Galleon Software releases eMerge 1.0 Mac application gives bulk e-mail the personal touch TORONTO. March 20, 1997. Galleon Software today announced the release of eMerge, a stand-alone Macintosh application that lets you create an e-mail form letter, customize it automatically for everyone on your mailing list, and send it directly to their Internet mail servers. You can use eMerge’s built-in tools to create a list of names, e-mail addresses, and other variables; or import all the information you need from existing FileMaker and 4th Dimension databases. One of Galleon’s early beta testers used eMerge right away to send product upgrade announcements to their customers. “For a long time we’d been looking for a product just like this,” said Ted Leckie, the president of Sienna Software. “On the practical side, we needed our messages to include each customer’s serial number and mailing address, but we also wanted the messages to have that personal touch.” Since eMerge was named the Internet’s “Cool Tool of the Day”, the people at Galleon Software have been taken aback by the response. “People are using eMerge in ways we’d never thought of,” said Colin Biggin, president, and one of the developers of the product. “There’s a professor in Georgia who is using eMerge to send grades to his students, we’ve sold copies to online businesses who are using eMerge to pull people to their websites, and of course we’ve been using eMerge to promote itself.” eMerge boasts a sophisticated mailing engine, but Biggin claims that the bulk of the development effort went into creating the user interface. “We wanted something that people would understand right away.” An eMerge “campaign” consists of three simple parts in a single window: the message header, the form letter, and the mailing list. But what sets eMerge apart from other bulk mailers is that you can insert your own variables pretty much anywhere in the message. Here’s an example: Dear <firstname>, we’ve just released the latest version of <software>.As a registered user, you can upgrade to version <number> for $<cost>. People are still surprised by how well this simple form of direct marketing works. “We’ve had trouble keeping up with the orders,” said Ted Leckie. “We’ve even had people thanking us for our nice letter!”

You can purchase eMerge 1.0 online through Software Unboxed for the introductory price of $175.00 US, or you can download a demo version from http://www.galleon.com.   Galleon Software is a Canadian developer of desktop communications software for small, specialized markets. eMerge is a trademark of Galleon Software. All other products mentioned in this release are the service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Top of page...

Since this press release, we have increased the number of online resellers that carry eMerge. We’ve also reduced the price to $99.00.

PRESS RELEASES
99.08.17	Customerize your e-mail with eMerge 1.6
98.07.16	eMerge the Dragon
98.12.02	Spinfree discontinues Outbox
98.11.04	Galleon Software sponsors Roger Hodgson benefit cybercast
98.04.14	Galleon Software releases eMerge 1.5
98.02.10	eMerge 1.1 now $99
98.01.06	Galleon Software conquers Open Transport
97.08.05	Spam goes straight
97.03.24	E-mail veterans find their niche
97.03.20	Galleon Software releases eMerge 1.0