Making full use of Tags

[eWareness]

We are setting up CiviCRM on WordPress for a client, and they want to send out a variety of newsletters. They want a newsletter sign up on the website, that allows a supporter to select one or more topics to which they can subscribe.

We used the CiviCRM component in WordPress' contact forms, and it created a set of custom field with which our check box sign up could import. But we don't know how to automatically connect the custom fields to the tag system (Tags for each topic have been set up, and smart groups to corresponding mailing groups are already configured.) or to import the contact with the appropriate tags instead of seemingly worthless custom fields.

Any Ideas?

[Michael McAndrew]

Hey there,

I'm having a little bit of trouble understanding exactly what you mean when you say "a set of custom field with which our check box sign up could import" but i have a feeling you might be overcomplicating things, so am going to suggest the 'CiviCRM way' of doing things.  Maybe there is a good reason you aren't doing this. If so, please explain and we can help a bit more.

So rather than having custom fields, tags and smart groups and trying to sync them all, just use normal groups and expose these on the profile.  This should work better because groups are the standard way for CiviCRM to manage mailings. This way should avoid you having to deal with "automatically connect the custom fields to the tag system" and "Tags for each topic have been set up, and smart groups to corresponding mailing groups are already configured".

Make sense?

[eWareness]

To clarify, we would like to use groups for the mailings, but the WordPress CiviCRM component created custom fields for the different newsletter subjects on the contact form.

We have about 8 different subjects someone can check during the sign up, and the goal is to add the contact to a mailing group for each subject they select.

We are trying to figure out the simplest way to automatically import the data, and add the contact to the correct mailing groups.

[joanne]

Perhaps English is not your first language but "the WordPress CiviCRM component created custom fields..."  attributes powers to CiviCRM that it just does not have.

A person decided to use custom field for the different newsletter subjects and the same or another person can decide that custom field-> tag -> group is harder to achieve than the alternative.

I would strongly encourage you to investigate Michael's suggestion of using normal groups exposed on a profile.

Refer to http://book.civicrm.org/user/current/email/setup/  starting at  Allow people to sign up for your mailing lists online  for more information.

[Michael McAndrew]

Or at least, let us know why it doesn't make sense for you to follow those suggestions and we can try and help some more...

[eWareness]

I will try to explain the difficulty. We can import a contact to a single group(mailing list). The solution provided above does not address our prime issue.

The issue at hand is the requirement to accept zero-eight checkbox topics, and enter the contact into the correct mailing groups they select.

In other words, I want someone on my website to provide Name, email, and select any to all topics they are interested in, and then import that data into a group created for each topic.

[joanne]

Your response implies that your website and your CiviCRM install are not directly linked.  Is that so and if so, can I ask why they are separate installs?

The usual method of operation would be for CiviCRM to be installed as a plugin on your WordPress site. 

Then you would:

• Create a profile in CiviCRM  that collected name, email and had tick boxes for all the topics (mailing groups.)
• Use Shortcodes to publish the profile on your WordPress site.

 
People who fill in the profile are automatically added as contacts to CiviCRM and added to the correct mailing groups.