Contact Grouping Trouble

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Pat - 20 Feb 2008 15:01 GMT

I'm new to Outlook 07 and have just imported all my old contacts from Outlook
Express into my new system. I've created some groups (Family, Friends, ect)
over on the left-hand side bar from the contacts page. I can't seem however
to find any way to out my contacts into them. No drop down menus, no drag and
drop, nothing... please help and try to be gentle, if it is an easy answer
then I'll feel dumb, but at least I'll get my work done... so far I'm just
frustrated with it all. Why allow me to make new groups,... and not actually
use them for anything?

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Pat - 20 Feb 2008 15:05 GMT

As a follow-up... I'm NOT trying to make a distribution list... not trying to
send them all the same message... just make them easier for me to sort
through.

> I'm new to Outlook 07 and have just imported all my old contacts from Outlook
> Express into my new system. I've created some groups (Family, Friends, ect)
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> frustrated with it all. Why allow me to make new groups,... and not actually
> use them for anything?

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Brian Tillman - 20 Feb 2008 18:14 GMT

> I'm new to Outlook 07 and have just imported all my old contacts from
> Outlook Express into my new system. I've created some groups (Family,
> Friends, ect) over on the left-hand side bar from the contacts page.

What Outlook Express calls "groups", Outlook calls "Distribution Lists". I
know you said in your subsequent post that you "don't want Distribution
Lists", but that's what Outlook Express's "groups" are.

> I can't seem however to find any way to out my contacts into them.

That's because the "groups" that show in the Navigation Pane are not
intended to hold Contacts. They are for making collections of contact
_folders_.

> No
> drop down menus, no drag and drop, nothing... please help and try to
> be gentle, if it is an easy answer then I'll feel dumb, but at least
> I'll get my work done... so far I'm just frustrated with it all. Why
> allow me to make new groups,... and not actually use them for
> anything?

Put categories on your contacts. Create the category "Friends" and assign
that category to those contacts who are your friends. Create another
category "Family" and assign that category to those of your contacts that
are family. Notice that a contact can be in more than one category.
Display your Contacts folder in the "By Category" view and you;ll have
"groupings" similar to what I believe you're working toward.

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Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]

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