On October 9, 1998, I started my first group with a group service called onelist.com. Onelist later sold out to e-groups, and e-groups eventually sold out to yahoogroups.
I started the first group with very little knowledge or experience, because groups were very new, at the time. It was more of an experiment, with no long-range goals in site. It was a grief group; our goal was to simply get through one day at a time.
Since then, the first group has grown into a large vibrant e-community, other groups have evolved from the first group, and we?ve set up various website related to the groups also.
We've also developed a variety of group projects.
The groups I've been involved with are all through yahoogroups, so my directions may fit YG more than other group services, but most of the information would probably work no matter who provides the group service.
I have been asked how to set up a group. Right now, I will address 4 issues for those who are considering setting up a group.
First, I have a few questions to help you decide if you are ready to set up a group. Then, I'll offer homework suggestions to help you prepare for setting the group up. Next, I'll give specific suggestions on how to set the group up and get it off the ground, and finally, I?ll include a few group rules or policies you to can pick from to use when you first start the group.
A. Are you ready to start a group?
Ask yourself the questions below to help you assess your readiness to set up an Internet group. If you are honest in your answers, you will know whether to continue with your plans or not.
1. Do you have time to invest in preparing for a group, setting it up, getting it going, and in managing it?
2. Do you have decent communication skills?
3. Do you have a reliable Internet connection?
4. Do you have patience to explain (and re-explain) sign up procedures and group policies to those who do not follow directions or remember them?
5. Do you have enough knowledge to deal with the issues that your group will be addressing?
6. Do you have enough experience to bring to the group so that they will see you as a leader, not as a follower?
7. Do you have enough tact and diplomacy to deal with trouble-makers in the group in a respectful way?
8. If your group deals with people who are working through personal issues, have you worked through your own issues to the point that you can focus on their needs more than your own?
9. If your group is open to the public, would you have trouble embracing members who come from different backgrounds or values or lifestyles from your own?
10. Do you need to be the star, the center of attention, or are you comfortable in your own skin, doing what you need behind the scenes without recognition?
11. Are you willing to share responsibility for the group, or do you feel the need to be in absolute control?
12. Do you anticipate the group being a pleasant challenge, or a chore?
13. Do you have the commitment to do the work involved over a long period of time?
B. If you are ready, what homework needs to be done before setting up a group?
1. Establish whether there is a need for the group.
Search the Internet, YahooGroups, msn.com and any other services that may attract the people you would want to connect with to see what's available.
If there are groups, study their mission statements, their level of activity, and how long they have been in existence.
You may need to contact people you know who share the same interest to get feedback from them on whether there is a real need for this new group or not. Listen to what they say.
If there are already similar groups, is there a need for another group, or would it be a waste of time to start a new one? If you believe that there is a need, how would your group be different?
2. After you establish that there is a need, write a basic mission statement for the group so that it?s clear who would be in the group and the direction it would go in.
3. Give your group a name: short and focused.
4. Find the right group hosting service by comparing what's available.
5. Read and study all of the information and directions about setting up a group at the hosting site you select. Make sure you understand all of the services, options and limits.
6. Identify the population that would be interested in your group and where you would find them.
C. Preparing to Set the Group Up
1. Write a brief group description to go along with the mission statement. The description should identify who qualifies for the group and any requirements of members.
2. Decide on the group policies or rules. Simple is best. Write up the list of rules or policies and then get someone to read over them, playing the devil's advocate to make sure they are clearly stated.
3. Make other decisions about group functioning based on what the group service offers.
Do you need to use a database to keep information about the members?
Do you need the messages to be archived?
Do you need to set up a chatroom for your group?
Do you plan to use the calendar to remind the group of related events?
Are there things that should be put on the Message Footer to go out to all members with each message?
4. Decide what information you need from every member of the group. (Note NEED is the key word. Do not solicit information just out of idle curiosity.)
5. Set up a database to record the required information on each member. (If you choose to not keep a record of who is in your group, you would not need a database.)
6. Identify people who may be interested in your group and enlist friends to help you find people who might want to join. Make a list of them by name and email address.
D. Inviting people to the group
1. Write a letter to be sent to potential members of the group. You should introduce yourself, state the mission statement and requirements of the group, and ask if that person wants to be invited to join. Make it short and sweet.
2. After the group is set up and ready, send the letter out to each person on your list privately. No bulk mailing.
3. Keep track of all who reply affirmative. Send them a letter requesting the required information. Let them know when to expect the official invitation.
E. Setting up the group
1. Set the group up, according to the directions offered by the hosting site. Make sure your group mission statement is on the home page of your group website or sign-up site.
2. Set up your files with copies of the documents you've prepared.
3. Set up automatic files so that the rules and other important information is sent out to new members as they join.
4. Set up a letter to be sent out automatically to each person who will be invited to join the group, letting that person know what information is required before their membership is approved.
5. Send invitations to those who have indicated they would like to be in the group.
6. As they accept the invitations, put the information they provided in the database so you will have it on file for a variety of other things.
7. Once the charter group seems set, send out the first message to the group, and invite the members to send in their introductions. 8. After that, play ball!
F. Ideas to help a group flow
1. Include members of the group in any decisions that you are willing to share.
2. Ask for volunteers from the group for various projects that may arise. Make sure you give the volunteers good, clear instructions on what should be done. (Example, you may get a volunteer to handle the database, at first.)
3. Send out a thought-provoking question every day.
4. Watch for members to suggest ideas, and then help develop any of the ideas that would enrich the group experience.
5. Remember to be flexible, and willing to change with the tide as your group grows. What works with a small handful of members will not work with a large active group. Each group has its own personality.
6. Do not recruit members from other groups, without the express consent of the group owner. This type of action could have a negative impact on the reputation of your group.
7. Expect problems to develop sometimes. When they do, look on them as challenges, and deal with them the best you can.
8. Keep your sense of humor.
G. Suggested Group Rules & Guidelines
The rules (guidelines) listed here will not work for all groups, but they are a starting point.
Ideally, start with just a few basic rules. As the group grows, the need for other rules or guidelines will develop, so they can be added.
(If you can get the group to approve and support any new rules before adding them to the list, it will be much easier to implement changes, by the way.)
Pick and choose what would work from this list with your group. Ignore the rest.
a) All interactions with other members should be positive. No name calling, sarcasm, or personal attacks.
b) All messages need to be signed with your name. (Some groups allow anonymous members or nicknames. Others believe that anonymity takes away from group security and integrity.)
c) You should not share private information about our members with others. This includes their names, email addresses, and the messages they write.
d) Do not send SPAM to the group.
SPAM is defined as: forwards, petitions, requests for mass mailing of cards to strangers, chain letters, etc.
e) Sexual, religious, racial, and political jokes should not be sent to the group. Jokes about drunks or people who are mentally ill or physically handicapped should not be sent, either.
Note: Any jokes should be considered carefully before they are sent to make sure they are funny without being offensive.
f) Prevent religious controversy within the group by monitoring your own faith sharing carefully.
Note: Religious comments should be general, non-judgmental, and not sent with the intent of influencing others.
g) Members should not sell products to other members for the sake of making profit, nor should they promote their own businesses to other group members, either via the group or privately.
h) Honor copyright laws. If you copy a poem or article to the group, include the name of the author, and if possible, also include the name of the website link you got it from.
i) Attachments and photos cannot be sent through the group. (This is not a rule, just a bit of information.)
Suggestions
k) The subjects listed with your messages should match the content.
Note: Please do not use words in the subject intending to alarm others.
l) It's okay to delete messages. No one is expected to read all of the mail.
m) Don't write to the group expecting replies, and don't pressure others to reply to you.
n) Establish your own boundaries so that you do not get pulled into a situation that is too much for you to handle. This includes private communications with members, as well as those through the group
o) Don't offer advice to other people, unless they directly ask for advice. Gentle suggestions are okay, however.
p) If a message hurts your feelings or offends you, please don't reply to it. It's fine to write and ask for clarification, as long as you do so respectfully. (Chances are that the person who wrote it mis-communicated and did not realize that the message would upset anyone.)
q) Please learn to tend to your own message settings, so that if you need to switch to digest or special notices, you can do so when you need to make changes.
r) If someone does break a rule, please send a copy of the message to the moderator.
s) Remove clutter from your messages so that they come through clean.
t) Follow all general rules of Internet courtesy, and also the Golden Rule.
H. Conclusion:
Chances are that if you want to start your own Internet group, you have participated in at least one other group to get the feel for how groups work, what helps and what hurts.
You may not have been aware of all the work behind the scenes, but with a little bit of diligence, if you believe you are ready to start a group after answering the questions in section A, you should be able to get your group going without too much stress.
I wish you well with your group!
Karyl Chastain Beal
[email protected]Karyl Chastain Beal is the owner of several large, active groups via YahooGroups. She started her first group on October 9, 1998 and has faced many group challenges. Her main groups are: Parents of Suicides, Grieving Parents, Friends & Families of Suicides and Suicidology 2.
She's a retired teacher (100 years in the classroom) with a Master's Degree in education, and a Certified Thanatologist. She lives in Columbia, Tennessee. Moderating the groups is a way she can still teach and make a difference. Connecting with many beautiful people all over the world via the groups is an honor.
