Important note: This is a critical review and not a salesletter or an ad!

Format

Cgi Perl-script (delivered as an ASCII-file) plus an instruction manual (delivered as a HTML-document).

Review

What this script does

Master Info Relay makes it possible for your visitors to get information of their choice (that you've made available) from your web site. They just check the items they want in the form that you've generated through Master Info Relay. When they've checked all the articles, reports or whatever, that they want to get, they click on the Submit button. And just a few moments later they get an automated email, generated by an autoresponder of your choice (which you have to use in collaboration with this script). This email gives them the download URLs for the information that they want to get from you.

You can use Master Info Relay for several purposes. But of course one very prominent reason for using this script, is to get the email addresses of your visitors. Naturally you should always tell your visitors if they're added to your opt-in list when using the Master Info Relay forms. You certainly don't want to spam anyone. But provided you've done that, this script can be an excellent way of adding more subscribers to your opt-in list.

You can also follow up with more emails generated by another autoresponder, and thus present your offers multiple times to your visitors.

These are of course just a few suggestions for how you can use this script. 

Ease of set-up

Just like all the other scripts created by Will, which I've installed, I found this script very easy to install.

You don't need to change anything in the code. Just upload the script to your server, using your FTP-client. Then change the permissions, if your server doesn't do that automatically. Changing the permissions can usually be done through your FTP-client.

Next, you just need to call the (password protected) control panel through your browser, and you're ready to set up your first autoresponder form.

That's all there is to it. It simply can't be much easier, don't you agree?

The installation and instruction manual is really good. Easy to understand and apply, and it doesn't contain a lot of superfluous stuff. Yes, it's right to the point.

Note!
The only thing that can be a little tricky is that you have to find an autoresponder which you'll use in collaboration with Master Relay. 

I don't mean that this is a difficult task. Not at all! You'll find autoresponders all over the Internet. But if you don't already have an autoresponder, it may take some time for you to find a good one. 

Another solution is to use Will Bontrager's autoresponder, Master E-responder V1. It's a little expensive ($195 at the time of this writing), but in the long you'll probably save a lot of money, because you don't have to pay third-party company month-by-month for using their autoresponders. Besides, if you use a script like Master E-responder V1, you can use your own domain in your autoresponder emails (which seems much better and help to brand your web site) and set up an unlimited number of autoresponders.

Another really good autoresponder script I've used, is Autoresponse Plus. This script has many of the same features as Will Bontrager's Master E.responder V1.

Features

Master Relay has a lot of features. Here are some of them:

• Everything can be managed from the built-in control panel.
• Through the control panel you can decide the number of autoresponders that you want to use.
• The forms can be customized (through the control panel) according to your wishes.
• The forms can be generated directly through the control panel. You don't need to generate them through your web editor. Just fill in a few details - and you've got the ready-to-use forms.
• You decide whether you want your visitors to enter their name when using the form. This is completely optional. If you choose to use this feature, you can personalize the emails (with the download details) generated by Master Relay.
• You can set the script up to automatically receive an email notification each time someone uses the form.
• The email addresses of the visitor isn't in the form source code. This means that it's much harder to abuse the forms for spam.
• The information you get from the users of your forms, can be saved in a database for you to use later on, if you like.
• Etc.

Ease of using

Master Relay is easy to use. I almost feel that I sound like a tape recorder when I repeat Will Bontrager's cgi-scripts for being so user-friendly. But believe me, that's the truth. They are really user-friendly and easy to use, even if you're not used to handle cgi-scripts.

The script can be totally configured through the control panel and the forms can be set up directly through this panel too.

In order to set up a form to use with Master Relay, you just have to answer between 5 to 10 simple questions, such as...

• What is your email-address (where you want copies of all transactions to be send to)?
• What is the URL of the thank you page you want your visitors to see after they filled in a form (actually you don't need to fill in this field in the control panel, as Master Relay can set up an automatic, generic "thank you" page if you leave this field empty).
• What is the "the text you want to appear on the subscription form's submit button"?

It's a simple as that!

Several of the fields you can even leave blank if you want to use the default set-ups.

Also on this point the instruction is well written and very useful. It's isn't too long and it isn't to short to do the job. Through a few simple and easy understandable instructions you'll quickly learn how to run the script. But actually you almost don't need the instruction manual, because Will Bontrager has woven some many short and helpful instruction notes into the control panel pages. Just follow these and you'll probably be up and running in five minutes. And if you need some additional instructions, just consult the instruction manual.

How well does the script work?

I made a test form using Master Relay. And my experience after having tested this form, is that the script works very well.

I filled in the customized form, pressed the submit button and immediately was lead to the "thank you" page (either your own customized page or the default page).

I immediately got two (because in this I personally both filled in the form and am the webmaster) emails in my email in-box. The first email was generated by the autoresponder and contained the information that I'd chosen in the form. The second email told me (as the webmaster)...

1. which form had been used,
2. who (in this case myself) had used it (name and email),

3. which autoresponder was used to generate the (first) email.

Overall assessment

In my opinion Master Rely is a really good script.

The creator of this script, Will Bontrager, has set a high standard for his scripts, and Master Relay is no exception.

If you want to make it easy for your visitors to download articles, reports, ebooks or just any kind of information of their choice while at the same time getting their email addresses, Master Relay is a very good choice. 

Besides, you can't beat the price. For only a few dollars you get a script that's stable, easy to install, set up and use, and a script that has all the features you want and works like a dream.

Will Bontrager has again proved to be one of my absolute favorite cgi-programmers.

Price (at the time of this writing)

US $25

About Will Bontrager

Who is Will Bontrager? Click here for the answer!
 
 

Buying information

Website 

http://www.willmaster.com

Email

http://willmaster.com/contact.shtml

Snail mail

William and Mari Bontrager
RR 1, Box 271-B
Solsberry, IN 47459
USA

Phone

812.935.8269