Generic email addresses
OTI does NOT provide generic email accounts on the JES email system, but we do provide generic email addresses. TThe difference is that an account is something that you would login to with a username and password other than your FSUID while an email address is just an address (other than your standard personal FSU email address) that can accept email. There are two ways that generic email accounts can be used: 1) as a Shared Folder or 2) as a group alias that forwards to one or more individuals.
Shared Folders
A Shared Folder is an email folder that one or more individuals can access within their own FSU JES email accounts. Email sent to a generic address is collected in the shared folder. Then several people have access to that folder, the same as if it were a folder in their own JES account. Any changes that are made to the emails in the folder (deleted, replied to, read/unread, etc) are visible to anyone looking at the shared folder. If necessary, permissions can be set-up so that certain members of the list only have certain permissions for the folder (for instance, they can read, but not delete emails).
Group Aliases
A Group Alias is a list of email addresses that receive email send to a generic email address. Email sent to the generic address is forwarded on to everyone in the group alias. All of the people get their own copy of the email message in their own email account inbox. Both JES email accounts (@fsu.edu's) and non-JES email accounts can be members of the group alias.
How do I get a generic email address?
Generic email addresses can be created for departments or departmental projects, but not for individuals. Generic email addresses must be in the form of dept-alias@fsu.edu (or alias@dept.fsu.edu in cases where the domain is hosted on the JES email system).dept is an acronymn or abbreviation identifier for the department and alias identifies the group or purpose of the email address.
Generic email addresses can be requested by full-time faculty or staff by emailing help@fsu.edu by providing the following information:
- the email address being requested (dept-alias@fsu.edu)
- will it be a "Shared Folder" or "Group Alias"
- for shared folders - what the the FSUIDs of the people who should have access or for group aliases - what email addresses should it forward to
- who, if anyone, should have permissions to modify the list. If no one is given admin permissions, then modifications would need to be sent to help@fsu.edu by one of the current members
How do I access the email to my generic email address?
Subscribing to a Shared Folder in Webmail
- Login to Webmail
- Click on "Manage Folders"
- Click on "Subscribe"
- Select "All Shared Folders" from the drop-down.
- Click "Go"
- The folder(s) should be listed by name
- Check the box(es) next to the folder(s)
- Click "Subscribe"
Subscribing to a Shared Folder in an Email Client
If you have your client (such as Thunderbird, Outlook or Eudora) already set up up to check your @fsu.edu account, you just need to subscribe to the folder. The exact details vary between clients, but you can contact the Help Desk (850-644-HELP or help@fsu.edu) if you need assistance.
If you do not have your client set up to check your @fsu.edu account already, then you will need to configure it to check your @fsu.edu account. Instructions are found here on the Help Desk website, use the ones marked "JES" and specific to your client. Once you have the account set up, you will then still need to subscribe to the folder(s).
How do I send from my generic email address?
It is possible to send email out "From:" your generic email address if you are using an email client such as Thunderbird or Outlook. It is NOT possible to do from Webmail.
In Thunderbird: Go to the "Account Settings". On the main page for your JES account, click on "Manage Identities...". Add a new identity and type in your generic email address into the "Email Address" box. You can also specify a different Name and signature that you might want to use for email sent "From" your generic address.
Also, if you click on the "Copies & Folders" tab, you can choose to save "Sent" mail for this address to a separate folder. You must create a "Sent" sub-folder of your Shared Folder from the folder list page before you can choose it from the "Manage Identities" page.
Once you are done setting up your secondary identity, you can click "OK" to save it. When you are replying to an email sent TO the generic email address, Thunderbird will automatically select the identity that sends email out FROM the generic email address, if that identity exists. If you are Composing a new message and you want it to come FROM your generic email address, you can select the From: email address from a dropdown box in your compose window.
In Outlook 2007: From the Options menu, select "Show From".
In Outlook 2003: In the View menu, make sure "From Field" is checked.
Now you will have a "From" box in your Compose windows. Leave it blank to have emails sent out as yourself (using your default account settings). Fill it in with your generic email address to send from that address.
How can I change the members of my mail group?
Groups can be setup to have an administrator that is permitted to change the memberlist for the group. To request to become a group administrator, please email help@fsu.edu and include your FSUID and the group email address. You may be asked to verify ownership of the group.
Administrators can use the "Edit your Email Groups" utility in FSUID to add or remove members from a group. To access the utility:
1) Login to theFSUID website.
2) Click on "Web Applications". (If you are not an administrator for any groups, you will not see "Web Applications" listed in the left-side menu.)
3) Click on "Edit Your Email Groups".
4) Choose the group you want to edit.
5) Fill out the form to add and/or remove members.
6) When your "Group Members" list is correct, then click "Save".
Please note: Once you click "Save", do not re-edit your group for at least 10 minutes or else your previous changes may be overwritten by any new changes you save.
