1. Overview
2. Working With Aliases
   • Other Examples
   • Electronic (Listserv) List Considerations
   • POP Mail Considerations
3. Customizing Personal Names
4. Possible Future Additions

Overview

The University's E-mail system supports personal names or aliases for normal e-mail addresses. Personal names or aliases provide UConn students, faculty and staff with more "personalized" and easier to read e-mail addresses. In addition, personal names make it easier for people outside the University to"guess" a person's address.

Current e-mail addresses will remain in effect. For example,

• sap94002@uconnvm.uconn.edu (student)
• uccadm01@uconnvm.uconn.edu (administrative staff)
• jsmith@engr.uconn.edu (faculty)

In addition each person can elect to use a personal name, or alias e-mail address, constructed as follows:

These aliases point to the real e-mail addresses which are currently registered in the centrally-maintained student and personnel data files.If you have not registered your e-mail address, you may do so using the on-line E-Mail & Web Address Registration and Personal Name Requests Form.

If you have more than one e-mail address, your alias points only to the address which is registered with the University.

If you do not want your e-mail address shared on the web, contact the Registrar to request that a privacy hold be put on your records.

Again, you do not have to use the alias. If you like your current e-mail address (e.g., jsmith@engr.uconn.edu) and do not want to use the (lengthier) alias (e.g., John.M.Smith@uconn.edu), you can continue using your current e-mail address.

Working with Aliases

If you want people to use your e-mail alias, you must tell them what it is. Below are some relevant recommendations:

1. Request other people to contact you using the following format:
   firstname.middleinitial.lastname@uconn.edu

   This format avoids most conflicts which might arise when two or more people at the University share the same first and last names. For example, if two people have the same first and last names, their e-mail aliases must differ (by at least) the middle initial.

   For example, John (Matthew) Smith and John (Joseph) Smith, both undergraduates, should inform their correspondents to send e-mail to them using the following e-mail aliases, respectively:

       John.M.Smith@uconn.edu

       John.J.Smith@uconn.edu

   Please Note: E-mail aliases are NOT case sensitive. They can be entered in lower case, upper case or mixed case.

2. When two or more individuals at the University share the same first and last names AND middle initial, the e-mail aliases for these people must also include a distinguishing "sequence number". Sequence numbers are assigned by the system. You cannot specify your own sequence number.

   For example, two John (Matthew) Smiths are differentiated as follows:

       John.M.2.Smith@uconn.edu

       John.M.3.Smith@uconn.edu

   Sequence numbers are assigned beginning with the number 2. The number 0 (zero) and 1 (one) are not used to avoid any possible confusion with the letter O (oh), the lowercase letter l (el) or the uppercase I (eye).

3. In the event that a correspondent is not aware that there are two individuals with the same name at the University (e.g., two John Matthew Smiths) and sends e-mail using a non-distinguishing e-mail alias (e.g., John.M.Smith@uconn.edu) his or her e-mail will be marked as "undeliverable" and returned with some other information which may help him or her determine the correct e-mail alias.

   For example, an undeliverable and returned e-mail message might contain the following lines of information:

   John.M.2.Smith@uconn.edu  Undergraduate: Student  <jms93001@uconnvm.uconn.edu>
   John.M.3.Smith@uconn.edu  ENGINEERING: PROFESSOR  <jsmith@engr.uconn.edu>
   

   Note also that the "real" e-mail address (pointed to by the alias) is also displayed.

4. If you believe that your alias (including middle initial) might conflict with someone else's, then you might test the alias before giving it to your correspondents. To test your e-mail alias, send e-mail to yourself using the standard alias format (i.e., firstname.middleinitial.lastname@uconn.edu).

   If you receive the e-mail you sent to yourself, then the e-mail alias you used is unique within the system.

   If your e-mail is returned to you as undeliverable, you'll know that the recommended e-mail alias is not unique in the system. Review the messages as described above to determine your correct alias.

   Note: Everyone was assigned a sequence number to provide a unique e-mail alias. However, if your test e-mail messages to an alternate format of your alias (e.g., firstname.middleinitial.lastname@uconn.edu or firstname.lastname@uconn.edu) were successfully received, then you do not need to use the sequence number.

1. If someone sends e-mail to j.smith@uconn.edu, and more than one person exists with that initial and last name, the e-mail is returned as undeliverable. The informational list of alternative e-mail aliases now may include any number of phonetically similar e-mail aliases.

   The list of alternate e-mail aliases can also be received by sending e-mail to ?.Smith@uconn.edu.

   The returned e-mail might contain an informational list similar to this:

      Donald.M.2.Smith    Undergraduate: Student   <dms93001@uconnvm.uconn.edu>

      Jack.C.2.Smith      Undergraduate: Student   <jcs93001@uconnvm.uconn.edu>

      John.M.2.Smith      Undergraduate: Student   <jms93001@uconnvm.uconn.edu>

      John.M.3.Smith      Engineering: Professor   <jsmith@engr.uconn.edu>

2. If a spelling error is made when sending e-mail to an alias, the e-mail is returned as undeliverable. In some instances, the sender may receive only one potential alias.

   For example, typing Jhn.J.Smith@uconn.edu, might result in the following:

      John.J.Smith   Undergraduate: Student   <jjs93001@uconnvm.uconn.edu>

3. There are also some miscellaneous instances such as omitting the dot (".") in the alias name or using a nickname instead of a full name (John instead of Jonathan) where you may see that the informational message indicates that no user with that name has been found.

   For example, typing JohnMSmith@uconn.edu or John.Smith@uconn.edu might result in the following returned e-mail message:

   --> Error description:
   
   Error-For:  JOHNMSMITH@UCONNVM.UCONN.EDU
   Alias:      JOHNMSMITH@UCONN.EDU
   Alias:      JOHNMSMITH@UCONNVM.NJE
   Error-Code: 3
   Error-Text: No such local user. See UConn e-mail addresses at
               http://www.uconn.edu/. For alternate searches send mail to
               ?.lastname@UCONN.EDU
   
   
   Error-End:  One error reported.
   

   Note the phrase No such local user.

4. It is also best not to use your CMS user ID@uconn.edu as your alias. While this may work now, there could be an instance that someone could request that as their alias in the future. (Please see Customizable Nicknames.)

• If you subscribe to an electronic list with your e-mail alias, you must also post using that same alias.

• If you believe that your alias (including middle initial) might conflict with someone else, then test the alias before subscribing to the list. This will minimize the potential for future conflicts.

If you are using a POP Mail client and wish to change your settings to include your alias address, do the following:

• Enter your alias address wherever you are asked to enter your e-mail address or Reply-to Address.
• Enter your CMS user ID (or user name in your e-mail address) wherever you are asked to enter your login name or POP3 User Name.

If your name is James and you prefer to be called Jim, or you prefer to go by your middle name instead of your first name, you may now revise your personal name. You must go to the web site for registering e-mail and web addresses to request a different personal name. The first available one will be assigned. The form is located at the following web site:

If you already had an alias and want to customize it, your previous alias will work until September 1, 2000. This will allow you to contact your correspondants and inform them of your new alias. If you want to change your alias again, your previouw alias will work for 30 days.