Groups and Forums
Groups IO
Groups IO
Groups IO came to the forefront around 2019 with the dismemberment of Yahoo Groups, however they have been around since 2014. Initially the platform offered free and robustfeaturesbutby2020,theyintroduced a pricing structure and severely limited the features of their basic group.
Still, for many chapters, either a Basic (free) or a Premium account ($220/year) is budget worthy. A Premium account comes with Subgroup options. For larger chapters that meanseveryoneofNGs/SIGsandtheir Chapter Advisory Board (CAB) can have their own communication forum group at no additional cost.
It is a somewhat complex platform to administer. On the plus side there are extensive online help manuals and at least twousergroupsdedicatedtoassisting group owners in a very timely manner.
https://groups.io/g/GroupManagersForum
https://groups.io/g/Group_Help
Groups IO came to the forefront around 2019 with the dismemberment of Yahoo Groups, however they have been around since 2014. Initially the platform offered free and robustfeaturesbutby2020,theyintroduced a pricing structure and severely limited the features of their basic group.
Still, for many chapters, either a Basic (free) or a Premium account ($220/year) is budget worthy. A Premium account comes with Subgroup options. For larger chapters that meanseveryoneofNGs/SIGsandtheir Chapter Advisory Board (CAB) can have their own communication forum group at no additional cost.
It is a somewhat complex platform to administer. On the plus side there are extensive online help manuals and at least twousergroupsdedicatedtoassisting group owners in a very timely manner.
https://groups.io/g/GroupManagersForum
https://groups.io/g/Group_Help
Workspace Groups
Workpace Groups (WG) offered by Google operates the same as Google Groups with very little changesince2010.
Attachments are stored on the server and accessible in searches. Subscriptions can be set to individual which makes delivery timely. Members can be directly added and do not need to be adomainuser.
Any personal email address can be added. A footer is required giving members the ability to unsubscribe.
The WG posting address is of your own choosing and will end in your domain name. This means it iseasily recognized by your board and members as coming fromalegitimatesource.
On the downside is that support comes through Community Forums and that means questions may not be answered in a timely or robust fashion.
The WG posting address is of your own choosing and will end in your domain name. This means it iseasily recognized by your board and members as coming fromalegitimatesource.
On the downside is that support comes through Community Forums and that means questions may not be answered in a timely or robust fashion.
Group Works
Group Works (GW) is used by a good number of ASG chapters. The biggest plus is
seniorfocusedhandholdingandtheircommitmenttoprivacy.Eachgroup recieves ongoing, hand-holding Support. In fact, Spencer, one of the staff is able to join your group so he can fix and assist you in
everyway.
GW is free. To be approved you must be a hobby or club and go through their approval process. You can then directly add your members. Once added, your members will haveaGWaccountandcanuseitsearch for and join other groups on GW.
A key drawback is the lack of control over subscription options. There is no option to receive individual posts so that results in communication delays of days up to aweek. Another drawback is the requirement to log in to read the post. Only the subject line is delivered in the digest. For some, the requirement to login and then locate the posted content seems tedious and convoluted.
On the plus side, their help and support is ever present, including calls to your members should they ask for it.
GW is free. To be approved you must be a hobby or club and go through their approval process. You can then directly add your members. Once added, your members will haveaGWaccountandcanuseitsearch for and join other groups on GW.
A key drawback is the lack of control over subscription options. There is no option to receive individual posts so that results in communication delays of days up to aweek. Another drawback is the requirement to log in to read the post. Only the subject line is delivered in the digest. For some, the requirement to login and then locate the posted content seems tedious and convoluted.
On the plus side, their help and support is ever present, including calls to your members should they ask for it.
User Created Forums
There are free and low coast platforms that will let you create and administer your own forum for group discussion and distribution lists. These will most likely require considerable knowledge along
with the skill set to create and maintain.
Reviews of platforms to create your own discussion forum
Reviews of platforms to create your own discussion forum