ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) has announced its newest service for the campus community: Time Away Responder. If you've been waiting for this service, it's here. Time Away Responder (TAR) tells people who e-mail you that you are away (perhaps on business, vacation, or medical leave) and that you'll respond to them once you return.

Here's how it works. Using TAR does not affect the way your incoming mail is handled. All messages will continue to be delivered and will be available to you at any time. So if you unexpectedly get the chance to check your e-mail, everything will be there, waiting for you, even though you've turned TAR on. Each person who sends you a message will receive a message containing the text you've chosen. They will only receive this "I'm away" message from you once per week.

Your TAR settings affect only messages sent to an address such as <something@cornell.edu>, not <something@department.cornell.edu>. It doesn't matter where or how you read your messages (Eudora, uPortal.Cornell mail, WebMail, or forwarded to another address).

To set up your Time Away Responder, visit the Electronic Mail section of http://whoiam.cornell.edu/whoiam/. Scroll down to the Time Away Responder section and check the box next to "I will be away until." Select a date when you want TAR to turn off automatically, enter the message you want sent in the text box (include at least the date you expect to return), and click "Set It." TAR will become active immediately.

Time Away Responder will remain active until one of two things happens: You return to the Electronic Mail page of Who I Am, remove the check in the "I will be away" box, and click "Set it." TAR will be turned off immediately. Or, TAR will be turned off for you at approximately 12:01 a.m. (just after midnight, Ithaca time) on the date you picked.

Time Away Responder will not cause problems with your electronic mailing lists, nor will it affect the security of your e-mail messages.

For more information, including frequently asked questions, visit http://www.cit.cornell.edu/computer/email/timeaway/. For assistance, call the CIT Contact Center at 255-8890 or send e-mail to helpdesk@cornell.edu.