Introduction

Sending unsolicited email messages to large groups (bulk email), except as required to conduct authorized TTU business, is a violation of TTU IT Security Policies and the terms of service for Microsoft 365 email (TechMail). Certain controls exist to prevent this. For instance, each individual TechMail message is restricted to a maximum number of recipients. (This includes any recipients that are members of a personal distribution list.) TechMail system also contains intelligent outbound message protections to guard against spam. Accounts may be limited to sending a particular number of messages in a certain time frame.

Accounts identified as having violated the terms of service may be restricted from sending further email messages. To avoid having restrictions placed on your account, please review our tips below.

Suggestions on reaching a large number of individuals

Several options exist to allow you to reach to a large number of people:

• Post to TechAnnounce. TechAnnounce has proven to be highly effective in reaching the campus community – our analytics tools show that thousands read TechAnnounce each day.
• If it is an event, post it to Events@TexasTech.
• For surveys, use SurveyMonkey through TTU's licensing agreement.
• If this is departmental in nature, an NSC for your department can request one or more distribution lists and appoint you as the manager of the list. You could then add everyone you needed to the list (only users who are in the global address list (GAL) could be added to the lists). The distribution list would only count as one recipient. Then, if there are users who are not in the GAL, you could either add them to the "To" line individually or create a personal distribution list. Each of these recipients would count as one each, however. In fact, you could create a personal distribution list in Outlook (File > New > Distribution List) and add the Global Distribution List to it, as well as all of the other members that are not in the GAL.
• Set up a Lyris mailing list. This can be used for internal or external recipients.
• If there are no options other than sending bulk messages, consider using a functional mailbox, requesting an accompanying @mailers.ttu.edu address, and sending through a third-party mailing service using the @mailers.ttu.edu address you obtained.