Welcome to the Google Apps Discussion group!

This community is intended to be a comfortable and useful meeting place for English-speaking Google Apps admins to ask questions and share information with each other and participating Google employees ("Googlers/Google Apps Advisors").  Anyone is welcome to sign up as a member and begin posting immediately (though, as you'll see below, we strongly encourage you to read through this page and our FAQ Pages first). 

Before you post, please read these important tips and guidelines!

Search before you ask.

You'll find a bevy of smart and helpful regulars here, but -- as you can imagine -- their patience can wear thin when answering the exact same question 42 times a week.  So for their sanity and yours, please see if your question has already been addressed.

• Do a search of this group using the search box at the top of the page.
• Browse and/or search our Help Center.

If you need to post, utilize our posting template to receive the most rapid response from the group members:

Recommended posting template 

Domain name:

Domain hosting service (GoDaddy, eNom, etc- Google isn't a domain hosting service): 

Description of the problem:

Error Message (if applicable):

What does Google Apps mean to you?

• We've also got a handy page here if you need more direction
  

Also, make sure to use descriptive subject lines for your posts.  All of this will enable other group members to help you more quickly and it will also enable us to troubleshoot issues more effectively. 

Don't post the same question in different sections.

We encourage posting once to facilitate a common courtesy amongst the entire group. We want to make sure every has a fair shot at getting their questions answered. We also want to prevent posters from wasting their precious and valuable time answering a post that's already been answered elsewhere. So, "Don't Be Evil" and post your question only once! However, if your question goes unanswered for more than five days then please go ahead and re-post your question.

Be kind, helpful, and constructive.  Avoid making or responding to personal attacks!
This is a welcoming place for admins to share advice and expertise. Remember to be patient and courteous with all users seeking help, especially those who are just getting started.

And keep it clean and be polite, please!  If you disagree with a person or organization, note this respectfully.

• BAD: "I can't believe you could be so stupid!  Everyone knows Google isn't a domain hosting service!"
• GOOD:  "I think you're mistaken on this point.  This article in Google's Help Center suggests..."

Note that we do reserve the right to immediately and permanently ban abusive folks from the group without notice or regret.

Don't share personally identifying or private information in the group.
Remember, your posts can be read by users around the world. Posting personal information or anything you don't want to be read or archived isn't a good idea. No Google representative will ever ask for your mailing address, phone number, credit card number, account passwords, or other personal information in a group post! We DO, however, want you to post your domain name and any other URLs so the group can help you!

Stay on topic!
For instance, if you have a question about Verifying Domain Ownership, please post your inquiry in that subgroup, not in the News & Updates, Managing Email and Other Services, or Basics subgroups.

How do I know which posters are Googlers?
You'll spot little "G" badges (icons) next to the username of Googlers here.  They'll all be called "Google Apps Advisor Mark, Laura, etc".  Who are we?  Here's our bio page.  While you'll find lots of helpful and interesting posts within the Group, only the notes from these badged Googlers should be seen as official information.

What are the roles of Googlers in this group?
We're regularly reading posts, spotting trends, internally noting issues of concern, and then sharing this important information with key colleagues around the world to help make Google Apps better for everyone.  We may also post replies from time to time, but the bigger stars here are the wonderful non-Googler community members who offer thoughtful and friendly advice and commentary. In our group they're known as our Power Posters! Want to read more about the program?  Check out Google Apps Advisor Steve's post here.

But I am too busy to read through threads... I want instant and official answers from Google!
Then you'll appreciate the Google Apps Help Center (http://www.google.com/support/a -- bookmark, memorize, tattoo that URL!). Our approach to the Help Center is that every question we've answered is there so you don't have to wait for a response from us. We respond to most incoming emails within 48-72 hours so the choice is yours- immediate answers online here in the group or on our Help Center, or play some games of chess, cook, eat, or sleep while you await for an email response from our team.

HOW TO DIRECTLY CONTACT THE SUPPORT TEAM: You can always contact us through our Help Center at http://www.google.com/support/a. You'll then want to click the "How do I contact the support team?" link. You can also access the form by going directly to http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/request.py. However, if you try searching first, chances are you'll find your answer immediately and not have to wait for a reply from us!  If you're an Education, Non-profit, or paying Premier Edition customer, you can find the support phone number in your Dashboard- please remember that phone support is only used to report critical issues.

I have ideas and questions about Gmail!  Calendar!  Blogger!  Sketchup!  YouTube!  And... and... and...
Got questions or feedback on a Google product other than Google Apps?  You can peruse our product offerings by visiting http://www.google.com/options/. For assistance with any of these products, just visit that product's Help Center or perform a Google Groups search for discussion groups related to the product.

And lastly...

Please read the Google Groups Terms of Service.

Thank you, and again, welcome to our Google Apps community!

P.S. -- You're perhaps more likely to receive attention from the Power Posters, Google Apps Advisors and other Group members if you sincerely note the secret phrase: "I have already read the FAQs and checked out the articles in the Help Center. :)