I used to use nested distribution lists a lot and deploy shared contacts with colleagues at my work using Outlook 2003 but have stopped using them with in Outlook 2007. I found that when I exported one of my contacts folders that had a mix of nested distribution lists, distribution lists and normal contacts to a .pst file from the import/ export feature in outlook, that you could not expand the any of the of those nested distribution lists any more. I believe this still happens in Outlook 2007.

After selecting the imported distribution list from my address book (which was made up of only nested distribution lists) it would show as normal with the plus sign to expand in the "to" line of the compose mail message. I could click on it once to see what nested distribution lists were in there, but I could not expand any of the nested distribution lists, they were broken or had lost the addresses inside of them.

When I went to the contacts folder and expanded the same lists I get an error message said it couldn't find and addresses in the nested distribution. I was forced to re-add the distribution lists that were not expanding to my nested distribution list in order for them to work again. something got lost in the export/import process.

My SharePoint question is

1. Can MOSS 2007, WSS 3.0 or even SPS 2003 handle distribution lists and be centrally managed while avoiding the above situation?

2. Once a user connects to a site's contacts list (say that only has nested distribution lists in it) will they still remain enabled and active permanently (unlike what happened above).

I have found very little MS literature about nested distribution lists, usually this is where the MS Press books stop talking about contacts and move on to the next topic. Am I missing something or is there a better way of managing these kinds of lists?