
<p>
As the new year show is upon us, Ken needs a way to send out some mail messages to fellow <a href="https://freeculturepodcasts.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
Free Culture Podcasters</a>
.</p>
<p>
<br>
</p>
<p>
Rather than just putting every one on the bcc, a more personal mail list can be done using the <a href="https://services.addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/mail-merge/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
Thunderbird Mail Merge</a>
add on.</p>
<p>
<br>
</p>
<h3>
Install</h3>
<p>
Download it, and then open Thunderbird, select "Tools", "Add-ons and Themes".</p>
<p>
Then press the Cog icon ⚙, and select "Install Add-on From File...", </p>
<p>
Finally select the downloaded file and confirm.</p>
<p>
<br>
</p>
<h3>
Creating the CSV</h3>
<p>
To use it create a list of emails with a heading, "PrimaryEmail" in our example.</p>
<p>
<br>
</p>
<pre class="ql-syntax" spellcheck="false">
$ cat maillist2025.csv
PrimaryEmail
jblogg@example.com
missing@example.nl
janvanduck@example.nl
</pre>
<p>
<br>
</p>
<p>
Using Mail Merge</p>
<p>
<br>
</p>
<p>
Just add each column field to the address boxes, or the body of your message, surrounded by double <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracket#Curly_brackets" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
curly brackets</a>
.</p>
<p>
In our case we add "{{PrimaryEmail}}", in the to field.</p>
<p>
<br>
</p>
<p>
<a href="hpr4525_image_1.png">
<img src="hpr4525_image_1_tn.png" alt="">
</a>
</p>
<p>
<br>
</p>
<p>
Then press the new "Mail Merge" button in the top right. </p>
<p>
Select "CSV" and select the file you prepared before.</p>
<p>
If you are sending now, then you can put in a random delay, so that when you press send there will be a delay between each of the mails been sent.</p>
<p>
If you select the default send later, then after pressing send the mails will be placed in the outbox so you can send them later.</p>
<p>
<br>
</p>
<p>
<br>
</p>
<h3>
Links</h3>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://freeculturepodcasts.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
https://freeculturepodcasts.org/</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://services.addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/mail-merge/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
https://services.addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/mail-merge/</a>
</li>
<li>
Cog icon provided by <a href="https://glyph-party.wimpys.world/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
https://glyph-party.wimpys.world/</a>
from <a href="https://linuxmatters.sh/67/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
https://linuxmatters.sh/67/</a>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
<br>
</p>


