There are several tools available for emailing large numbers of people. GroupMail is particularly suited to personalized mailings. In some cases using a mailing list with Mailman is a better option. Small mailings may not require GroupMail and may be able to use Outlook.
Mailman
Overview
- Send identical message to everyone subscribed to your list
- Manage moderation/archive/subscribers
- Use for large lists of people
- Allows people to remove themselves from the list
Price
No charge service provided by IST. See Bulk mailing.
Outlook
- Intended for single messages.
- Groups up to 150 could be included in a single message
- Limits on sending might be reached (1000 emails in 24 hours)
Outlook mail merge with Word / Excel
- Allows customization but is a slow process
- May be acceptable for smaller mailings (up to about 50)
- Not always clear whether messages are sent
GroupMail
Overview
- Allows personalized email messages (mail merge)
- Can be configured to pause while sending so does not hit limits on email traffic
- Handles HTML templates more consistently than Outlook
- Provides feedback on whether messages are sent
Price
- Sold per machine
- Various editions depending on volume and other requirements
Where to buy
Course notes
- 'Introduction to GroupMail' course notes can be found on SharePoint. Use your WatIAM account and password to sign in, and then select "ITPD Handouts" in the left panel.