Bug Fix For Inadvertent AOL Bounces

Bounces tend to come with the territory when sending out mass emails. But an unusual problem with AOL’s bounce reporting methods was causing some JangoMail users to find their own email addresses on their campaign bounce lists.

After detecting that an email address has been blocked one of their users, AOL typically alerts the sender to the problem via an email that looks something like this:

From: MAILER-DAEMON@aol.com
Subject: Mail Delivery Problem

Message: Your mail to the following recipients could not be delivered because they are not accepting mail from SENDER@jangomail.com jquest14

Due to the fact that the AOL message refers to the recipient by screen name (jquest14) rather than by the AOL user’s full email address (in the example above the AOL subscriber’s actual email address would be jquest14@aol.com), JangoMail’s bounce processor would occasionally pick up the only complete email address in the message: that of the sender. This error caused the bounce processor to relegate the JangoMail user to his or her own bounce list. To correct this problem, our bounce processor will now automatically add @aol.com to any screen name shown in an AOL MAILER-DAEMON delivery alert, and then send the AOL user to the campaign bounce list rather than the sender.

Subject Field Filter Added to Reporting Interface for Transactional Emails

JangoMail users taking advantage of our new SendTransactionalEmail API method can now filter their transactional emails by Subject, in addition to by Group ID, Group Name, Recipients, and the date when the email was Created. A drop-down menu allows users to choose from three Subject filtering options: starts with, ends with and contains.

Updates to JangoMail's Connect to Local Database Control

JangoMail has made three important updates to its Connect to Local Database ActiveX control:

1. Previously, in order to connect to an Excel database, the program required that the Excel document include a minimum of two rows of data. This issue has been resolved and the program can now accommodate Excel documents which include only a single row of data.

2. The drop-down menus where users select the type of database they wish to connect to JangoMail have been expanded to include Excel 2007 files (files ending in .xlsx) and Access 2007 files (files ending in .accdb).





3. Once a profile has been created in the Extract from Local Database utility and the user has indicated the type of database with which they wish to connect, they are prompted to hit the Connect button. In the past, with larger databases there was occasionally a lapse of several minutes between the moment when the user selected Connect and when the program completed the data upload. Now, thanks to an improved concatenation algorithm, the time required to upload even very large databases has been reduced to a few seconds.

Forward-to-a-Friend Form Now Available in Finnish

Inserting a "Forward-to-a-Friend" (FTF) link in your company newsletter and other e-marketing materials is a simple and cost-effective list-building technique that allows your email recipients to play an active role in your company's e-marketing efforts.

Clicking on an FTF link brings an email recipient to a new URL where he or she is then prompted to insert their name along with email addresses for up to ten friends who they believe might be interested in the products or services being promoted in the email. But if the email recipient doesn't speak English and the FTF message that pops up on their screen is not in their native tongue, how likely are they to use the FTF form? Obviously, the answer is “not very likely at all.”

In order to increase the odds of their customers using the FTF feature, one of our clients in Finland recently requested that we create a version of the FTF form in Finnish.



The resulting form, which can be used by any JangoMail user with Finnish-speaking customers, can be accessed by inserting the new hyperlink (http://x.jango7.com/forward_fi.asp?***uniqueid****) in place of the regular FTF hyperlink (http://x.jango7.com/forward.asp?***uniqueid****). Note that the link will only operate properly when it is sent as part of a JangoMail email message because only then will the ***uniqueid**** portion of the hyperlink be replaced by the recipient’s actual unique JangoMail identifier.

In addition to Finnish, foreign language versions of the FTF page should soon be available in French and other commonly-requested foreign languages. If you feel that your company would benefit from having the FTF form translated into your local language, please contact us. We want to ensure that every JangoMail client is making optimal use of this powerful, list-building tool—no matter where they live or which language their customers speak.

New Feature: Block-Resistant Embedded Images

For years now, finding a way to keep email clients from blocking images in HTML emails has been the Holy Grail of email marketing. No matter which way you approached the problem, the result was nearly always the same: an annoying red x placeholder where your company logo or the picture of your hottest new product should have been, requiring the recipient to click on a link in order to view the images.

JangoMail’s newest feature, block-resistant Embedded Images, will relegate most of those pesky little red x’s to the permanent recycle bin, and allow users to easily embed the content of HTML email images into their e-communications, thereby ensuring that those images are immediately visible to recipients when the email is opened―even when the email client is set to hide images by default!

To bypass image blocking, go to the Send Email page and scroll down to the Advanced Options section. Checking the box next to the new “Embed Images” field will automatically convert the image references in your HTML email into encoded embedded images and ensure that your company logo and product images are instantly viewable by any recipient using a desktop email program (e.g. Outlook Express, Outlook, Windows Mail, Thunderbird) and by those using a Web-based email program such as Gmail. It’s that simple!



Embedded Images do come with a couple of note-worthy caveats, though, including increased email size and additional bandwidth fees. Furthermore, open tracking data may be skewed, since open-tracking is often contingent upon a unique image being downloaded by the recipient’s email program.

 

But, for email marketers eager to replace those ubiquitous red x place holders with their company logo or alluring images of their newest product offerings, the drawbacks of block-resistant embedded images are easily outweighed by their obvious advantages: improved brand recognition, the ability to view email images even if the recipient's computer is off-line, and noticeably higher response rates.

API Reference
To send emails including embedded images using the API, call the SendMassEmail method and set EmbedImages to "True" or "False" using the Options input parameter.

New Feature: FTP Images and Files to Your JangoMail Account

JangoMail has expanded our Image Manager capabilities to support accepting images and other files (PDF, XLS, DOC, etc.) by FTP for addition to your account's Image Library.

Previously, users were required to use the Image Manager tool within JangoMail to upload images and files individually. This upload process copies the files to both our primary and backup server locations.

Now, you have a choice. You can always use the Image Manager tool to upload your files, but you can now also FTP your files directly to your account. This will greatly improve the convenience and speed with which you can work with multiple file uploads.

How do you get started? FTP your files to ftp://client.jangomail.com/Images/. Use your existing account username and password for your login credentials. Images saved to this location via FTP are automatically replicated to the second image server as well, retaining the redundancy we have always maintained.

Feature Update: Enhanced HTML Editor Upgrade

JangoMail had applied several upgrades to the Enhanced HTML Editor available for composing your emails. Previously, some users experienced difficulty with some table commands. The new updates include fixes for reported problems like:

• Documents with a table at the beginning made it difficult to then select the whole document.
• Deleting a table at the end of the document sometimes caused the editor to hang.
• Deleting table rows and columns at the end of the document caused the editor to freeze occasionally.
• Merging cells in tables with caption tags caused the editor to freeze

You do not need to do anything differently to use the updated Editor. If you are using the Enhanced Editor, the updates will automatically apply as the Editor loads within JangoMail.

API Update: New Option for SendTransactionalEmail

JangoMail has enhanced the new SendTransactionalEmail method to support our customers who may need to allow recipients to unsubscribe from marketing campaigns, but continue to receive transactional emails related to their accounts (confirmations, passwords, receipts, etc.), then we have enhanced the new SendTransactionalEmail.

Now, the SendTransactionalEmail method allows you to specify a parameter within the "Options" to handle this. Set "SkipUnsubCheck=True", to prevent JangoMail from first checking the address against your account's unsubscribe list and removing those who have unsubscribed from regular marketing campaigns. By default, if this parameter is not specified, "SkipUnsubCheck" is "False" and will continue to check for unsubscribes normally.

For detailed documentation on this method, go to:
http://api.jangomail.com/help/html/655d20ca-2164-c483-fb21-d3d0ee049155.htm

Update to DKIM Signatures on Outbound Email Messages

We have updated the DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) signatures that appear in outbound email messages sent from JangoMail.

Specifically, we are now using "v=1" instead of "v=0.5" and "q=dns/txt" instead of "q=dns" in the DKIM-Signature header.

These changes were made to comply to the latest RFC 4871 for the DKIM Base Specification, and so that JangoMail email messages pass the DKIM verifier on all major DKIM reflector services, including those offered by dkim.org, Sendmail, and Port 25.

Sending emails to these email addresses from your JangoMail account will generate a reply email showing the result of the DKIM verifier:

1. check-auth@verifier.port25.com (Port 25)
2. dkim-test@testing.dkim.org (DKIM.org)
3. sa-test@sendmail.net (Sendmail)

Prior to the change, JangoMail emails were failing the Port 25 verifier. Now with the change, JangoMail emails pass all 3 tests.

Feature Update: Connect to Database Supports Magic Quotes

For users connecting JangoMail to their MySQL databases via PHP, we have now modified our connection file to make JangoMail less dependant on the customer's local web server configuration.

Previously, users had to turn off a feature known as "magic quotes" before the extraction file would work. Now, JangoMail can make the connection regardless of the magic quotes setting. This makes establishing the initial connection simpler and more direct.

Our new code looks like:

Feature Update: Extract from Excel and Access 2007

JangoMail now has tools to help you use Extract from Local Database to connect to Excel 2007 and Access 2007 files. Now users of the most recent versions of these programs can make direct connection without exporting/importing.

To get started, go to the Extract from My Database page and click to Connect to Local Database. On that screen, you'll choose to Create Profile (experts only).



Then, you'll be able to create a name to save the profile and use the Connection String links to build the proper syntax for linking to your file. In the example below, we are connecting to an Excel 2007 file.



This prepopulates the Connection String box with general information and the name of a "placeholder" file for the "Data Source=" section. In the example, the file is at: c:\myFolder\myExcel2007file.xlsx.



You will replace the placeholder file path and file name with the true path and name of your existing file and modify the SQL Query as appropriate to generate the list desired.

JangoMail Updates: Interface Enhancements

We've implemented a few enhancements to make information a bit more "at your fingertips" when working with JangoMail.

First, we've enhanced Groups and E-Mail Addresses. Now, when you hover over a Group, you'll get a quick view of the attributes of that particular Group.



Once working within a Group, you can hover over a Group member to bring up the full address. This is super-helpful when the address is too wide for that column and cut off by an ellipsis.



Over in Extract from My Database, we've rearranged the main page to reduce scrolling. Now, you will be able to select from the three types of extraction in a horizontal, not vertical, layout.

New Option: Transactional Groups

To support Reporting for messages sent under the new SendTransactionalEmail API method, you can now specify Transactional Groups to store data on messages sent via the API. JangoMail shows Reporting for transactional emails sorted by Group so that you can see metrics on these messages combined together.

By default, all accounts come with a Default Transactional Group. When calling SendTransactionalEmail, the message becomes part of the "Default" group unless otherwise specified. All reporting for these mailings will be categorized as part of the Default Group.

If you have multiple types of transactional emails, then you will want to specify the Transactional Group to which the message belongs when you call the method. You can now setup Transactional Groups under My Options --> Transactional Groups.

For example, you can create a specific Group, like "Order Confirmations," and then specify that Group when calling the method, then you'll see Reporting on those messages combined together.

JangoMail Tip: Random Selection of Members

Giving a few subject lines a try before a big mailing? You need a quick and easy way to send to only a random sampling of your list.

JangoMail supports this need, whether you are querying your database directly (Extract from My Database) or selecting members from Groups stored within JangoMail.

The key is to add "order by newid()" to the end of the SQL query you are using to specify criteria for your mailing.

In a JangoMail Group, you would use the Filter and Send tool. From the main Filter and Send screen, Switch to the Advanced Query Editor. Now, you can set your message criteria, and add in the random selection. In the following example, we are selecting 5 random members of the Group, Web Customers.



When the Filter is executed, we will be ready to send to 5 members of this Group.

Users calling API method SendMassEmail for single recipient campaigns now auto-converted to SendTransactionalEmail

The following email message was sent out this evening to users calling SendMassEmail to send out a large number of single-recipient email messages:

-------------------

Today we made a change to your account involving how your email campaigns to single recipients are sent via the API. You are currently calling our API method SendMassEmail in succession to send a high volume of single-recipient "transactional" type email messages. Several days ago we launched a new API method, called SendTransactionalEmail, which is specifically designed for sending single-recipient messages. The change we made to your account, forces any calls to SendMassEmail to be converted to SendTransactionalEmail method calls, when the call to SendMassEmail is for a single email recipient only.

There are several reasons why we made this change to your account:

1. The SendMassEmail method has always been designed for sending email campaigns to a group of recipients at once. When calling this method, the system treats the campaign as a campaign going to a group of recipients and does processing involving de-duping the final recipient list, deleting invalid email addresses, assigning sending servers based on internal rule sets, and other steps to generate the final recipient list and personalize each email message. Even single recipient campaigns sent via this method take 30-60 seconds to send due to the pre-processing steps that take place with each email campaign. Additionally, when SendMassEmail is called, all campaign data is stored in your account, including the Subject, HTML Message, and Plain Text Message. Calling SendMassEmail thousands of times takes up a lot of space in our database.

2. The new SendTransactionalEmail method sends messages out over SMTP immediately upon the method call. Now emails will be sent 1-2 seconds after the method call rather than 30-60 seconds after.

3. The new SendTransactionalEmail method doesn't store the full message body in our database, since it sends the emails out right away over SMTP. Therefore overall system performance is greater and less storage is taken when single recipient emails go through this new method.

4. You'll now be able to see better reporting and statistics on single-recipient messages. With each individual call to SendMassEmail, each message shows as its own campaign in Reporting, making it difficult to assess what's happening across all of the messages together. Soon we will have an interface for Reporting on just transactional messages generated via SendTransactionalEmail. You'll be able to group different types of messages (Order confirmations, Welcome messages, Internal notifications, etc.), and see open-tracking and click-tracking statistics per Transactional Message Group.

Documentation:

The technical specification on the new method is here: http://api.jangomail.com/help/html/655d20ca-2164-c483-fb21-d3d0ee049155.htm

Here's a brief FAQ on the change:

1. Why did you set my account to convert calls to SendMassEmail to SendTransactionalEmail instead of letting me make the change in code myself?

We figured it would take our customers a while to make the code change on their own. And we didn't see any disadvantages of forcing the conversion to the new method. Furthermore, for our own benefit, we gain a lot of system preformance and database storage back by having single recipient emails go through SendTransactionalEmail rather than SendMassEmail.

2. What if I'm using SendMassEmail to send to Groups or recipients from a live web database?

Calls to SendMassEmail with Groups or live datasets as the recipients will not be altered. Only calls to SendMassEmail where a single recipient is specified are converted to SendTransactionalEmail.

3. Even though you're converting my method calls for me, should I still make the change in my code to SendTransactionalEmail?

Yes, you should. If you call this method directly, you'll be able to take advantage of Grouping and other features specific to this method.

4. Do I lose any tracking by using SendTransactionalEmail?

No, messages sent with SendTransactionalEmail still have open tracking and click tracking capabilities. The recipient is still checked against the unsubscribe and bounce lists before the email is sent. And the messages are still signed with DomainKeys and DKIM, provided your account has been setup to sign messages.

5. What if I want you to undo the change on my account and let me use SendMassEmail as before?

Sure, just let us know. We can't think of any benefit to doing so, but there are so many subtleties and different ways our customers use JangoMail, that it's possible we didn't think of everything. Just reply to this email or get in touch with us if you have a reason why you don't want us to force the SendTransactionalEmail method on you.

6. I don't see any of my messages in Reporting. How do I know my messages are being sent?

The reporting interface for transactional messages is still being built. It should be live under the "Reporting" tab by mid-this week. If you need reporting statistics beforehand, just let us know and we can manually query our database to show you what has been sent/opened/clicked.

7. I'm in the Sender Score Certified program. Will email messages sent via SendTransactionalEmail be sent through SSC-approved senders?

If you are in the SSC program, then yes, just like a regular email campaign, transactional email messages will also be sent through SSC approved senders.

One important difference with unsubscribes/bounces:

When calling SendMassEmail, if sending to an email address on your account's unsubscribe or bounce list, the method call is successful and during pre-processing that email address is removed from your final recipient list. When using SendMassEmail to send to single recipients, this would result in a campaign with 0 recipients.

When calling SendTransactionalEmail, an exception is thrown if you send to an email address on your account's unsubscribe or bounce list. Please be aware of this when writing your code or modifying your code to use SendTransactionalEmail instead of SendMassEmail. This change also is in effect for the accounts which we've put in the auto-conversion from SendMassEmail to SendTransactionalEmail.

New API Method - SendTransactionalEmail

JangoMail now has a method designed to help API users who are sending multiple emails to single recipients more smoothly. SendTransactionalEmail is designed for users who have JangoMail running as the engine behind their applications that send individually triggered messages to single recipients.

The new method allows for rapid processing of these single emails, while retaining full tracking for the mailings (Opens, Clicks, Unsubscribes, and Bounces).

We are completing our testing phase now. The reporting module for tracking transactional emails is still a few days away, but we're very excited with our early results and hope you will be too.

What does it look like? The input parameters are very similar to SendMassEmail. The key difference is that there is a "ToEmailAddress" parameter which expects a single email address.

The full method is at: http://api.jangomail.com/api.asmx?op=SendTransactionalEmail. Detailed documentation is at: http://api.jangomail.com/help/html/655d20ca-2164-c483-fb21-d3d0ee049155.htm.

For a full reference on the API, visit the API home page: http://api.jangomail.com/help/

Bug Fix: Member Counts Returned to Main Groups Page

After completing some recent enhancements to the Groups section, JangoMail once again shows counts of Group members on the main Groups landing page.

Groups will initially show as "Counting" while this process takes place, and will display their respective counts as the tallies come in from the database.

Update to Image Library: Host TXT, PPT, and PPS Files

Your JangoMail Image Library will now accept 3 additional file types for upload. Now you can upload files with .TXT, .PPT, and .PPS extensions for hosting with JangoMail.

Once stored, you may create links in your messages that reference the hosted files much as you would a PDF or other non-image file.

JPG and GIF files remain the only image file types that are recognized by the HTML Editor's Insert Image function because they are the file types that are viewable across most HTML-capable e-mail clients.

Other file types are accepted into the library for hosting. Our tutorial on linking to hosted files (PDFs and others) can be downloaded here.

Site Enhancement: New Features Page

Curious about everything JangoMail can do? Want to see videos demonstrating our features? We've just updated our main Features page with a more comprehensive list of our capabilities, video demonstrations, and enhanced pop-ups.

Make sure you stop by and ask us about anything you'd like to try:
http://www.jangomail.com/features_overview.asp

Updated Feature: Templates

JangoMail now makes using saved Templates easier by placing them in a separate dropdown selection on your Send E-mail page.



Previously, templates were stored at the top of the Re-send Old Message list, but this became cumbersome for many users. Now, you can easily locate stored templates in a separate selection box of their own.