Ever wonder how you get that junk mail with your name on it? Well marketers call it direct mail and it's an effective way of selling goods and services to consumers. But just how is it done? The name for it is mail merge. You need a main document, which is the message your trying to send. Then you need a data source, which contains all the information of the people you want to reach. This data could include name, address, phone numbers, etc. The last step is to "merge" the two together. Sounds easy. Let's try it.
1. Find the command to begin your mail merge. It may be a wizard of some sort. If so follow the intsrtuctions.
2. You will be prompted to Create Data Source by entering your first names, last names, etc. Perhaps add Province as a field. These are known as fields. Each complete set of data for one person is known as a record.
3. Create the Main Document inserting fields for those items that will change. For example, first name, last name, address, city, postal code. Save this file before moving on with a filename such as main letter. See the example:
«FirstName»
«LastName»
«Address1»
«City», «Province» «PostalCode»
Hello «FirstName»:
Insert your answers for from the virus file in Unit 1. You'll be informing at least 10 friends about viruses!
Sincerely,
Your name
Be
careful with spacing and characters such as commas and colons.
Think about the final letter. Save this file as virus
form letter.
4. Find the merge command and do the merge! You should see as many letters as you have records. Save the merged letters as merged letters.
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