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Overview
Technology Services provides several mailing list solutions, including Texas A&M Google Groups, TAMUDirect, and Exchange distribution groups.
The TAMUDirect email service and Texas A&M Google Groups both use the Google groups service to distribute email. While they both use the same delivery system, the management for each is difference and each is appropriate for a different use case.
Exchange distribution groups are powered by the Technology Services Exchange server.
Differences
TAMUDirect
Features of TAMUDirect lists:
- Automated list membership based on enrollment and employment information
- Membership updated automatically nightly
- Easily view all TAMUDirect lists you have access to
Use cases for TAMUDirect lists:
- Class lists
- College, department, or majors lists
- Lists of employees within a group or division
- Any list where membership needs to be based on enrollment or employment data provided by Human Resources or Compass.
How to get a TAMUDirect list:
- TAMUDirect lists for courses can be created using the instructions in our knowledge base article on TAMUDirect general use.
- TAMUDirect lists for departments, colleges, majors, employees, etc., will need to email helpdesk@tamu.edu and request the list to be created. When contacting Help Desk Central with your request, include the following information:
- The name of the list (ex. All TAMU Technology Services Employees)
- The email address you would like. The end of your list will always be lists.tamu.edu. (ex. tamuit-emp-all@lists.tamu.edu)
- The criteria for inclusion in the list.
- Example for a University division: "All employees of Texas A&M Technology Services, including full time employees and student workers"
- Example for a college or major: "All undergraduate students in the college of Liberal Arts" or "All industrial design majors classified as sophomores"
Google Groups
Features:
- Full control of list settings
- Ability to add and remove list members on an as-needed basis
Use cases for Google Groups lists:
- Collaborative lists with individuals from outside of Texas A&M University
- Lists for university committees or organizations
- Any list where the membership is not based on information maintained by Human Resources or Compass
How to get a Texas A&M Google Group list:
- Email helpdesk@tamu.edu and request your list. When making your request, include the following information:
- The purpose of the list. Be clear when describing how your list will be used. Lists must conform to the Google Apps at Texas A&M Terms of Use and Texas A&M's agreement with Google concerning the use of Google Apps at Texas A&M. (ex. To collaborate with other universities in investigating the molecular biology of yeast used in fermentation of ale in 19th century Scotland)
- The name of the list (ex. Ale Yeast Investigation List)
- The email address you would like. The end of your list will always be lists.tamu.edu (ex. ale-yeast@lists.tamu.edu)
- The owner(s) of the list
- Full name
- email address (must be an address associated with a Google Account)
- Any special restrictions at the time the list is created. These can be changed by the list owner after the list has been created. (ex. "Do not list in the directory" "Only owners or managers can send to the list" or "Allow all list members to view the email addresses of other list members")
Exchange Distribution Groups
Features:
- Managed via https://exchange.tamu.edu/.
Use cases for Exchange distribution groups lists:
- All potential members of the mailing list will have an email account on https://exchange.tamu.edu/.
How to get an Exchange distribution group:
- A departmental Exchange administrator must request the group either by emailing helpdesk@tamu.edu or calling Help Desk Central at 979-845-8300 and asking that a request be opened for them. They should include the following information in the request:
- The name(s) of the group owner(s).
- The desired name of the group.
- The desired email address of the group.
- Exchange distribution group names and email addresses are subject to standardized naming conventions, so the requested name and/or email address must conform to them or may be modified to conform to them.
Interactions
Between TAMUDirect and Texas A&M Google Groups
Because TAMUDirect and Texas A&M Google Groups both use Google Groups to provide mail delivery, it is possible to change some list settings for TAMUDirect lists directly through the Google Groups interface. This can cause some issues with regard to list membership. Keep the following in mind:
- TAMUDirect list membership will always take priority over Google Group list membership.
- An addresses added in TAMUDirect will be added to the Google Group list during the nightly list refresh.
- Addresses added directly to the Google Group associated with a TAMUDirect list, but which are not added within TAMUDirect, will be removed during the refresh.
- Addresses removed directly within the Google Group but not removed from with TAMUDirect will be re-added to the Google Group during the nightly refresh.
In short, if your list is a TAMUDirect list, make ALL membership changes within TAMUDirect.
TAMU.EDU, EMAIL.TAMU.EDU, and EXCHANGE.TAMU.EDU addresses
Due to the way Google and Texas A&M University exchange account information, Google views NetID@email.tamu.edu and NetID@tamu.edu as the same individual and account. If one of these addresses is subscribed to either a TAMUDirect list or a Texas A&M Google Group, the other address will not be able to be added to the list as well. In the view of Google Groups, the new email is already on the list, and it will not add it twice.
Further, exchange.tamu.edu, email.tamu.edu, and tamu.edu all share the same namespace. This means that if a student has the address Student1@tamu.edu, they will also have the email address Student1@email.tamu.edu. They will not have the email address Student1@exchange.tamu.edu, however, unless they were also employed by Texas A&M. Even if they do not have an Exchange account, a distribution group named Student1@exchange.tamu.edu would not be able to be created due to the shared namespace. This is one of the primary reasons why standard naming conventions for Exchange distribution groups are in place; to prevent namespace conflicts.