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E-mail netiquette: broadcasts...
A few friendly "netiquette"
suggestions for all SMC e-mail users who want to broadcast announcements to
large distribution lists (e.g., FACULTY_ALL):
Please remember that your message is
reaching hundreds of mailboxes at SMC. Imagine all these people, crowded to overflowing capacity into the
SMC Amphitheater -- and you ceremoniously step up to the podium to make a statement.
Whatever you wouldn't say speaking into that imaginary microphone, please think twice
about sending in a written e-mail message addressed to the same crowd of people.
For long messages, reference a link to
a webpage. Put the bulk of your information on a webpage -- interested recipients
can click on the link you've provided, while others will find your unsolicited e-mail far
less intrusive than if you cram all the information into the body of your message.
"Brevity is the soul of wit," Shakespeare wrote; he probably couldn't anticipate
that e-mail recipients would also be particularly appreciative of it, especially if the
message is only marginally work-related.
Refrain from using file attachments
when sending a broadcast e-mail message. Most of your recipients are rightly wary of
opening unsolicited attachments due to concerns about computer viruses. (The e-mail
system will intercept and render harmless all KNOWN message-borne viruses prior to
delivery; sometimes, however, NEW strains suddenly appear, justifying the general
admonition to treat with suspicion all messages with file attachments that arrive
unsolicited from an unknown source or in an unusual manner.) A few extra minutes of
your time cutting-and-pasting text will save hundreds of others the time and anxiety of
opening an attachment just to review your message.
Avoid engaging in discussions via the
college distribution lists. Such expansive exchanges can easily bog down the e-mail
system. Moreover, not all recipients are willing participants -- don't frustrate
them to the point that they are tempted to add you to their Junk Mailer list.
Instead, e-mail postmaster@smc.edu to have a
Public Folder set up in the discussion area. The folder can even be configured to
allow only certain groups or departments to read and/or post items in it. Outlook
users can also drag any Public Folder's icon into their Shortcut Bar where it is easily
accessible and visible, and a counter beneath the icon will then automatically update as
new postings are made. Clicking the icon immediately opens the folder without having
to navigate to it.
Note: Due to widespread abuse of the DISTRICT distribution list following
the events of 9/11/01, a new policy was promulgated to restrict who may use this
particular list for broadcasts. The concern remains that, since messages addressed to this list reach over 2,500 mailboxes, broadcasts must be work-related and of general interest to the majority of targeted recipients.
Those wishing to disseminate information should also consider whether other lists might more narrowly target intended recipients, such as
FACULTY_ALL, ALL_CLASSIFIED_STAFF, or ACADEMIC_ADMINISTRATORS. In any event, all broadcasts should be brief, contain no file attachments, and ideally should reference a webpage where more detailed information is available.
Last Updated: June 08, 2011
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