See Firsthand How LISTSERV® Email Groups Continue to Support Humanity

*** Turning Vision into Action: Your Communications Impact Our World ***

Join us in celebrating L-Soft's 30-year milestone as the provider of LISTSERV® email technology and discover how email communities are making a difference worldwide. Thank you for being subscribed to the L-Soft News List and for being a part of our continuing shared story.

See a firsthand sampling of voices from site administrators, list owners and subscribers, showing how communications are making an impact. From rare disease support communities to professionals collaborating with key stakeholders, discussion lists continue to be a powerhouse when it comes to bringing people together and driving positive change.

* Save the Bees, Save the World: The Story of the Oldest Bee Discussion List *

Can email groups help sustain our planet? Welcome to the extraordinary story of the BEE-L LISTSERV list. It's the oldest Internet bee list and has spawned many new bee forums and blogs over the years. It has about 1,000 members, who continue to try to work out how to best keep bees -- sometimes to save the bees and sometimes to save the world from what we'd all be if we didn't keep bees.

"Only a few species make enough honey to be kept under management for honey production, but bees are all valued for pollination, and some species are managed strictly to pollinate specific crops. The economic production of many familiar foods and spices is either partly or entirely dependent on insect pollination."

Allen Dick
BEE-L List Owner 

[More ...]

Join Free Courses, Get Valuable Email Communications, Marketing + Outreach Skills

Dear Subscriber,

Organizations can now benefit from two courses to expand and improve their email communication initiatives. Both the Learn LISTSERV course -- which debuted in 2022 and remains very popular -- and the new Learn LISTSERV Maestro course are free, self-paced online development opportunities, open to all.

The LISTSERV Maestro course helps you advance your teams' email marketing and outreach -- with landing pages, drip marketing campaigns, email automation, flexible templates, A/B-split testing and more -- along with measuring your impact with expert analytics.

The LISTSERV course makes it easy for you and your teams to create and manage email communications -- from discussion groups to newsletters, announcements and more -- to engage your organization's audiences and build communities.

JOIN COURSES:
https://maestro.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-318d6_0x2427b3x0946

Who: People in all types of organizations who manage email communications and want to build digital communications skills and knowledge

What: Learn key tasks to create and manage effective email list, email marketing and outreach communications

When: Join the courses anytime -- they're free and open to everyone

How: Sign up to receive short video tutorials in your inbox weekly and complete each segment, which only takes 15 to 30 minutes max

Why: Acquire new marketable skills, add additional software packages to your growing résumé and share on your LinkedIn page

For decades, people have relied on LISTSERV and LISTSERV Maestro software worldwide to build trust and ensure security for their email subscribers, communications and platforms.

Get in touch, we're here to help. Share your experiences + questions
[log in to unmask]

Best Regards and Happy Learning,
L-Soft

Unify Your Communications with LISTSERV Maestro 11.0, Released Today

All Email List and Email Marketing Needs are Covered in One Integrated Platform

Bethesda, MD (March 28, 2023) -- Interested in expanding your email list and email marketing capabilities and communications while saving time, money and effort? L-Soft has you covered with LISTSERV Maestro 11.0, available now.

This major release introduces hybrid lists with automatic import, a new and unique capability to manage both LISTSERV email lists and LISTSERV Maestro email marketing campaigns on one platform.

New Features Include:

* Unified and expanded communications using hybrid lists (LISTSERV + LISTSERV Maestro) with automatic import, saving time and effort

* The opportunity to send targeted and customized messages to LISTSERV list subscribers with full tracking and analytics and without any impact to your existing LISTSERV lists and archives

* Personalized landing pages with powerful tracking insights

* Accessible viewing for all with auto-generated plain text version

* Easier site navigation with the one-click vertical navigation bar

* Mandatory Unsubscribe URL

LISTSERV Maestro 11.0 Advantages:

* Available as both on-premises software and a cloud SaaS on Azure with a dedicated virtual machine, you have the freedom to choose the option that best suits your needs and budget

* Handles email groups, discussion forums, newsletters, announcements, blogs and email marketing in one unified platform

* Integrates existing LISTSERV lists (most relevant for existing LISTSERV customers)

* Offers advanced functionality, such as A/B-split testing, without requiring users to constantly upgrade or pay more for advanced features like automation, unlike other providers with low-cost entry points and restricted features

Key LISTSERV Maestro Benefits: 

[More ...]

Permission Email Is Going Strong at 30, Launched by Double Opt-In Invention in LISTSERV®

Bethesda, MD (March 15, 2023) -- Every day, people actively subscribe to email groups, newsletters and marketing campaigns on their own terms thanks to the world's first subscription confirmation feature, called double opt-in or confirmed opt-in, originally implemented in LISTSERV.

This groundbreaking innovation, requiring people to actively sign up to an email list and then to explicitly confirm their subscription, was first released in the March 1993 version of the LISTSERV email list management software, invented by Eric Thomas, L-Soft Founder and CEO. The double opt-in function continues to bolster consent and safeguard email list subscribers worldwide.

*** How Double Opt-In Works ***

* Person subscribes to sender's email communications

* Sender sends confirmation link

* Person confirms subscription by clicking link

*** Why Double Opt-In Is Important ***

* Builds trust with subscribers, improves engagement, reduces complaints and unsubscribes

* Verifies explicit consent as required by GDPR and other data and privacy regulations

* Improves deliverability and sender reputation by ensuring valid and active email addresses

Although spam continues to decline, unwanted messages still arise, and even familiar senders may get false spam alerts if not using subscriber best practices.

"Respect your subscribers and build trust by giving them full control and only sending email messages that they have explicitly requested via double opt-in," said Outi Tuomaala, L-Soft Executive VP. "This ultimately benefits your sender reputation, subscriber relationships and, in turn, your communications and results."

*** Ensure Subscribers' Consent, Even If Not Legally Required ***

* Ask for explicit consent, don't assume it 

[More ...]

See Helpful LISTSERV Resources

Dear Subscriber,

Looking to a fresh year ahead, here are some key resources to support your organization's LISTSERV email communications in 2023 and beyond:

Top Tips for Running Effective Email Discussion Groups:
https://maestro.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2fcd7x238406x0431&

Time-Saving Best Practices for Your LISTSERV Newsletters:
https://maestro.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2fcd7x238407x0431&

Free Learn LISTSERV Email Course:
https://maestro.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2fcd7x231493x0431&

Thank you for being a valued member of the L-Soft and LISTSERV® community.

L-Soft's worldwide staff would like to wish you a very Happy 2023!

Dear Subscriber,

Thank you for being an L-Soft subscriber and a part of the LISTSERV® community.

We're happy to let you know that ListPlex hosting -- also known as LISTSERV in the Cloud -- is now running on Microsoft Azure for new customers.

Did you know that more and more email communicators and marketers are using L-Soft's cloud service? This trend is no surprise because of its many advantages.

Key Benefits of Hosting Include:

* Lower Upfront Costs
* Fewer Resources Required
* Minimal Learning Curve
* Automatic Upgrades
* High Performance

If you're a current ListPlex customer, we highly recommend switching from Verizon to Azure and start enjoying its solid benefits as soon as possible.

Azure Provides You With:

* Increased Security
* Minimized Risk of Outages and Downtime
* Higher Level of Disaster Recovery
* Superior Reliability
* Faster Networking
* Georedundant Backups (GRS)

Data is backed up at two distant geographic locations (NOT available with Verizon)

While Azure has slightly higher fees than Verizon, the reliability, value and peace of mind it offers certainly outweigh the investment.

We're here to help with any questions and to discuss this opportunity for your organization's communications.

GET IN TOUCH:
https://maestro.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2ea7dx233db5x038&

Thank You and Happy Communicating!

Best Regards,
L-Soft

Dear Subscriber,

Looking to get a deeper understanding of your subscribers and provide them with targeted content that will resonate? We've got you covered with the LISTSERV Maestro 10.1 email marketing platform, available as licensed software or a hosted SaaS.

Among the newly added features are conditional content block widgets so that you can easily include or omit entire sections and A/B-split testing with sampling and auto-repeat delivery, to help you provide the most effective messages and personalized email content to your audiences.

Get Insights

* Grow your email lists and make use of the efficient new API for adding subscribers through your external forms

* Send smartly and compare recipient activities on mobile vs other devices with mobile tracking and multidimensional analytics

* Determine and automatically send the most effective email message for your audiences, using A/B-split testing with sampling

Customize Content

* Take your message design up a notch with a library full of eye-catching, professional templates

* Include or omit entire content blocks easily and with minimal coding using conditional content widgets

* Save time with file sharing and hosted attachments

* Ensure compliance and honor subscriber preferences with flexible privacy and data protection options

TRY LISTSERV MAESTRO FOR FREE:
https://maestro.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2e2fbx232115x0399&

GET PRO TIPS FOR A/B TESTING:
https://maestro.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2e2fbx232116x0399&

Dear Subscriber,

Organizations can now benefit from L-Soft's Learn LISTSERV® email course, launched today. This free, self-paced online development opportunity is open to all.

The course is designed to make it easy to create and manage email communications to engage your organization's audiences and build communities.

* Who: People who manage email communications and want to build digital skills and knowledge

* What: Learn key tasks to create and manage effective email communications -- newsletters, discussion groups and more

* When: Join the course anytime -- it's free and open to all

* How: Sign up to receive short video tutorials in your inbox weekly and complete each segment, which only takes 15 minutes max

* Why: Acquire new marketable skills, add a new software package and certificates to your growing resume, and share on your LinkedIn page

JOIN THE EMAIL COURSE:
https://maestro.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2e01bx231493x0838&

For decades, LISTSERV has been helping global organizations build trust and ensure security for their email newsletters and discussion groups.

Feel free to share this opportunity with your colleagues, and let us know if you have any questions at any point.

Best regards,
L-Soft

Dear Subscriber,

With 2022 upon us, we're sharing updates and resources to support your digital communications in the new year.

*** Three Key Best Practices for the Year Ahead ***

1. People: Honor subscribers as the real people they are and go beyond to build their trust.

2. Transparency and Consent: Follow all data privacy and protection regulations using built-in best practices.

3. Technology: Keep on tracking - the right way - with anonymous tracking or personal tracking with consent.

Read more:
https://www.lsoft.com/news/bestpractices-issue6-2021.asp

*** Top 3 Reasons to Get or Upgrade to LISTSERV Maestro 10.0 ***

1. Catch the Eyes of Your Audiences: Stand out with ready-to-use responsive newsletters and announcement templates, customizable to your organization's needs and branding, with no need for HTML coding.

2. Ensure Compliance, Honor Subscriber Preferences: Keep on tracking - the right way - with our industry-unique tracking and reporting permissions across multiple distinct levels. Choose from anonymous tracking or more detailed personal tracking with full consent for GDPR compliance.

3. Take Your Message Design Up a Notch: Select from a wide range of web fonts to wow your recipients and users with rich typographical design for email templates and subscriber pages that pop.

See all you can do with Maestro:
https://www.lsoft.com/products/maestro.asp

*** Resolved to Improve Your Communications? See How-To Tutorials ***

View LISTSERV® video tutorials:
https://www.lsoft.com/learnlistserv

View LISTSERV® Maestro video tutorials:
https://www.lsoft.com/learnlistservmaestro

*** Appreciation for Innovation: 35 Years of LISTSERV ***

Did you know that 2021 marks 35 years of LISTSERV? The need for and continuing use of secure, flexible and versatile communication channels keeps LISTSERV going strong. Thank you!

Take a look at the Internet and Email History Timeline, highlighting five decades of Internet developments and the people whose ingenuity and innovation propelled us into the communication and IT sphere as we know it today. 

[More ...]

Keep on Email Tracking - The Right Way

Dear Subscriber,

L-Soft is excited to share that LISTSERV Maestro 10.0 is now available, giving senders the ability to turn off open-up tracking, choose among multiple tracking levels - including anonymous and personal with consent - and benefit from email template tools and built-in permission best practices. Now it's even easier to engage your audiences with customized email marketing messages, including newsletters and announcements, with the peace-of-mind of complying with data privacy and protection regulations worldwide.

Best Regards,
L-Soft

READ NEWS RELEASE:
https://maestro.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2cfcbx22e0e3x0308&

LEARN MORE ABOUT LISTSERV MAESTRO 10.0:
https://maestro.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2cfcbx22e0e1x0308&

Email Turns 50, LISTSERV is 35

Email Stays Relevant, Widely Used for Our Everyday Business and Personal Communications

Bethesda (June 21, 2021) -- Half a century ago, in 1971, Ray Tomlinson invented email using the @ sign to separate the username and destination server, "user@host". The first networked email system was born. From that point onward, people could send messages on the network of that time, ARPANET.

Fast-forward 15 years to Paris, France, and the introduction of BITNET, aka, "Because It's Time Network". The World Wide Web was yet to be invented by Tim Berners-Lee, yet the nets of the moment were busy. People exchanged email and chat text messages frequently despite minimal bandwidth. Mailing lists existed on LISTSERV@BITNIC, but they required manual administration.

As mailing lists grew to be more popular, the manual system became burdensome to maintain. This sparked Eric Thomas, then an engineering student in Paris, to invent LISTSERV software, to automate mailing lists once and for all -- and save bandwidth, too. From then on, the Internet culture of communications and knowledge exchange could continue to flourish.

The first version of LISTSERV software, called Revised LISTSERV at the time, was released in June 1986. It's the same LISTSERV® software today, with the first spam filter, double opt-in subscription confirmation and many more innovations and features continuously added throughout its 35 years and beyond.

Learn More:

Early History of LISTSERV:
https://www.lsoft.com/products/listserv-history.asp

History of LISTSERV:
https://www.lsoft.com/corporate/history-listserv.asp

The Internet and Email History Timeline:
https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline3/latest/embed/index.html?source=1XFk-VT2-InYwFoTNcyBj712U8bYDK-crteyV_inSlgA&font=Default&lang=en&initial_zoom=2&height=650

Dear Subscriber,

Thank you for being a member of L-Soft's news list. As this challenging year winds down and 2021 approaches, we wanted to share some updates and helpful resources.

It's an honor to help organizations reach their audiences with LISTSERV® digital communications, from email newsletters to discussion forums, blogs and permission-based email marketing campaigns.

*** Get the Benefits of the Latest Versions: LISTSERV 17.0 and LISTSERV Maestro 9.0 ***

Upgrading to the newest product versions or migrating to the cloud service is important because it provides many valuable new tools and prevents glitches associated with running older versions.

With LISTSERV 17.0, you can:

* Add your logo to your LISTSERV site and customize with your brand colors to make it easy for subscribers to recognize

* Build responsive newsletter templates, no coding needed

* Display your online archives in your choice of classic, forum or blog mode

* Run the responsive web interface as an app on your smartphone or tablet

LISTSERV Maestro 9.0 provides you with:

* A new interface with major usability improvements

* The unique capability to enable personal tracking with consent from subscribers

* Improved list creation with automatically generated profile fields

* An improved content editor with a new auto-save feature

*** See Helpful How-To Video Tutorials to Make Your Communications Easier and Better ***

View LISTSERV® video tutorials:
https://www.lsoft.com/learnlistserv

View LISTSERV® Maestro video tutorials:
https://www.lsoft.com/learnlistservmaestro

Wishing you a happy, healthy and hopeful 2021!

Best regards,
L-Soft

Dear Subscriber,

We are happy to share that LISTSERV Maestro 9.0 is now available, featuring a redesigned user interface with improved navigation and workflow. This latest version makes it easier than ever to reach your customers and subscribers with relevant newsletters, announcements and email marketing campaigns, while also complying with today's data privacy and protection regulations.

Best Regards,
L-Soft

L-SOFT PRESS RELEASE

New Software Release Makes It Data Privacy Day Every Day

L-Soft's New LISTSERV® Maestro Email Marketing Software Is the Only Solution Providing Personal Tracking with Subscriber Consent

Bethesda, MD (January 28, 2020) - Email marketing gets results. It also requires compliance with data privacy and protection regulations like the EU GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act. To help organizations, today L-Soft released the newest version of LISTSERV Maestro, the only email marketing software enabling personal tracking with consent from subscribers.

In the spirit of Data Privacy Day, here are some tips for responsible email tracking:

Email Tracking Best Practices

1. Track your communications to learn and improve
2. Track anonymously for compliance and trust
3. Track with explicit prior consent if using personal tracking
4. Turn off tracking when it's not necessary

Today's new version, LISTSERV Maestro 9.0, features a redesigned user interface with improved navigation and workflow. It is available as on-premises email marketing software or as a hosted cloud service, ListPlex Maestro. Highlights of the new version include:

* New user interface, navigation menu, seven-step workflow
* Improved subscriber list and profile field creation
* Responsive subscription pages that automatically adapt to changes in settings

See how LISTSERV Maestro 9.0 can help your organization:
http://www.lsoft.com/products/maestro_90.asp 

[More ...]

Dear Subscriber,

We are happy to share that LISTSERV 17.0 is now available, beginning a new mobile era for email lists. With the new, fully responsive user interface and the ability to build responsive HTML newsletters with no coding experience needed, it's easier than ever to run and participate in email groups and forums on any device.

Best Regards,
L-Soft

L-SOFT PRESS RELEASE

L-Soft Releases LISTSERV 17.0, Launching a New Mobile Era for Email Lists

Bethesda, MD (July 9, 2019) - LISTSERV 17.0, released today, takes email lists into the mobile era. With the fully responsive LISTSERV 17.0 interface, list owners, administrators and subscribers can enjoy an all-access pass to LISTSERV anytime, on any mobile device because LISTSERV can now run much like an app. Easy newsletter creation and three ways to view list archives are among the key new advantages, which allow you to:

* Save time, money and hassles with a single solution to keep your mailing list subscribers loyal and active with highly relevant content in formats including email groups, online forums, blogs, newsletters, announcements and more in one central hub

* Reach a broader audience with the redesigned and fully responsive web interface, from which list owners and administrators can manage LISTSERV sites and email lists across all mobile platforms, and subscribers can view, share and interact with messages anytime, on any screen

* Put a goldmine of knowledge at your subscribers' fingertips on their terms with the new seamless list archives, offering three viewing modes to choose from: classic, forum and blog view

* Get results with eye-catching and fully responsive HTML newsletters and announcements - no coding needed - with the 75 ready-to-use templates that offer a variety of layout styles and color schemes that you can use as-is or modify to your specifications 

[More ...]

Dear Subscriber,

In a fad-based tech space, L-Soft and LISTSERV have maintained longevity and relevance in an industry easily distracted by the newest thing. Tomorrow, February 14, L-Soft turns 25 years. While we are marking the milestone as one of the oldest email tech companies, this press release will also provide you a glimpse of the upcoming new LISTSERV release.

Cheers,
L-Soft

L-SOFT PRESS RELEASE

One of the Oldest Email Technology Companies Hits 25 Years

Bethesda, MD (February 13, 2019) - When Eric Thomas incorporated L-Soft in 1994, email was just starting to be used by the public, Netscape had not been released, email marketing did not exist, and social media was not even a pipe dream.

"My generation envisioned the world that we see today where the Internet is at the center of everything," said Thomas. "It was our dream, our life project, and we made it happen."

While attending college in Paris, Eric Thomas created the email discussion list software LISTSERV in 1986 at a time when only universities had access to the Internet; the World Wide Web would not be invented until 1989. By 1994, over 200 universities were using LISTSERV, and Thomas knew that there was a much larger demand for his software. This led him to found L-Soft with just $3,000 and his laptop, making him one of the first entrepreneurs to turn a networking platform into a business. It would be another 10 years before Facebook would be created.

"I didn't have a master plan, I didn't even have a business plan. What I did have was a clear vision, and the determination to make it happen," said Thomas. "For about a year, all I did was program, eat and sleep. It was a huge amount of work, but I just had to do it. I couldn't let my baby die." 

[More ...]

Dear Subscriber,

Happy 2019! Thank you for being a member of L-Soft's news list. Here's a quick look at some upcoming news highlights for this new year, L-Soft's 25th in business:

A major new version, LISTSERV 17.0, will be launching soon. A brand new web interface, including a responsive HTML newsletter builder and several list archive modes -- classic, forum and blog view -- are some of the main highlights. A new version of the Maestro email marketing and analytics add-on is in the works, too. Stay tuned to the list for all the product release news.

In the meantime, could you please take a moment to share any email topics you'd like to hear more about in the new year? Feel free to reply to this message. Thank you!

Looking forward to keeping in touch and wishing you a happy start to the new year!

Best Regards,
L-Soft

New LISTSERV Version Adds Cybersecurity, GDPR Tools

L-Soft Releases LISTSERV 16.5 To Help with Security and Regulatory Compliance

Bethesda, MD (May 9, 2018) - Being permission-based since day one and having, in fact, introduced double opt-in to the email industry 25 years ago, one might think that LISTSERV would have been GDPR-compliant out of the box. But, while LISTSERV was built on most of the principles that would come to guide the GDPR today (consent, access to one's own data, the ability to make corrections, no data processing unless necessary), the GDPR is a complex piece of legislation and changes wound up being necessary to help process personal data inquiries. These changes are now available, with L-Soft's release today of LISTSERV version 16.5.

Version 16.5 of LISTSERV adds new features that make it much easier to locate and retrieve information relevant to a GDPR inquiry. Also included is a customizable PowerShell script for Windows, Linux and MacOS, which scans all areas of LISTSERV where personal information could be stored (email lists, message archives, change logs, etc.) and generates a report in XML format to comply with the GDPR data portability requirement.

Although they are the most visible, the new GDPR features are just a small fraction of the overall improvements added with version 16.5 of LISTSERV. In addition, regulations like the US BOD 18-01 require cybersecurity measures, and LISTSERV 16.5 addresses these and includes other improvements that enhance security and performance for LISTSERV users, anywhere in the world.

See other new features and more at:
http://community.emailogy.com/trk/click?ref=zs9pllpnm_2-2030x2e7ex0528&

Hello Subscriber,

Today marks 25 years of permission email. LISTSERV email list management software introduced the double opt-in subscription confirmation feature with the version released on March 15, 1993. This verification strengthened recipient consent and launched permission email as we know it today. We invite you to take a look at today's related press release, which includes some timeless tips.

Best Regards,
L-Soft

Email Marketing Platform LISTSERV Maestro 8.1 Adds Support for LDAP and Windows AD

Senders Can Also Track Campaign Metrics on the Go with New Mobile App

Bethesda, MD (November 8, 2017) - L-Soft released the newest version of its email marketing platform, LISTSERV Maestro 8.1, today. Highlights include support for LDAP and Windows Active Directory (AD), enabling senders with large LDAP repositories of data, such as academic organizations with students and alumni, to benefit from LDAP connections and query opportunities. LISTSERV Maestro 8.1 also introduces a new mobile app, allowing senders to authorize mailings, track campaign statistics and get real-time reports on the go.

"With today's release, LISTSERV Maestro now runs not only on PCs, laptops and tablets but also on smartphones with iOS and Android. This makes it very easy for you to access the results of your email jobs from wherever you are and wherever you go," said Dr. Manfred Bogen, Managing Director of L-Soft Germany GmbH, who leads the LISTSERV Maestro development team.

LISTSERV Maestro is available as licensed software or a hosted cloud service and is the only email marketing solution powered by LISTSERV®. It connects with most common databases for targeted and customized email campaigns and offers a wide range of email metrics and tracking options, including permission tracking. The LISTSERV Maestro companion mobile app is available for iOS and Android mobile platforms.

Read more about the new features in LISTSERV Maestro 8.1:
http://www.lsoft.com/products/maestro_81.asp

See the LISTSERV Maestro Companion Mobile App:

Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lsoft.lui.app.lmc&hl=en

iOS:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/listserv-maestro-companion/id1237148363?mt=8

Email Marketers on the Go Engage Subscribers on the Go

Bethesda, MD (May 18, 2016) - Creating, managing and tracking the highly targeted email marketing campaigns that today's communication climate demands just got easier with the release of LISTSERV Maestro 7.0, the brand new version of L-Soft's email marketing and analytics solution. With greatly improved support for a range of touch devices, it's a breeze for senders to stay on top of their email newsletters, announcements and other communications - even when they're on the go.

"Manage your email campaigns from wherever you are. Traveling, no problem; in the plane, no problem; sitting in your living room, no problem," said Dr. Manfred Bogen, Managing Director of L-Soft Germany GmbH, who leads the LISTSERV Maestro development team. "During the Morning Show until the Late Night Show, you can watch LISTSERV Maestro 7.0 doing its job for you."

LISTSERV Maestro is available as licensed software or a hosted cloud service and is the only email marketing solution powered by LISTSERV®, the original and industry gold standard email list technology. Responsive, customizable HTML newsletter templates enable a wide range of businesses, membership organizations and government entities to engage the ever-growing number of subscribers who read email on mobile devices.

"Today's subscribers are increasingly reading their email on their phones. It's more important than ever to have the right tools to design messages that work on screens of any size," Dr. Bogen said. "LISTSERV Maestro is about email anytime, anywhere, on any screen - for both senders and subscribers." 

[More ...]

Unique Email List Serves as Indispensable Resource for the Non-Profit Fundraising Profession

Advancement Services Discussion List FundSvcs Wins LISTSERV Choice Awards - The Mailys

Bethesda, MD (October 9, 2014) - Advancement services professionals may not be the people asking for donations, but their work behind the scenes keeping donor data current, processing gifts, providing IT support and ensuring compliance, is critical to getting universities and non-profits the funds they need - and avoiding legal pitfalls in the process. Today, this group of professionals is celebrating big: FundSvcs, the email discussion list that offers a platform for them to learn and share time-critical information and useful insights while enjoying a welcoming peer community, has been named the winner in L-Soft's global competition for email list communication excellence.

"Advancement services professionals are often the low people on the post when it comes to recognition of our efforts and responsibilities in the advancement community. The FundSvcs list has helped countless subscribers find new positions or recruit new staff and has saved many organizations from adopting illegal or unethical policies. It has provided professional development opportunities at no cost to subscribers. And every once in a while, it provides much-needed comic relief," said John H. Taylor, FundSvcs Founder and List Administrator. "Receiving The Mailys Grand Prize award indicates that we are a group to be reckoned with and are respected and acknowledged in the worldwide community."

Taylor, who owns an advancement services consulting firm and helped launch the Association of Advancement Services Professionals (AASP), which hosts the email list, points to the daily value that the FundSvcs LISTSERV list has provided to advancement services professionals since 1994. "Technology and regulations continue to evolve and change annually. FundSvcs is recognized as the 'go-to' place to learn about these changes and discuss their implications on the non-profit community. The email list gets new information out instantly to over 3,500 advancement services professionals worldwide, while also serving as a platform for informing regulatory and administrative authorities of where changes, or reinterpretation, of legislation are needed." 

[More ...]

L-Soft's LISTSERV Maestro 6.0 Meets the Challenges of Today's Email Marketing Communicators

Senders Can Easily Compare Results Over Time, Identify Trends and Problems, Create Customized Report

Landover, MD (May 20, 2014) - Anyone who sends opt-in email newsletters, announcements, special offers and other email marketing communications knows that it's critical to be able to quickly and effectively assess campaign performance, see the big picture over time, hone in on trends and root out problems. The work of email marketers got more colorful and precise today, with L-Soft's release of LISTSERV® Maestro 6.0, the newest version of the only email marketing and analytics solution built on LISTSERV, the industry gold standard of email list management software.

"Each successive version of LISTSERV Maestro has brought new features and workflow refinements to its users. In version 6.0, senders will experience a big step up in ease of use when creating mailing campaigns and analyzing and reporting their campaign results," Ben Parker, L-Soft Chief Corporate Consultant, said.

Key new features and enhancements in LISTSERV Maestro 6.0 include:

* Better navigation in the user interface
* Improved content creation tools
* New reporting display options and functions, including tracking statistics comparison
* Comparison analytics of various publishing channels, such as email vs. social media
* Automatic selection of best performing option with A/B-split testing

LISTSERV Maestro is available as both licensed software and a hosted cloud service and enables senders to truly target and engage their subscribers, using a complete opt-in email marketing and analytics system that brings real results.

L-Soft also recently released a new version of its LISTSERV email list management solution, which includes the industry's only seamless, no-compromise fix for the aggressive DMARC policy changes that Yahoo and AOL implemented in April. Even if other email providers adopt similar DMARC policies in the future, smooth operations will continue because LISTSERV will automatically handle those addresses in the same way. 

[More ...]

LISTSERV® Inventor Develops Seamless Solution to DMARC Hassles

L-Soft Introduces the Industry's Only No-Compromise Fix

Landover, MD (April 25, 2014) - People who run email lists are still reeling after Yahoo, followed earlier this week by AOL, implemented aggressive DMARC policies that created giant headaches and widespread outcry. Stuck between a rock and a hard place with no advance warning, list administrators have had to resort to a variety of circumventions, from giving all Yahoo and AOL subscribers the boot to putting the list address in the "From" field, thus causing all private replies to be broadcast to the list without warning and inviting mail clients to submit out-of-office messages to the entire list.

"Contrary to popular belief, DMARC is not a new Internet standard. It's a pack of 800-pound gorillas who got together and decided to change the way email works just because they can and because they have a vested interest," said LISTSERV inventor and L-Soft Founder and CEO Eric Thomas.

"And they use the word 'spam' to justify their actions like others use the word 'terrorism'. But DMARC will do absolutely nothing to reduce the amount of spam in people's inboxes. All it does is prevent spammers from using a yahoo.com or aol.com account as their sender addresses, and I doubt any spammers are losing sleep over this."

The solution L-Soft has developed for LISTSERV does not require anyone to make compromises or lose any functionality - not even the Yahoo and AOL subscribers.

"Once you install the update, everything works just like it did before the DMARC debacle; incoming Yahoo and AOL addresses are automatically rewritten to local addresses that can receive private replies and forward them to the original poster," Thomas said. 

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The LISTSERV Choice Awards Grand Prize Finalists Are ...

People around the world have cast more than 18,000 votes for their favorite email lists. Which list will win L-Soft's LISTSERV Choice Awards - The Mailys - this year? The five grand prize finalists, which received the highest percentage of votes in each month of the competition, are:

* DEERHOUND-L, a discussion list for Scottish Deerhound dog breed enthusiasts
* NYCSLIST, a professional networking forum for New York City School Library personnel
* FUNDSVCS, a discussion list for people who run fundraising programs
* GUNROOM, an email community about the world of author Patrick O'Brian
* RECOVERYMEDITATIONS, daily inspirational vignettes for overcoming compulsive eating

Twenty email lists were nominated to this year's award program. While every list runs on LISTSERV software, they represent a wide array of uses of the technology, topics and impacts on their subscribers.

The Mailys began in 2004 to recognize outstanding email lists, in honor of L-Soft's 10 years in business. In celebration of L-Soft's 20th anniversary, the winning list owner and a randomly selected nominator will each receive a trip and meeting with L-Soft Founder and CEO Eric Thomas, who invented LISTSERV, which pioneered opt-in email list communication, in 1986.

Learn more about The Mailys and this year's nominees and finalists at:
http://www.lsoft.com/news/choiceawards.asp

L-Soft congratulates all the nominated lists and thanks all who participated, including nominees and voters.

Stay up-to-date and be among the first to know the winning list with L-Soft's LISTSERV at Work newsletter and social media channels. And be sure to browse around L-Soft's brand new website, launched a few days ago:
http://www.lsoft.com 

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The Communities That Email Builds

DEERHOUND-L Advances as First Finalist in LISTSERV Choice Awards - The Mailys - 2013; Nominate Until December 31

Where Technology Meets Humanity: Email List Helps People Heal from Eating Disorders

The Recovery Group's THEBIGBOOK Wins L-Soft's LISTSERV Choice Awards - The Mailys

Landover, MD (March 21, 2013) - Helping people recover from eating disorders online? It may sound unlikely, but The Recovery Group's THEBIGBOOK email study group is doing just that, one email at a time. And for its life-changing work, THEBIGBOOK has won the grand prize in L-Soft's 7th annual LISTSERV Choice Awards - The Mailys - competition, honoring outstanding email lists.

"The winning email list, THEBIGBOOK, guides people through the formidable and deeply personal process of recovering from an addiction. One step at a time, its community of dedicated individuals support each other along the path they have all committed to - recovery," said Eric Thomas, L-Soft Founder and CEO, who invented LISTSERV, the original email list software, in 1986.

The Recovery Group (TRG) began with an L-Soft donation of LISTSERV software, which turned a small manual list in 1995 into what was to evolve into an online 12-step organization for men and women around the world who suffer from eating disorders, such as compulsive eating, binge eating, anorexia, bulimia and others.

"With a mantra of 'Around the World, Around the Clock,' TRG now has 100 LISTSERV lists, all geared toward recovery from eating disorders using the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous given to us 75 years ago in The Big Book. THEBIGBOOK (BB) study list has become one of TRG's most effective lists," said Mari C., Founder of The Recovery Group. "Much of the longevity and success of our BB list is because of our dedicated Coordinators and Big Book Leaders throughout the years. By the end of each year, in addition to being thoroughly familiar with this amazing book written over 75 years ago, the group has become very much like a family. Some even call it their 'Family of Choice'." 

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Utomordentlig e-postlista hjälper människor att återhämta sig från ätstörningar

Diskussionsgruppen THEBIGBOOK vinner L-Softs årliga tävling - LISTSERV Choice Awards - The Mailys

Stockholm, 21 mars, 2013 - THEBIGBOOK, vinnaren av årets upplaga av LISTSERV Choice Awards, är en e-postbaserad studiecirkel som drivs av The Recovery Group, en organisation som tillhandahåller flera nätgemenskaper som inspirerar, stöttar och vägleder människor med ätstörningar. Till hjälp använder de sig av den Stora Boken, Anonyma Alkoholisters grundtext. Varje månad studeras ett nytt kapitel och följs av dagliga diskussionsuppgifter.

L-Softs jury uppmärksammade THEBIGBOOK för dess interaktivitet och engagemang med en stegvis studiemodell för åtgärder, mål och återhämtning. E-postlistan har olika funktionärer och samordnare. Varje år påbörjas en ny studie av den Stora Boken. Listmedlemmar delar med sig sina erfarenheter, samt ger kraft och mod till de andra på e-postlistan i hopp om att nå full återhämtning.

- Det är roligt att se peersupport- och självhjälpsgrupper som fungerar så bra som e-postlistan THEBIGBOOK. Att kunna få stöd och styrka via en studiegrupp med personer i liknande situationer är nog det bästa stödet en kan få, säger Eric Thomas, L-Softs grundare och VD som uppfann e-postlisthanteraren LISTSERV redan 1986.

- Många tror att den Stora Boken är enbart för alkoholmissbrukare, men beroendet har inga gränser. Mat kan vara en drog till den som har ätstörningar, säger Linda S., samordnare för e-postlistan. Varje avsnitt har en ledare och svaren till de dagliga uppgifterna finns lagrade i vårt webbarkiv. Där kan de läsas i många år framöver av dem som kämpar med ätstörningar runt hela världen, fortsätter Linda. 

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LISTSERV® Email Communities Change and Save Lives

The Two Winning Email Lists in L-Soft's LISTSERV Choice Awards - The Mailys - Help People with Cancer, Homeless Dogs

Landover, MD (February 28, 2012) - Delivering life-changing and even life-saving information to thousands of people are all in a day's work for two award-winning LISTSERV email communities. L-Soft honored the powerful efforts and profound results of The Kidney Cancer Online Support Group (KIDNEY-ONC) and BELG-L, a community of Belgian Shepherd owners, naming each email list as a grand prize winner in its global LISTSERV Choice Awards - The Mailys - competition.

"LISTSERV and email fulfill a fundamental human need - the need to form communities and share ideas, experiences, joy and pain. People have been doing this for as long as mankind has existed, but LISTSERV removes the barrier of physical distance," says Eric Thomas, L-Soft Founder and CEO who invented LISTSERV in 1986. "When I wrote LISTSERV, I had absolutely no idea that it would save lives ... KIDNEY-ONC and BELG-L embody this use of LISTSERV, which touches me the most."

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of LISTSERV, the software that launched the permission email list industry, L-Soft awarded two grand prize winners in 2011.

"Sometimes we save lives," says KIDNEY-ONC List Owner Robin K. Martinez.

Martinez details an example of one couple that was spurred by the KIDNEY-ONC email community - which connects patients and their loved ones with information, support and empowerment - to get a second opinion from an expert, despite the need for significant travel at their own expense. 

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LISTSERV® räddar och förändrar liv

L-Softs årliga utmärkelse av "LISTSERV Choice Awards - The Mailys" går till två e-postlistor som hjälper personer med cancer och hemlösa hundar

Stockholm, 28 februari, 2012 - Att distribuera livsviktig information till tusentals människor är vardag för de två vinnande bidragen i L-Softs internationella tävling för e-postlistor. L-Soft uppmärksammar en e-postlista kring njurcancer, KIDNEY-ONC (Kidney Cancer Online Support Group) och BELG-L, ett diskussionsforum för ägare av belgiska vallhundar.

- När jag skapade LISTSERV hade jag ingen tanke alls på hur den senare skulle komma att rädda och förändra människors liv. KIDNEY-ONC och BELG-L exemplifierar detta, vilket berör mig mest, säger Eric Thomas som är L-Softs VD, grundare och uppfinnaren av LISTSERV.

LISTSERV, världens första program för samtyckesbaserad e-postlisthantering, firar 25 år. I samband med detta utses två vinnande bidrag av L-Soft i år.

- Det händer att vi räddar liv, säger e-postlistans ägare Robin K. Martinez från KIDNEY-ONC.

Martinez ger följande exempel om ett par som uppmuntrades av e-postlistan KIDNEY-ONC:

- Den lokala läkaren hade sagt att det fanns ingenting att behandla medan den andra experten såg definitivt metastaserande njurcancer och erbjöd behandlingar som svarade omgående och reducerade symptomen flera gånger om under årens lopp, berättar Martinez.

Martinez tillägger även att patientens partner var mycket aktiv på e-postlistan med vägledning och uppmuntring till andra listmedlemmar. Dessa råd hjälpte bland annat en far till tre barn att överleva.

E-postlistan BELG-L är också en livräddare, men av belgiska vallhundar.

- Vi räddar, hittar och identifierar belgiska vallhundar som kan vara i hundförvaringar, förklarar e-postlistans ägaren Libbye Miller. 

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L-Soft's LISTSERV Maestro Bridges Gap Between Email and Other Social Media

The Social Media Integration of LISTSERV Maestro 5.0 Offers One-Stop Shopping to Email Marketers of All Skill Levels

Landover, MD (December 15, 2011) - L-Soft is the company behind LISTSERV®, the original email list software that in 1986 unleashed the explosive growth of email communities. L-Soft's release today of LISTSERV Maestro 5.0 enables one-stop shopping for email marketers with social media integration and tracking, hassle-free target group segmentation and easy, in-depth demographic reporting options, all within the choice of a basic or advanced user interface, helping email marketers at all levels engage subscribers with targeted, intelligence-based campaigns.

"When hundreds of universities adopted LISTSERV in 1986, email lists rapidly evolved from their original role of information dissemination and sharing into full-fledged email communities with a strong social component," said Eric Thomas, L-Soft Founder and CEO who invented LISTSERV in 1986. "As the first social medium on the net, email has a long history of forming long-lasting social bonds, on the higher end of the attention-span scale, and stands to benefit greatly from being paired with other social media requiring a shorter attention span."

Even novice email marketers and small organizations can benefit from LISTSERV Maestro because it is available as either a web-based hosting service or a downloadable licensed solution and offers basic and advanced user interface options, making it easy to use for marketers of any skill level. With LISTSERV Maestro, companies and organizations of all sizes have a complete and flexible solution to test, send, monitor, analyze and improve their future mailings to customers and members. 

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L-Soft integrerar e-post med andra sociala medier

L-Softs nya LISTSERV Maestro 5.0 ger ökad valfrihet för samtyckesbaserad e-postmarknadsföring för alla kompetensnivåer i en och samma produkt

Stockholm, 15 december, 2011 - L-Soft, ett pionjärföretag inom program för hantering av e-postlistor, lanserar idag en ny version av sin e-postmarknadsföringsprodukt, LISTSERV® Maestro, för att underlätta arbetet med e-postutskick på alla nivåer, både för nybörjare och erfarna e-postmarknadsförare. E-post är en grundläggande kommunikationskanal idag men vanliga e-postprogram räcker inte till för att sköta e-postmarknadsföring med samtycke på ett effektivt sätt. E-postmarknadsföring tillämpar sig bäst genom att etablera och vårda långsiktiga relationer och därför behöver företag och organisationer av alla storlekar flexibla verktyg till hjälp.

L-Softs LISTSERV Maestro version 5.0 introducerar två olika användargränssnitt - bas och avancerat. Oerfarna användare kan välja ett enklare gränssnitt med de allra viktigaste funktionerna medan proffsanvändare har tillgång till alla avancerade möjligheter och kan till exempel koppla ihop LISTSERV Maestro med egna databaser för mottagaranpassade utskick. Nytt är även möjligheten att kunna integrera e-postkampanjer med andra typer av sociala medier för att nå mottagare hur de än föredrar att ta del av kommunikationen. Prenumeranter kan också dela med sig av innehållet på ett enkelt sätt genom sina egna sociala nätverk.

- E-postlistor och communities har haft en stark social och interaktiv prägel från början, säger Eric Thomas, L-Softs grundare och VD, som uppfann LISTSERV, den ursprungliga e-postlisthanteraren 1986. Som det första sociala mediet på nätet har e-post och e-postlistor en lång historia av att bilda långvariga och djupa sociala band. Idag är det till stor nytta att integrera e-post med de andra, nyare sociala medierna. De kompletterar varandra väl. 

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LISTSERV is 25 Years: Join Inventor Live Chat and Videocast September 15

Hear Eric Thomas, inventor of LISTSERV® software, reflect on 25 years of permission email - the good and the bad - from the golden age to the survival age and the current challenging but rewarding age.

Landover, MD (September 8, 2011) - Eric Thomas, inventor of LISTSERV® software, which launched the email list industry in 1986, will host a live chat and videocast on September 15th. The event celebrates the 25th anniversary of LISTSERV software, which Thomas developed as a university student, and is part of a worldwide online anniversary party that day.

L-Soft Founder and CEO Eric Thomas, regarded as an IT pioneer and Internet authority, will answer questions and share expert perspective on:

* What it takes for a technology to evolve and stay in front for 25 years
* Why he believes "the Internet industry now has an identity crisis"
* "Doing the right thing, not the hype thing" when considering moving to the cloud
* What he envisions for the next quarter-century of permission email

Members of the media and public are welcome to pre-submit questions for Eric Thomas to answer during the live chat:
http://www.lsoft.com/news/livechat.asp

WHAT:
Live chat and videocast with LISTSERV® software inventor and L-Soft Founder and CEO Eric Thomas

WHEN:
Thursday, September 15th, 2011
9 a.m. PT/12 noon ET/5 p.m. BST/6 p.m. CET

WHERE:
Wherever you are - just log on to join the event at:
http://www.lsoft.com/listserv25years

WHY:
Because September 15th is the official online party for people around the world to celebrate 25 years of LISTSERV® software and permission email 

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