California State University, Los Angeles
Campus-wide Email Etiquette
Your
campus-wide e-mail could put undo stress on the campus network and
e-mail servers. And, worse, you could be considered a campus
spammer. So, before you dash off that campus-wide e-mail
advertising your department’s or organization’s event, lecture
series, or gathering, consider the following:
Does the Entire Campus Really Need to Know?
Target your audience. Is your news something that the entire campus needs to know? Is it really of interest to such a wide audience? If not, target your audience. Create distribution lists to include only those who need to or want to get your message.
Do You Have to Use E-mail?
If your message is long or graphic-intensive, use a communications vehicle other than campus-wide e-mail:
- Campus Calendar
- Flier
- Public Folder
- University Times advertisement
- Web page
If campus-wide e-mail is the only option, make your message short and use a link to refer the reader to more detailed information that can be found elsewhere (such as a web page, etc.).
Do You Have to Use Graphics?
Inserting pictures, backgrounds, and stationery increases the size of your e-mail message. Remember, a campus-wide distribution reaches approximately 3,050 mailboxes. Your 650Kb e-mail message sent to the entire campus will consume almost 2 megabytes as it travels across the network and resides on the e-mail servers. Do not use pictures or graphics unless absolutely necessary for a small logo or business icon that identifies an organization or department.
Does the Distribution List Have to Be Visible?
It
is considered a breach of etiquette to include a large
distribution list in the To field of an e-mail message. If a
campus-wide e-mail gets printed out or forwarded, approximately
3,050 e-mail addresses will be visible. A better solution is to
put the distribution list in the Bcc (blind carbon copy)
field. Leave the To field blank or enter the originating
mailbox in it.
Do You Have to Send the E-mail to Everyone at Once?
Sending 3,050 messages at the same time puts a strain on the network and e-mail system. If you must send campus-wide e-mail, create a few copies of the same message and send each to only a portion of the distribution list. For example, use the Bcc field and address the first message to only Global Address Book entries A – E, the second message to F – J, and so on. Schedule each message to be sent an hour or two apart. That will help ease network traffic as much as possible. With the message open Outlook Exchange, follow these steps to schedule it:
- From the menu bar, select View ► Options. The Message Options dialog box appears (see Figure 1).
- In the Delivery Options section, click in the Do not deliver before: checkbox to select it. Click the “date” down-arrow, and click on the date you want the message sent. Click on the “time” down-arrow, and click on the time you want the message sent.
Figure 1
Why Not Stagger the Delivery Schedule?
Scheduling your entire campus-wide e-mail delivery for 2:00 a.m. will not decrease the burden on the network and e-mail services. Even staggering delivery in the early morning hours means that all the messages will likely be delivered before the recipients arrive on campus. Then, when most of the 3, 050 individuals first arrive on campus, access Outlook, and open your e-mail at approximately the same time, a huge burden is placed on the network and e-mail servers. A better solution is to stagger the message distribution throughout the day. That way, a smaller number of recipients would likely be opening your e-mail simultaneously.
When Should the Message Expire?
Campus-wide e-mail should contain only timely information. In the Message Options dialog box (see Figure 1), check the Expires after checkbox and set a reasonable expiration date of one or two weeks. Then the message won’t sit on the e-mail servers indefinitely.
Do You Really Need 3,050 Delivery and Read Receipts?
Are you going to keep track of what messages got delivered and which of the 3.050 were read? Probably not. If you send a campus-wide e-mail, make sure that those Voting and Tracking options are de-selected – that is, leave the checkboxes blank (see Figure 1).
Campus E-mail Etiquette
If you don’t want to be accused of being a campus spammer, follow these simple suggestions when you send a campus-wide email:
- Target your audience. Send messages to a limited distribution – to those who need or want to know your information.
- Keep your message short, and refer readers to more detailed information published elsewhere (e.g., "The news bulletin is now available in the Department Public Folder.").
- Avoid graphics, backgrounds, and stationery whenever possible. Use plain text instead.
- Put the distribution list in the Bcc field.
- Divide a huge distribution list and send your message to each of the smaller distribution lists.
- Schedule e-mail delivery during working hours.
- Stagger the delivery schedule to avoid clogging the network and unduly burdening the e-mail service.
- Set an expiration date so the message will disappear after it is no longer needed.