Email Tree - Draft Policy for its use

Context

Over the last decade and up until quite recently, email has become the most ubiquitous form of communication between individuals, between individuals and organisations and within organisations. Although the use of social media is starting to replace emails in this first group email remains an important form of communication. Such is the use of emails that in many organisations email inboxes can become full very quickly and policies are put in place to manage the amount of email traffic, e.g. reducing the number of CCs.

Alongside the rise of email use has been the rapid rise of email 'spam' which blights the accounts of most users. 'Spam' is considered to be unsolicited or unwanted email and for many people accounts for the majority of emails received.

Why do we need a policy?

The HOC email tree contains the email addresses of all Harlequins members; full members, 2nd claim, life and Honorary. Most of these email accounts will be used for other social and business purposes and as such may receive a high volume of 'spam'. While HOC members have provided their email addresses to the club for the purpose of receiving club related messages relating to events and social functions, it is incumbent on the controller of the email tree to ensure that emails from the club to members are germane and do not become perceived as 'spam' due to their frequency and lack of relevance to the recipient.

The Policy

1. The HOC email tree will be maintained by the Membership Secretary, from information held on the BOF database
2. Requests to send emails to members via the HOC email tree will be made to the Membership Secretary
3. When making a request to invoke the email tree a balance should be sought between the importance of the message, its urgency and its intended audience as a proportion of the total HOC membership. Consider whether there is another medium which is more appropriate, such as the HOC Forum, AdHoc or emails to individuals. The Committee delegates to the Membership Secretary the final decision about this balance, or whether to suggest that another medium should be used

For example, it would be inappropriate to use the email tree to advertise the sale of a pair of size 8 orienteering shoes as only a few recipients are likely to be interested. The Forum and/or adHoc would be a better medium. However, it would be appropriate to use it to advertise a one off, short-notice sale of a range of orienteering merchandise specifically for Harlequins members, as this would be of interest to a large proportion of recipients.

Another example; It would not be appropriate to use the email tree to advertise a level A event in the region as this information is already available through other well established channels; but it would be appropriate to use it to advertise an event where HOC enters as a team, such as the Compass Sport Cup, in which the club needs as many members as possible to participate.

 

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