a particular list the server administrator must join the list like any other member.
Domain Key
An email authentication system created by Yahoo. It gives email providers a mechanism for verifying both the domain of each email sender and the integrity of the messages sent (i.e., that they were not altered during transit). Since the actual domain can be verified, it can be compared to the domain claimed in the From: field of the message. If the sender is legitimate, a profile can be established for that domain that can be tied into anti-spam policies. If the email is a counterfeit, it can be dropped, flagged or quarantined.
E
Editable Regions
The area in a template that can be changed or edited. These areas can be specified to edit text, images or both.
Email Client
A program or application that manages email, normally on a personal computer, so that a user can read email, store, delete and send email.
Email Engagement
Anytime an email is touched it is engaged, this includes Clicks, Opens and the movement of an email out of the Spam Folder.
Engage
A way to interact with your subscribers, for example using a survey: a positive action taken on by the recipient.
Error Handling (email)
The detection, and resolution of the occurrence of an email error such as email bounces (transient and permanent failures) by the Lyris ListManager™ system.
F
False Positive
A True/False Condition allows you to specify the text sent to recipients if the condition is true, but it also allows you to specify the text sent if the condition is false. It also allows you to define the relationship between what is in the field and what you specify: is it less than or greater than the value you define? Does it contain certain letters and numbers?
Feedback Loops
A method used to report SPAM, which allows an ISP to send initial complaints from their users, to the email sender’s organization.
Footer
If specified, this text appends to the bottom of every message body received via email and optionally through the web interface. When you create a mailing list, at the bottom of every message, which tells the recipient what email address they are subscribed with, and how to unsubscribe.
Forward Tracking
Statistical report indicating the number of people who forwarded received email to another email address.
Frequency
The regularity of a task. In ListManger™ the frequency of said task may be rescheduled to occur at different intervals or at different times of the day, or to not occur at all.
G
Good Bye Message
One of several types of messages sent to users in response to a certain action, such as joining a list, which results in a “hello” message, or leaving a list, which results in a “goodbye” message.Notification that a member has been unsubscribed from a list.
H
HTML to Text
If your content includes an HTML message, your message may be sent out in both text and HTML. This message, known as multipart-alternative format, ensures that the recipients who can read HTML, see only HTML, and those who cannot read HTML will see the plain text message.
I
Image Path
The location (path) of an image URL. A needed link between points to reach a particular object; in this case the Image URL.
Index
Type of search using a detailed listing of specific; such as an alphabetical listing of names, dates, sex, where an index references such searches.Lyris ListManager™ for example will email digest recipients a single email message containing all the subject lines of all the messages contributed to the mailing list that day. If any of the messages interest the user, the bottom of the index gives the email command that will retrieve the bodies of the messages.
Insert Condition
Allows list owner to insert conditional (dynamic) content. A way to send recipients customized messages.
Invite (Referral forms)
Allows your list members to invite their friends to join your list. You may track how many friends were referred by list members, how many opened or clicked on a tracking link in the invitation, and how many ultimately joined the list.
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L
Landing Page
The website page your visitors arrive at after clicking on a link, i.e. a link in an email message to another page.
List Administrator
List administrators maintain mailing lists and implement list policy. Duties may include moderating messages for posting or for subscription requests.
ListManager's™ API
Interface that allows administrators to access and manipulate the database tables using SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). ListManager's™ API can be invoked from any language with SOAP support.
Loop Detection
Lyris ListManager™ keeps track of how many messages From: one person has gone to each To: address, and sets a limit on the daily number. If the number of messages in one day exceeds the Loop Detection threshold, ListManager™ cuts off the mailings, issuing a single refusal message, and then discarding the rest of the messages in that 24 hour period. This feature is useful for automatically breaking mail loops that aren't able to be stopped through ListManager's™ other mechanism.
Lyris Marketing Calendar
Shows items that includes mailings and events for the marketing team, such as a tradeshow and upcoming events.
M
Mail Loop
An endless occurrence of email going back and forth as a result of mail servers, scripts or email clients (for example) automatically responding to an email message which in turn was sent, triggers another automatic response from the receiving mail server, sending the response back to the other mail server etc.
Mail Merge Tags
Tags allow you to insert information from your database directly into your email messages. You can use mail merge tags to personalize your messages for each user.
Mailstreams
A binding of one or more IP addresses together to form a common sending unit. This sending unit has the ability to cooperatively send particular messages out in parallel.
Map Report
A graphic Illustration of sent email showing a breakdown of results according to state or province.
Match Phrase
A feature in ListManager™ that allows you to trigger various actions based on some text appearing in a message. For example you can look for a trigger phrase in the body of a message, in the headers, in the Subject, the From, etc., to refuse if a message of particular text either does or does not appear in a specific place in the message.
Member Profile Form
An online page which allows a list member to see and edit the information ListManager™ is using for them: the email address, lists subscribed to, and any additional demographic information.vv
Membership Expiration
An option to limit the time a member belongs to a list; ListManager™ will automatically "expire" that member once their membership runs out.
MIME
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions is a method to send content other than ASCII text via email. Allows multiple types of different data to send within one message (i.e. a picture and a Word document), and notifies the recipient's email client what format the data is in.
MIME Digest
The same as a digest, but in MIME format so that the individual messages' formatting is preserved. MIME digest is preferable if members are sending multipart messages, or messages with attachments.
Moderate
A discussion list where the list administrator can either approve or reject a contributed message to the list.
N
NNTP
Network News Transfer Protocol used by computer clients and servers for managing the notes posted on newsgroups/Usenet.
Nomail
No email is sent to the user. The user is free to go to the web interface whenever they want, and read the full text of the messages there. This setting is also useful for people who want the ability to contribute to a mailing list, but do not care to see the contributions to the mailing list.
Notify Email Address
A specific email address set up to receive a notification when a match phrase is triggered. The notification will include the full document text of the email message sent to trigger the autoresponder.
O
Offline Events
Occurrences outside the realm ListManager™ online tracking where a user performs an action such as a purchase, a phone call or clickthrough. Offline events can be incorporated into the database so they can be viewed in your reports.
Open Rate
Tracking statistics that tell you how many people have opened your message, clicked on a tracked URL, or who have followed from one of your mailings, links to other pages on your web site.
P
Parent/child
A type of mailing list, where sending mail to a parent list automatically sends to a child mailing list.
Permanent Failure
Email failures related to delivery attempts that have failed due to bad email addresses.
Preview Mailing
A feature allows you to see what the content will look like for random recipients, or for the email address you specify.
Q
R
Recency Limit
A limit for the list allows you to prevent members from receiving email if they have received the amount of mail in the number of preceding days that you specify.
Referral Tracking
You may track how many friends were referred by list members, how many opened or clicked on a tracking link in the invitation, and how many ultimately joined the list.
S
Sales Cycle Map
A display of an arrangement of key charts and reports based on the normal flow of the sales cycle. These are arranged into Awareness Reports, Interest Reports, and Action Reports.
Sanity Checks
The process of validating submitted email addresses by reading (looking) at the format. i.e. (alice@aol.com instead of alice@enter.aol).
Scheduled Tasks
ListManager™ performs certain tasks, such as sending out digests or cleaning the database of old posts automatically or at preset times.
Secure Newsgroup
An online discussion group that allows interaction through electronic bulletin board system (see Usenet) and chat.
Segment
Portions, or fragments of lists, whose members are based on some characteristic or criteria that each member must meet in order for that member to be included in the segment. See Triggered Segments
Segmentation Management
The tools in Lyris ListManager™ that allow a list owner and/or administrator to create, copy, save, delete, test, edit and filter segments with simple and advanced built-in segment options.
Sender Reputation
A measure of how an email sender using metrics such as Spam complaints, bounces, IP History and email volume, effects email deliverability.
Sequential Mailing Wizard
A tool that allows someone to quickly create an entire sequence of mailings.
Sequential Mailings
A series of triggered mailings sent out in sequence, at predetermined time intervals, to each member who qualifies.
Single Opted-in
A user has subscribed for a newsletter or other email marketing messages by clearly requesting it and confirming their subscription.
Site Administrator
Someone who may administer all lists on a particular site; i.e. create new lists for that site.
SOAP API
ListManager™ allows administrators to access and manipulate the database tables using SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). SOAP provides a way to communicate between applications running on different operating systems, with different technologies and programming languages. SOAP is a key element of Microsoft's .NET architecture for future Internet application development. SOAP provides a higher-level interface to database information so that no knowledge of database query protocols is required.
Social Media Integration
Incorporation of one or more links to a social network site in your email. If a recipient receives your email and wishes to share it with their network (for example, their "friends" on Facebook), they can click the appropriate link, go to the site, and share the email.
Soft Bounces
Email that has bounced back to the sender, undelivered after it has been accepted by the recipient’s mail server. This is usually a short-term condition with an expectation of clearing up in the future. However, it is good practice to monitor soft bounces and remove them from your list when they bounce a certain number of times in a row.See Transient Failures
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
An email validation method designed to stop SPAM by verifying the senders IP address.
Split Test Mailings Wizard:
The ability to send different versions of a message to random subsets of your mailing list, and then compare the results to see which version is most effective. This type of testing eliminates any demographic or action-based bias that could alter your results.
Success % Chart
A visual representation of the last 19 mailings comparing the percentage of successful email deliveries to failure and related statistics.
Success and Failure Count
A chart that shows the historical performance of email delivery success and failures over time.
Success Tracking
A way to measure the progress of a mailing at different points of that mailing. Success tracking includes:Delivery Tracking - Who got my mailing?Opens Tracking - Who opened my mailing?Forwards Tracking - Who forwarded my mailing to another email address?Clickthrough Tracking - Who clicked on a link from my mailing?Referral Tracking - Who invited friends to join my list? How many friends actually joined?Action Tracking - Who went to my Web site? What were they interested in, and what did they purchase?
Suppression List
A list that suppresses, or excludes, a list of email addresses from receiving this particular mailing.
Survey
A sequence of questions used to, for example, collect information about consumer attitudes or behavior.
Survey Form Builder
An easy way to create a questionnaire with one or more, multiple choice or open ended response.
Synchronous Bounce
An email sent to an invalid address for example, will be terminated when the receiving server identifies the address as invalid, the connection is cut and the email is returned.
Synchronous Bounced email
Synchronous bounces are instantaneous as the failed delivery attempt is bounced back immediately. An email sent to an invalid address for example, will be terminated when the receiving server identifies the address as invalid, the connection is cut and the email is returned
T
Tar Pitting
The practice of purposely slowing down email transmissions from reaching the mail server, typically done by delaying incoming connections for as long as possible.
Template
For email newsletters, normally pre-designed forms defining a certain size and in some cases color and font, where a template user would only need to fill in their content and image. Templates can be saved for repetitive use, items can be added or deleted as needed.
Thank You Page
A web page that displays a thank you for their subscription, membership, survey response etc.
Tracking Summary
Tracking statistics that tell you how many people have opened your message, clicked on a tracked URL, or who have gone from one of your mailings through, to other pages on your Web site.
Transactional Emails
Emails sent in reaction to a transaction, such as a purchase. For example, after a web site visitor makes a purchase they automatically receive a confirmation email with their order information.
Transient Failure
The destination mailbox is temporarily unavailable (usually because it is full or mail server does not respond). Also know as a soft bounce.
Trigger Clauses
A phrase in an email that may specify a given date or event, that when occurs, will cause a mailing to be automatically sent.
Triggered Event
When creating a triggered segment: the occurrence of an event that triggers the mailing to be run. You can create an event that occurs once or a recurring.
Triggered Mailings
A mailing to be sent when a particular trigger event occurs; can be associated with a particular segment or with a particular automated message.
Triggered Segments
A segment that contains one or more trigger clauses. These clauses identify a specific event or date that happens when the mailing is to be sent.
U
Unique Clicks
The number of unique recipients who clicked on at least one trackable URL (unique clickers).
Unsubscribe
The process of opting out of an email list. With ListManager™, members can leave your list easily if you insert an Unsubscribe URL in your mailing. Giving members an easy way to unsubscribe cuts down on your administrative time unsubscribing people who would like to leave your list.
V
Virtual Hosting:
Create as many mailing lists as needed with no set-up fees or any involvement with Dundee server administrators. * Run your mailing lists virtually, with no visible connection to Dundee Internet Services. It will appear to everyone that you have your own dedicated Lyris™ server! * Create and use your own list brand name. * Re-sell your list services to others. * Have all the Lyris™ features at your fingertips.
W
Web Analytic Providers
Lyris ListManager™ currently offers web analytic integration with:Google Anayltics™Web Trends™CoreMetrics™Omniture ®ClickTracks™ and Custom Applications
Web Analytics Integration
Outside web applications tracked by Lyris ListManager™ for certain behaviors of web site visitors; for example from the time they receive a message to clickthough to a landing page to conversion-non conversion. In addition Lyris ListManager™ will follow and report which web pages were visited and determine if the visit was triggered by a specific message or email campaign.
Web Form
Lyris ListManager™ allows the creation of various types of forms, including Subscribe Forms, Unsubscribe Forms, Member Profile Forms, Survey Forms, and Referral Forms. In addition, templates for these forms can be created and saved for later use.
Welcome Letter
An email normally sent to a new subscriber at signup that allows you to begin direct, personal communication with your subscriber.
Whitelists
An approved list of senders who following certain guidelines that keep their email from being automatically filtered as spam.
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