Introduction

Questions regularly arise regarding the “who, what, and how” of Broadcast Electronic Mail (Email) at the University: who can send it? what is permissible to send? how to send it? This document answers those questions.

Before providing these answers, it is important to first establish that Broadcast Email, as it is used in the context of this policy, has the following characteristics:

• It is email sent by individuals, organizations and departments within Boston University to other members of the University community, including alumni and parents of current or former BU students.
• In general, the target population is all or a large fraction of any group selected on the basis of one or more shared characteristics, e.g., all freshmen, the undergraduates within a college, faculty at the University.
• The target population is typically large, commonly numbering at least in the hundreds.

In addition to articulating policy, a secondary purpose of this document is to provide guidelines to facilitate effective communication when sending Broadcast Email. Central to the evaluation of message effectiveness is the determination that email is the most appropriate means of communicating with a particular constituency. It is worth noting that there are alternatives to email that may be preferable. The final section of this document describes several email alternatives that are available at Boston University.

To request an email list of Key University Administrators, visit
www.bu.edu/infocenter/keyadmin

• Introduction
• Policy
• Target Constituencies and Required Written Approvals (Table 1)
• Broadcast E-Mail Guidelines
• Procedures
• Alternatives to E-mail

NIS/WebCentral | OIT | October 14, 2009