First, determine if sending a mass mailing is appropriate:

• Do not send email to large distribution lists without careful planning and only when absolutely necessary. Email should only be used to communicate with the entire campus during extreme/emergency situations. For suggestions on alternative methods of communicating with large groups of people, please consult the Bulk Email Policy.
• Be careful not to spam other users by sending unsolicited junk mail.
• Make sure you are authorized to send mass mailings. You should familiarize yourself with the Technology Use Policy, Netiquette Guidelines, and the Proper Use of Email Guidelines before sending a mass mailing.
• Personal Groups, that you create using Campus Groups, have limited listserv functionality. If you require a monitored and/or a restricted listserv, request a traditional listserv.

Once you determine that sending a mass mailing is appropriate, here is what you need to know:

• You can send an email to a maximum of 500 recipients. We recommend that you divide your lists into smaller groups (less than 100, if possible) and send each email about 5 minutes apart, so as not to overload the mail server. If you overwhelm the mail server, everyone's email will be delayed including your own.
• When composing your email, put the email addresses in the BCC (blind carbon copy) field. This way, when someone Replies to All, it will only reply to you and not all addresses in the group.

If you suspect abuse of Boston College's email, report it immediately, with any evidence, to abuse@bc.edu. Do not delete the email from your inbox until you have heard back from the abuse hotline.