Viewing Previously Sent or Drafted Messages
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Bulk Messaging: Cron Formatting How-To Guide
Sending a New Message
To get started with the Bulk Messages module, click on the Announcements tab in the left sidebar and then the Bulk Messages subtab that appears. To start crafting a new message, click on the "+Add New" button at the top of the screen. A history of any sent messages will also display here.
The "Bulk Message - Title" field is for internal use only and will act as an identifier for sent and drafted messages.
The Bulk Messages module works similarly to a mail merge - the type of message you need to send out will guide what option to choose from the Datasource drop-down. If your message will just be a generic email to a group of users, where only basic information like their name, email, high school, and/or position title will differ, then you should select one of the role-related options from the Datasource drop-down menu.
If your message will require more customization, such as listing different classes, points of contact, term start dates, or other less basic information, you should select the File Upload option from the Datasource drop-down menu. Please note that your uploaded file must be in CSV format and should contain an "email" column.
The short codes, or merge codes, displayed at the top of the screen in the Message Editor box will depend on the Datasource option you selected on the previous screen. Here, you can add the Subject line and craft the body of your message. To use the available short codes, copy and paste them from the top of the screen into the body of your email.
To preview what the message will look like, click the "Save Message" button, and then "Preview Message."
If you need to update the message recipients, click on the "Recipient(s)" tab. Make sure to click "Save" when you're finished.
The left side of the screen is where you will input the frequency and timeframe for the message to be sent out. To learn more about how to format the message frequency, check out the Bulk Messaging: Cron Formatting How-To Guide. The "From Address" will default to "noreply@[yourschool].canusia.com" - you can opt to keep this or change it for each message. When you're finished editing your message, you can leave the Status as "Draft" and return to it later or change the Status to "Ready to Send," then click "Save."
Viewing Previously Sent or Drafted Messages
From the main Bulk Messages screen, you can access a history of previously sent messages or return to a saved draft by clicking on the "View Details" button for the message.
If the message was saved as a draft, you can continue editing until you're ready to send. If the message has already been launched, click on the "Send Log(s)" tab to view details of when it has gone out. You can also download a CSV or print this historical log.