Note: The Message
Scheduler option is only available in Desktop Marketer Pro Version. If
you wish to upgrade, simply select the Upgrade
DM1 to DM2 option in the Options
menu on the Control Panel of the Lite version.
The Pro version of Desktop Marketer enables you to set a notification
date and an expiration date for each message you post. This is an extremely
powerful feature that gives you a variety of options for sending messages
to your contacts.
For example, you can create a series of eight messages, then schedule
them so that one will appear on each contact's desktop each morning --
even if you're spending the week on a beach in Hawaii instead of sitting
at your computer. And if you send a notification that contains time-sensitive
information (such as a hot stock tip or a three-day sale), you can set
that message to expire, meaning that your contacts will not be able to
view it after the time and date you specify.
These features are made possible by the fact that each contact's Desktop
Reader is set to "synchronize" itself with the information on
your web server at time intervals you specify: hourly, daily, etc. (For
more about setting the Desktop Reader to check your web server, read Create a New Desktop Reader.)
Unlike e-mail, Desktop Marketer Pro gives you full control over the
entire list of notifications that appears in your contacts' inboxes at
any given time. This gives you a number of options that would be impossible
with regular e-mail messages -- for example:
If you notice a mistake in a message immediately
after you send it, you can simply open the message and make the necessary
changes. Even if a contact's Desktop Reader has already downloaded the
message, it will automatically replace it with the corrected version the
next time it checks your web server for updates.
If you send a message that refers to an earlier
message, you can actually add the earlier message to each contact's inbox
again, even if it expired or was deleted.
... and much more.
Create a schedule
To schedule notification and expiration dates for a message:
To set or change notification and expiration dates
for a message you have created, click to select the message in the Message
Manager window, then click Edit:
In the Message Editor
window, click Save . The Set Message Notification
Time window will appear:
The Message Scheduler is set by default to make your message available
to contacts immediately, and to keep them posted on your web server indefinitely.
If you wish to make the message available immediately and never expire,
simply click OK to save the message
on your web server.
To save a "hidden"
copy of the message on your server, then set it to appear at a later date
and time, click the Start Immediately
checkbox to remove the checkmark, then use the Start
On drop-down menus to select a date and time:
In the Date drop-down menu,
today's date will appear in a red circle. If necessary, click the left
and right buttons at the top of the calendar to select a month, then click
a day to select it. In the Time field,
click the up and down arrows to select a notification time.
Note that your message notification will appear in each contact's inbox
the first time their Desktop Reader checks your web server after
the notification time and date you specify. For example, if you have set
the Desktop Reader to check weekly, your contacts might not receive your
new message until up to seven days have passed after you make it available.
To set a date after
which the message will "expire" (i.e., be removed from a contact's
inbox), use the Expire On drop-down
menus to select a date and time:
The expiration information is added to your message when it is posted
to your server. This way, the expiring message will disappear from each
contact's inbox the first time they open their Desktop Reader after
the expiration time and date you specify -- even if their computer has
not checked your web server since they received your message.
When you have finished setting the scheduling options for your message,
click OK to finish.
Desktop Marketer will automatically check for an Internet connection,
then save your message on your server, where it will be available for
your contacts after the notification date and time you selected.
. The Set Message Notification
Time window will appear:
