Need to set up multiple mailing lists. Where do I start?

[isthistaken]

Hi,

I have a videography site which has sub-sites for my clients. Each client site is password protected (kind of) so only they and their friends/family can access it. I would like to create multiple mailing lists so each client (and those signed up) can receive an email only when their site is updated.

Basically I need multiple mailing lists (probably 10 min, 30 max).

I am currently using 1and1 basic package which I don't believe has CGI access. I think the next level does. In the past (when I had an account with CGI access) I tried Add2it's Mailman Free and found it to be exactly what I need. The free version has ads which I cannot have (because this is for my business). The Pro version has unlimited lists and no ads for about $70. This is not bad and I am willing to spend money for something that works. I just tried Dada but because I cannot use CGI I am unable to experiment with it.

Because I am new to this I need to know the best approach. I assume no matter what I use I must have CGI access. Is this correct?

Then, is there anything other than Mailman Pro that is easy to use and maybe free? If not, do you have experience with other scripts that are worth their price?

Thanks everyone,

-Steve

[NogDog]

If you have one of their Linux-based packages, you could uses something like poMMo (http://pommo.org/Main_Page) or other PHP/MySQL solutions, as it looks like all 1and1 Linux packages have both PHP and MySQL.

[isthistaken]

Thank you nogdog, I believe I do have a linux package so I'll check into that.

Thank you again.

[LeeU]

The free version has ads which I cannot have (because this is for my business). The Pro version has unlimited lists and no ads for about $70. This is not bad and I am willing to spend money for something that works. I just tried Dada but because I cannot use CGI I am unable to experiment with it.
If you are going to go for the pro version, I would suggest using Dada. I use it and it's excellent for multiple lists and easy to use. The author has a great forum and answers questions right away. And, it's free!

[isthistaken]

If you are going to go for the pro version, I would suggest using Dada. I use it and it's excellent for multiple lists and easy to use. The author has a great forum and answers questions right away. And, it's free!
Thanks for your input. I have been trying to play around with dada, using a different host (just for testing). I thought I had read that I could make only 4 or so lists before having to buy the "magic book" (or something like that) which gave unlimited use. I will take another look though. I will still need to upgrade my hosting account unless I can use previously mentioned poMMo. I have not tried it yet.

I'm sure Ill be posting again shortly with more questions. Thank you so far!

[LeeU]

I thought I had read that I could make only 4 or so lists before having to buy the "magic book" (or something like that) which gave unlimited use. I will take another look though.
The general features states:

Dada Mail Supports an Unlimited Number of Mailing Lists. Dada Mail was made from the start to be expandable. Each list can be managed separately with a different password for protection.
You might have been looking at one of the other addon features, which are not really necessary unless you want some special features.

One of the great things is that I have found many hosting companies really like Dada Mail because it allows you to set the number of e-mails sent per minute, which is important when you are on a shared server as it doesn't overload the server. Hope it work out for you.

[isthistaken]

thank you Lee and Nogdog, I just wanted to let you know what I went with. I decided on Pommo mail because of its simplicity (once you grasp "field" and "groups" concept it uses. It is a fantastic program and even a noobe like myself can the hang of it. Becuase I caught onto pommo so quickly and it fit my needs PERFECTLY I did not try dadda any further, so I don't know if pommo is any better than dadda.

Thank you again for your ongoing help.

-Stephen