This article will help explain some of the key concepts and terms used within the blueBlocks Comms module.
Campaigns
Whether it is a product newsletter or a standard bulk email broadcast, blueBlocks will create a "campaign". A campaign essentially consists of a body of copy and a recipient list. Once created, you can edit the email copy and the recipient list at anytime. You can also send a preview to yourself at a click of a button.
Batching
To protect your server, the comms module sends your campaign out in batches of 10 every 60 seconds. This reduces the amount of work your email and/or web server has to do. You must manually start the sending process and then leave the page open whilst the campaign is sent. You can pause, edit and delete at campaign at any point... but once the email has been sent to any of the recipients in your list, you obviously can't undo that.
Campaign Statistics
Accessing an email campaign from the administration menu will present you with a summary table of statistics. These include the number of emails currently queued for sending, the number already sent and a reasonably accurate count of the emails that have been sent and opened. You may also notice a count of emails that have been "blocked". An email is automatically blocked if the recipient's email address exists in the members database AND that person has opted-out of receiving emails. This helps ensure that you don't send communication messages to users who have explicitly told you that they don't want to receive any further communications.