Sending Specialized Emails

SENDING SPECIALIZED EMAIL

Smith Mail is the recommended email application for almost every message, but it cannot be used for certain specialized types of email. Email is considered specialized if it meets any of the following criteria:

The message incorporates special formatting (e.g., custom layout or graphics) that must be visible to recipients
The message must be personalized for each recipient through a mail-merge process
The number of recipient addresses exceeds Google's per message sending limits:

No more than 500 external (non-Smith) addresses per message
No more than 1500 internal (Smith) addresses per message
No more than 2000 total addresses per message

Note: Some users may also need to keep Google's other sending limits in mind. For example, a given Smith Mail account can send to no more than 3,000 unique email addresses per day.

ITS recommends different sending methods for each of these cases depending on the specific characteristics of the message to be sent. The chart below provides guidance on choosing the right solution for various types of specialized mail.

If you have any questions about which method to use, please call the IT Service Center at x4487 or send email to 4its@smith.edu.

Type	Message Characteristics	Recommended Solution
1	- Number of addresses falls within Google limits - No special formatting or mail merge required	Smith Mail with standard addressing
2	- Number of addresses exceeds Google's per-message sending limit - No special formatting or mail merge required Example: Message sent to external email addresses of all incoming first-years	Mozilla Thunderbird configured for bulk email
3	- Any number of recipients - No special formatting or mail merge required - Message intended for all staff and/or faculty in a Smith department - System-defined Google Group (-s group) exists Example: Smith Mail to eng-staff-s@smith.edu Note that a Google Group address counts as one address, no matter how many individual addresses the Group contains	Smith Mail to email address of system-defined Google Group
4	- Any number of recipients - No special formatting or mail merge required - Message intended for members of a user-defined Google Group - You have rights to send email to the Group's address Example: Smith Mail to mygroup-u@smith.edu Note that a Google Group address counts as one address, no matter how many individual addresses the Group contains	Smith Mail to email address of user-defined Google Group Creating a Google Group
5	- Any number of addresses - Message requires special formatting and/or mail merge (up to 14 fields)	Broadcast email system (PCI) Contact College Relations
6	- Any number of addresses - No special formatting required - Message requires mail merge	Microsoft Outlook instructions to configure for data merge
7	- Any number of recipients entered in Banner - No special formatting required - Mail merge may be required - Sender has rights to use Banner function	Banner Admin email service