About eNewsletter

eNewsletter is a campuswide electronic newsletter and announcements system that functions on two levels:

• It provides a subscription system to push news and announcements to subscribers
• It provides a weekly email digest to faculty and staff and students listing the newsletter issues that have been published during the previous week.

This system was written to provide a solution to the mass email dilemma. On one hand, we have a campus mass email policy that protects individuals from receiving large numbers of unsolicited/unsanctioned email messages. On the other hand, there are legitimate needs for communicating via email to broad audience groups. This system, through the weekly email digest, sums the messages up into one collective email message.

Rules for Using the System

• Any unit or organization that can have a Web site can have a newsletter
• This is not for individual publishers
• There needs to be a limited number of newsletters per unit. Audience groups may influence the number of newsletters needed, but try to consolidate as much as possible
• Control rests with an administrator who grants access to publishing

What is an eNewsletter?

• It can be a self-contained message or announcement
• OR it can contain phrases or short paragraphs of text that "tease" the reader to click on links to a Web site outside the system for more information
• Can be text based or HTML based
• An audience is selected
• Everyone (includes the public)
• Faculty and staff, and students
• Faculty and staff only
• Students only
• A copy of the newsletter/announcement is stored in the system. Users can visit previous issues but only if they fit the audience role
• Publishers must agree not to disclose or release subscriber names

Features of the Subscription System

• Provides the ability to push specific newsletters or announcements to various audiences through a managed subscriber base
• Subscribers receive an email message as soon as each new issue of the newsletter is created
• Publishers can add and remove subscribers
• Subscribers can opt-out of the subscription at any time

Features of the Weekly email Digest

• Every Monday, the system will send a digest of issues published the previous week via a no-opt-out email message
• Separate digests are sent to faculty and staff members and students
• When creating the newsletter, the publisher has the option to participate or not to participate in the digest
• Which digest an issue will be included in is determined by the audience choices made when the newsletter is set up
• The digest will list the name of the organization and the newsletter and the subject line for the newsletter issue. Links provide a connection to the stored version of the issue and from there to past issues.

See Creating eNewletters for more information including a link to a publisher request form and user documentation.