What is UMCom Group Email?
UMC Group Emailis an Internet tool that lets large numbers of people come
together as a Group and communicate with each other through email messages.
Group Email lets a member of the Group send email messages to all the other members
of the Group using just one email address – the Group address.
UMC Group Email lets registered users of UMCom.org easily create, manage
and participate in any number of Email groups. UMC Group Email is a safe, church-focused
and commercial-free setting for email.
How can Group Email be used?
A group can engage in an on-going email discussion on a particular topic of
mutual interest. A Group Email Manager can send all members of an organization
updates or news items. A pastor, youth director or a newsletter editor can use
the group for one-way broadcasting of his/her sermons, youth information or
newsletters to all members at once.
Email groups can be created for the entire denomination or for just your conference,
district, local church or church organization.
How do I participate in Group Email?
You need a few things:
You participate in one of two ways:
How do I participate in Group Email?
Providing basic information about yourself ensures the quality and safety of
your Group Email experience. Unlike commercial email groups that permit anonymity,
registering with UMCom.org encourages participants to use this tool seriously
and with care. UMCom maintains a strict
privacy policy and never releases your
personal information. You may read our privacy policy at
http://www.UMCom.org/pages/privacy.asp.
When you register at UMCom.org the email address you give us will automatically
become the email address to which all your Group emails are sent.
Do I have to go to UMCom.org to send and receive emails to my Group?
No. Emails from the group are sent to the email address specified by you when
you register with UMCom.org. Group Emails are delivered to the email program
you use (Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, etc.). You cannot read your emails from UMCom.org.
Each Group has its own email address; emails to the group can be sent from your email program.
Sending an email to the Group address will send the email to the entire Group.
You can also send emails from UMCom.org.
You must go to UMCom.org when you first join a Group, if you want to leave a
Group, when you want to invite someone to join, or when, as Group Manager, you
want to change any of the attributes of the group.
Are there any restrictions to using Group Email?
Use of UMC Group Email is governed by UMCom's Terms of Service.
Group Email can be used for any church related activity. Commercial or personal
use or any activity or language that is slanderous, libelous or harassing is
strictly forbidden. Spamming is prohibited. Obviously, any illegal activity is forbidden.
While anyone can participate in a Group Email, only members of the United Methodist Church can create new Groups.
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How Do I Create An Email Group?
Before you create your group, do a little planning
Think a little bit about the purpose of the Group. This will help you get the most bang for your buck.
Before you create your group, think about these questions:
- Do you want Group members to communicate with the Group or do you want to be the only one to send messages to the Group?
- Do you want your Group accessible to the world at large or is your Group just for your local church or specific organization?
Some topics are of interest to the entire church, but others may only be of interest to your local organization.
(The larger the group membership, the more emails each group member will have to read and the more work you'll have as Manager.)
- Will you want to review the messages each member sends before they are sent to the Group or will members be able to communicate
immediately to the Group?
- Do you want to control who joins your Group? You can review, and decide
whether to allow or deny each person who attempts to join your Group.
How to create your own Group Email
To create your own Group, you must be member of a United Methodist church and a registered user of UMCom.org.
After registration, your UMCom.org home page will display a link called "Create Group Email."
This link takes you to a form where you answer a few simple questions about how you want your group to operate.
You can control these attributes of the group:
- Searchable: You can choose whether your Group is listed on UMCom.org.
You should select Searchable if you want to make your Group available to the widest possible
audience and allow people to join your Group on their own. Set your Group to Non-Searchable
if you want people to join by invitation only or if you want your group to be accessible only
where you choose. (See Customizing for more information.)
- Approve New Members: You can choose whether to review each new
member and decide whether to allow him or her to join your Group. If you
choose this option you will receive an email when a person attempts to
join your Group, with his or her name and email address. If you approve
the membership, the member is sent an email saying he or she has been
added to the Group. If you reject, the person receives an email (with your
email address) saying that you have chosen to reject their membership.
- Broadcast Only: You can set your Group so that only you can send messages.
- Moderated: You can set your Group so that you review all emails before they are sent to the group.
You will receive a preview copy of each email a member submits. You must reply to that email, typing "OK"
(no quotes) in the body of the email. If you want to edit the email, you can do so before sending the reply.
If you do not want the email sent to the Group, simply do nothing. When you approve an email, the system will
automatically send you two emails confirming your decision. You can simply delete these confirming emails.
- Send Files: You can control whether members can send file attachments with their emails.
- Replies: You can set the default "REPLY" to an email to be either the entire group or just the original sender.
After your Group is created, you have the option to invite others to join.
As the creator of an Email Group, you are the Group Manager.
Click here to read more about your role as Manager.
I've created my Group Email, now what do I do?
There are four ways to get people to participate in your group:
- Send Invitations: The Group Manager can send emails inviting people to
join the Group. The invitee can choose whether to join the Group or not.
(You cannot force people to join.) People who respond to an invitation and
join a Group can then send out their own invitations to others.
- Let others find your group: When you first create your group, you are
asked if you want to make your group Searchable or Non-Searchable. Making
your Group Searchable adds your Group to a listing of Groups on UMCom.org.
Anyone can join a group that is searchable. (Joining a Group doesn't have
to be automatic. As Manager, you can review requests to join a Group. Click
here to find out how to approve membership.)
In addition, when you first create your Group, you are asked to list the
topic Category of your group, the appropriate Age Group for your Group and
any Key Words that describe your group. These three criteria will help those
searching UMCom.org find your group easily.
If you make your group Searchable, you also make it possible for local church
and other United Methodist webmasters to put a link to your group(s) on their
website – and do so without telling you. If you prefer to control which
websites link to your group or don't want any websites to link to your group,
make your group Non-Searchable. (To read more about linking Groups to websites, click here.)
- List your group on your website: You can create Email Groups just for your
local church or church organization and promote them just through your own website.
Your church or organization's webmaster can place a dynamic link to your Group
on a website. Click here to read more about customizing Group Email for websites.
Import an existing group
UMCom.org does not allow directly importing groups from either other Internet Service Providers (ISP) or
local distribution list (i.e., Outlook distribution list), but will make every attempt to simply the process
as much as possible. Please contact
websupport@umcom.org with the specifics of your existing group for more
information.
How Do I Participate In An Existing Group?
UMCom.org will be home to a number of Groups of interest to United
Methodists. From the UMCom.org home page you can search for groups of interest
by category, age category, or key word. The search results will list all the
relevant groups. Click on "Join" on a Group that interests you.
If you receive an email invitation to join a Group, simply click on the link
embedded in the email. (If your email program doesn't allow you to click on
links, simply copy the link and paste it into the address window of your web
browser.) That link will take you to a page where you will either join the Group
(if you're already registered with UMCom.org) or be asked to complete the
Quick
Registration Form before joining. However, you will realize the full
benefit of the communications features (such as being able to create your own
Group) if you update your profile and complete the
Full
Registration Form and let us know if you are a member or employee of The
United Methodist Church.
How do I keep track of Groups I've created or joined?
All the Groups you’ve created or joined are accessible by clicking My Resources
on the UMCom.org home page. From My Resources, you can access each of your Groups
and send an email, invite a friend, or leave the Group. Managers have access to group
administrative functions.
I don't see My Resources on the UMCom homepage. What's wrong?
Only registered users of UMCom.org who are logged in have access to the Group
Email. Log in (or register) with UMCom.org to see the My Resources link on the
right side of the homepage.
I'm registered and logged into UMCom.org, but I still don't see My Resources. Is there something else I need to do?
Try the "Refresh" or "Reload" button (sometimes "F5" will work also) on your
browser. To increase performance, most computers will attempt to load a web
page from computer memory (known as cache) if you have visited the page before.
"Refresh" loads the latest version of the page directly from the Internet.
Only United Methodist church members have the right to create Group Email.
Select Update Your Profile and make sure you've registered as a member of
a local United Methodist church.
Is there an easier way to access the groups I create or participate in?
Yes! After logging in to UMCom.org, select My Resources to open a
page where the name of every group that you have created or are currently
subscribed to will appear. By selecting the empty box labeled "Bookmarked" next
to each group name and then selecting "Update", that group name will now appear
on your homepage under My Resources.
When I try to join a Group, I get a message saying I must be authorized. What does that mean?
Some Groups are set up so that the Manager must approve each member before they
join. When you attempt to join one of these groups, an email with your name and
email address is automatically sent to the Manager. The Manager will either
approve or decline your membership. You will get an email informing you of the
Manager's decision.
The Group I belong to is labeled "Moderated". What does that mean?
Some Groups are set up so that the Manager must review each email before it is
sent to the group. The Manager has the option of approving your email as is,
editing the email before sending it to the group, or deleting it.
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What Should I Know As A Group Manager?
What is a Group Manager?
A Group Manager manages the Email Group. Management includes tasks such as
inviting and removing Group members or reviewing emails before they are sent
to the Group. By default, the person who creates a Group automatically becomes
the Manager of that list.
What are my responsibilities as Group Manager?
Managers are responsible for ensuring that the group stays on topic,
reminding members to keep their postings concise and relevant, reminding
members to be polite, responding to member concerns and, if necessary,
removing members who are disruptive or abusive. If a Group has a problem
that the Manager cant resolve, websupport@umcom.org
can provide assistance.
If you've chosen to review memberships before people can join, or chosen
to review postings before they're sent to the Group, then you must be
timely in reviewing and responding to these items.
Can more than one person manage a list?
Yes. An Email group can have Co-Managers. To add a Manager, click on the
group listed under "I Manage . . . Group Email". There you will find the option
for you to invite others to become Co-Managers. As the membership of a popular
Group grows, it sometimes becomes necessary to enlist the help of others to
handle Group management responsibilities.
Is there any danger in having more than one Manager?
The biggest danger in allowing someone else to become a Manager of the Group
is the loss of control over the Group. Any Manager can modify text, delete or
block users, or even delete the entire Group. A Group Manager should carefully
consider the appointment of additional managers.
How do I access a Group Email management options?
Select My Resources on the homepage
and then click on the name of the Group under "I Manage...Group Email".
What can a Group Email Manager do?
- Broadcast message to Group: Send a message to the entire Group.
- Manage Notifications: Modify the text of the invitation, confirmation
and unsubscribe emails as well as the footer that appears on all emails to this Group.
- Settings: Adjust the attributes selected when the Group was first created such as
Group description, subscription approval, posting approval, etc.
- Report: Creates a list of all the Group members.
- Manage Users: Send invitations to join your group, remove current members
or block a person from joining.
- Invite Manager: Invite someone else to co-manage the Group with you. If
accepted, your co-manager will have access to all the administrative tools of the
Group and can share the responsibilities for approving new members and new postings.
- Resign As Manager: If you have a Co-manager, this option allows you to resign.
(All Groups must have at least one Manager.)
- Delete: Deletes the Group. Use with caution!
Once a group is deleted, it can not be recovered. This action is permanent.
Can I control who joins my Group?
Yes. There are a two ways to control who joins your Group:
- You can approve each individual who joins your Group. Select the option
"Approve Subscription" on the group "Settings" page (found under "I Manage . . . Group Email").
You will receive an email every time someone attempts to join you Group.
You must reply to the email before that person is joined to the group.
It's important to remember that members of your Group can offer invitations
to others to join, but as Group Manager, you are responsible for approving
all memberships.
- Make your group Non-Searchable, so it can't be found on UMCom.org.
Non-Searchable Groups are accessible only through invitation or by placing a
link to your Group on your website (see Customizing Group Email for your
church or organization). Make your Group Non-Searchable from the "Settings"
page (found under "I Manage . . . Group Email").
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Customizing Group Email For My Church Or Organization
One of the features of Group Email is the ability to create Groups just
for your local church or organization -- and you can link from your website to
your Groups. Your church's website could have an Email Group for each committee
and a list of these Groups could all be conveniently listed on your site.
The technology behind UMC Group Email generates code that your webmaster
places on your website. This code displays a list of your Groups with a link to
each Group's options (Join/Leave, Invite A Friend and Post A Message). Or, you
could choose code that creates a single link that opens a new window with your
Group list. This new window can even be customized with your own text and graphics.
If you want to create Groups just for your local church or organization, you should select
the Non-Searchable option when creating your Group. Making the Group Non-Searchable means that
people can find a Group only if you send them invitations or if you put a link to the Group
on your website. (If you’ve already created your Group,
you can change your group to Non-Searchable by going to the Settings options for that Group
under "I Manage . . . Group Email" in My Resources.)
How do I get Groups listed on my website?
You must coordinate with your webmaster to have the Groups listed. Your webmaster must:
- Be a registered user of UMCom.org.
- Get permission from UMCom to use Webmaster Tools. This permission gives your webmaster
access to the code that is added to the website. Your webmaster requests Webmaster Tool access by emailing websupport@umcom.org
and verifying his/her role in maintaining your website. Webmasters only need to get permission
once for each website they manage.
- Be able to find your Group - either be invited to the Group (the
webmaster does not have to join) or search for it on UMCom.org.
Why does customizing require my webmaster to get permission from UMCom?
We've designed the system so that placing Non-Searchable Email Groups on a local website
requires action on both the part of the Group Manager and the webmaster. Both the Manager
and the webmaster have to agree to put the group on the website. This protects Group Managers
from having their groups placed on a website without their knowledge. It also protects webmasters
by allowing them to retain control over what goes on their site.
If the group is Searchable, the Manager has no control over whether the group is linked to a website.
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We'd love to hear from you! Send your questions and comments to websupport@umcom.org
This page was last modified September 5, 2002
