I have followed this thread with interest.... basically someone said, "I
need ListServ to help my simple users send nice looking emails", and the
answer that has come back is "ListServ doesn't do that, buy Maestro".

I've been running MLM's since 1995, first I wrote docs, found code bugs,
and was on the beta team for ListProc. For the past 4 years I've run
ListServ and have been pleased with our performance.  I used to advise
people to just send plain text messages, but that simply does not cut it
anymore.  Very, very few people still use plain text email clients or
check email via telnet.

We run lists for Hebrew College and several small non-profit
organizations on a shoestring budget, mostly as a community service.
The price point of  ListServ Maestro is simply way beyond anything we
could consider, and I have expressed this to LSoft sales.  Maestro is
promoted as a "complete email marketing software solution"; we don't
need a "complete email marketing software solution", we need a way to
send out nicely formatted HTML email which uses templates that can be
customized on a per list basis. We are seeing an erosion of our userbase
that is going to other products that send out email that they can
preformat with templates using a web interface.

Our users do not need "workflow-oriented interface, interactive
reporting, and unparalleled job management and tracking features" that
Maestro promotes, and we cannot afford the price point of MAESTRO.  We
are not trying to collect marketing and sales data either.

I would urge LSoft could consider improving the features of the ListServ
templating system to allow for creation of preformatted HTML emails in
the ListServ product with a list-specific template.  I suspect that
failure to do so may eventually lead to enough users picking another
product that we may be unable to maintain our license.  The expectations
of users has changed and continues to change, you can't leave an old
product alone and try to promote a new one at a much higher cost basis
and expect all sites to be able to make the leap.

Just my 2 cents...

--David

--
David Rosenthal, D.O.
Shamash Project Coordinator http://shamash.org/