Frequently Asked Questions: On Using This Group Email System
Rocco
A Google Group is an online discussion group or mailing list that
helps groups of people
communicate using email and the web. Every group has a Google-hosted
homepage
where members can start new discussions or reply to existing topics.
Every group also has its own email address, which lets members
interact with the rest of the group.
Creating your own Google Group is fast and easy. Just click the
"Create a new group"
link on the left side of most pages. You can customize your group to
suit your needs. For
example, a group can be restricted (only group members can read and
participate in
discussions) or public (anyone can read and search group content). You
can also create custom group types. For instance, you might want an
announcement-only group, which
enables you to send announcements to the group while preventing
members from posting their own topics and replies.
Finally, members can choose how they want to be notified of group
activity. Members of
time-sensitive groups may choose to receive email every time a posting
is sent to the group. Members of less time-sensitive groups might
prefer to receive a daily summary email or no notification emails at
all.
Can I post an image or share a file with my group?
You can post photos or files to your group by emailing them as
attachments to your group's
email address. When doing so, please keep the following in mind:
- the size limit for attachments is 1MB
- you can only post attachments to a Google Group (not to a Usenet
newsgroup)
- you can only post attachments via email (not through the Google
Groups interface)
Once your message is in your group's archive, it will stay there as
long as your group exists
or until you remove it. Also, we don't offer a specific file storage
system or a way to view attachments online, so you'll need to download
each image or file individually in order to view it.
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How do I change my default view?
You can set default views for two different types of pages. The first
is the list of recent
threads that you see on a group homepage. The second is the page which
shows all of the posts in a particular thread.
To change the default view for the list of recent threads, go to any
group homepage. In
the top right corner, just under the yellow bar, you'll see two
choices. You can view the
threads with message text or with titles only. If you've never changed
this view, the
default is set to viewing with message text. To change it, just click
the "View titles only"
link. Once you've clicked the link, all group homepages will display
the list of recent
threads with titles only. To change your default back, click the "View
with message text" link.
To change the default view for the thread page, click on any thread
with more than one
message. By default, you'll see the conversation view with all
messages in the post
displayed vertically. To change your default to a tree view which
shows the relationships
between messages, scroll to the top post and click the "view as tree"
link under the
thread title. Once you've clicked the link, all threads will be
displayed in the tree view. To
change your default back to the conversation view, click the "No
frame" link in the left
pane of the tree view
Can I reply to older posts in the archive?
You can reply to any message in Google Groups that was posted in the
last 30 days.
After 30 days, the option to post a reply to the message is removed.
In Usenet proper, articles are usually retired (removed completely) if
they are inactive for 30 days.
Removing the option to post a reply to a message more than 30 days old
simulates this feature in Google Groups.
How do I sort my search results by date?
Google automatically sort your search results based on their relevance
to your query. If
you want to see the results sorted by date, please click on the "Sort
by date" link in the upper-right corner of the search results.
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Is my email address visible on the web when I post to a group?
When your message is posted to a group, Google Groups masks your email
address on
the web to prevent automated computer programs from harvesting it for
spamming
purposes. When you see an email address in a message on the Google
Groups
webpages, it will look something like "add...@example.com" instead of
"add...@example.com."
How can I change my nickname?
When you join a group, you'll be asked to enter a nickname to use with
that group. To
change your nickname at any time, sign in and click the "Manage my
subscriptions" link on the main Google Groups page. Then type in the
nickname you'd like to use for each group you've joined or designate
one nickname for all groups. Don't forget to save your changes.
You can change your nickname whenever you submit a new posting. Just
click "change
nickname" next to your name.
Do I have to sign up with Google to use Google Groups?
You can access public content on Google Groups without signing up for
the service, but
to access additional features (reading restricted groups, posting to
public groups, or
creating your own groups), you'll need to create a Google Account. All
you need to do so
is a valid email address. To sign up, click the "Join" link on the
left side of the screen.
If you're a previous Google Groups or Gmail user, you can use your
existing Google
Account to sign in to Google Groups. If you have more than one account
(for example, a
Groups account with a secondary email address and a Gmail account),
you can't use
both at once. If you have a Gmail window open, you'll automatically be
logged in using that account when you open a Google Groups window. So
if you wish to use your other Google account instead, you'll need to
click the "Sign out" link in the top right corner first.
What's my username?
Your Google account username is the full email address you used to
create your
account (e.g. your...@example.com).
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How do I cancel my account?
If you're signed in, you can click the "Manage my subscriptions" link
on the main Google
Groups page. On your account's My Subscriptions page, click the "My
Google account" link at the top, then click the "Delete all account
info" link on the left side. You'll be asked
to confirm your password and that you want to cancel your account.
Note: cancelling
your account will remove your access not only to Google Groups, but
also to Google in
Your Language, Google Answers, and Google Web APIs. You'll also lose
all the information related to these services.
What's my password?
If you've misplaced your Google account password, please visit the
sign-in page and click
on the link entitled "Forgot your password?" After you click on the
link, you'll be
prompted to enter your username (your full email address), and Google
will send you an
email describing how to reset your password. The information in the
email is only valid
for a limited time, so please read and follow the instructions as soon
as possible. If it does expire, you can repeat the process, and Google
will send you a new email.
How can I find articles that I've written?
To find articles you've posted, click on the "Advanced Group Search"
link found on the
right hand-side of the search box on the Google Groups homepage.
On the Advanced Groups Search page, enter your posting email address
into the
"Author: Return only messages where the author is" field to return a
list of your articles.
How do I remove my own posts?
To remove a post, log in to the same account you used to post the
message and view
your post. Clicking the "show options" link next to the date will
display a blue "Remove"
link to the far right. Click this link, select "Yes, remove it now,"
then click the "Confirm" button. That should do it.
Can I post an image or share a file with my group?
You can post photos or files to your group by emailing them as
attachments to your
group's email address. The size limit for attachments is 1MB.
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How do I submit a post to a group?
To submit a new post to a group, go to the group's homepage and click
the "Start a new
topic" link just under the group name near the top of the page. To
reply to an existing topic, click "Reply" near the bottom of the
posting.
Where can I find a group's email address? What is it used for?
Each group has its own email address which is available at the bottom
of the group's
homepage.
How do I reply directly to the author instead of to the group?
To reply to the author, click on the "show options" link to the right
of the author's
nickname and click "Reply to Author."
Can I subscribe to a Google Group via email?
Yes, you can both subscribe to and unsubscribe from a Google Group via
email. To
subscribe, send an email to [Groupname]-subs...@googlegroups.com.
For example, if
the group you wanted to join a group called google-friends, you'd send
an email to
google-frien...@googlegroups.com.
If you'd like to unsubscribe from a group via email, send an email to
[Groupname]-unsub...@googlegroups.com. For example, if you wanted
to leave
google-friends, you'd send an email to google-friends-
unsub...@googlegroups.com.
Note: for restricted-membership groups, the group owner will need to
approve your
request to join.
How do I contact the owner of a specific group?
You can reach a group owner by clicking the "About this Group" link in
the yellow bar at
the top of the group's homepage. On this About page, there's an
address to the right of "Owner email." Google forward any email sent
to this address to the group's owner.
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How can I temporarily stop email delivery while I'm on vacation?
If you're signed in, you can click the "manage my subscriptions" link
on the main Google
Groups page. On the My Subscriptions page, change your subscriptions
to "Web only" to prevent email from being sent to you while you're
gone. Just don't forget to switch it
back when you return!
How much space is allowed for each group?
Google don't currently limit how much space a group can use. Google
Groups Beta
archives all of a group's messages, including attachments, until the
author or group moderator decides to remove them.
How do I remove a group that I own?
To remove a group, click the "Manage group" link on your group's
homepage. Next, click
the "Remove this group" link on the right side. To help us improve our
service, please
enter the reason you are removing your group, then click the "Remove
this Group" button to confirm or click the "Cancel" button if you've
changed your mind.
Note: when you remove your group, the group name will no longer be
available for a
new group. If you re-create your group later, you'll need to pick a
new name.
Why did I get an illegal attachment error?
As a security measure to prevent potential viruses, Google Groups does
not allow you to
attach executable files (such as files ending in .exe) that could
contain damaging executable code to your posts.
Google Groups does not accept these types of files, even if they are
sent in a zipped
(.zip, .tar, .tgz, .taz, .z, .gz) format. If you try to send this type
of message to your group, the message will be bounced back to you with
an illegal attachment error.
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