Google groups

Google Groups is a service that Google provides to create email-based groups similar to an email alias or list. These groups can be used as email lists, to assign permission on files/folders on Google Drive and they can also be used when assigning Google Calendar events.

Benefits of Google Groups:

• Better integration with GusMail
• Reduced SPAM for email groups
• Advanced user controls/features for email groups
• Accessible using your Gustavus account credentials

Create a group

Visit the following link to create a new Google Group.

https://gustavus.edu/account/manageGroups

Manage your groups

Access customizable settings, set permissions, and add/remove members.

1. Sign into @ Google Groups.
2. Click on My Groups
3. Locate the group you would like to manage and select Manage Group

Learn how to manage a group using the Google Groups training videos

Direct add members to the Group

This will automatically add members to the group. Do not write a welcome message unless you want to send one to each member you add. This option is best used in groups where membership is mandatory.

1. Sign into @ Google Groups.
2. Click on My Groups
3. Locate the group you would like to manage and select Manage Group
4. Click on Members
5. Click on Direct add members
6. Enter email addresses in a comma separated list and click Add.*

Please note: If you are not able to add someone to your group, you should contact that person and ask whether they have checked the setting "Do not allow group managers to directly add me to their groups." If they have that setting checked, they should un-check it.

Learn how to add members to a group using the Google Groups training videos

Invite members to the Group

This will send an invitation to each member you are adding which they will have to accept to join the group. This option is best used for groups where membership is optional.

1. Sign into @ Google Groups.
2. Click on My Groups
3. Locate the group you would like to manage and select Manage Group
4. Click on Members and Invite Members
5. Enter email addresses in a comma separated list and click send invite.

Delete several members from a Group

This will mass delete members from the group.

1. Sign into @ Google Groups.
2. Click on My Groups
3. Locate the group you would like to manage and select Manage Group
4. Click on Members
5. Click on All members
6. Check the select box next to each member or select the top check box to select all members. Be sure to un-select yourself or you may lose access to the group.
7. Click on Actions->Remove from group

Add or remove a prefix from a Group

Google Groups by default do not contain a prefix such as [groupname] in the subject for messages sent to the group. This can be added by following the steps below.

1. Sign into @ Google Groups.
2. Click on My Groups
3. Locate the group you would like to manage and select Manage Group
4. Click on Settings
5. Click on Email Options
6. On the top enter the prefix into the Subject Prefix box.
7. Click on Save

Add or remove a footer on a Group

Google Groups by default will contain a footer. To remove or add a footer, please follow the steps below. We recommend using a footer on groups where membership is optional; containing instructions for unsubscribing or contacting the group owner/manager.

1. Sign into @ Google Groups.
2. Click on My Groups
3. Locate the group you would like to manage and select Manage Group
4. Click on Settings
5. Click on Email Options
6. To add or remove the default footer, check or un-check the box that says Include Default Groups Footer.
7. Click on Save

Set who can view, post & moderate

Please visit the following page for more information on setting permissions on a Google Group.

https://support.google.com/groups/answer/2464975?hl=en&ref_topic=2458761

Moderating a group

Enabling moderation on a group will prevent messages from being sent to the group until it is approved by a manager or owner of the group. Please visit the following page for more information on moderating a google group.

https://support.google.com/groups/answer/2466386?hl=en

Sending limits

Please be aware of the Google Groups sending limits when sending messages to a large number of addresses. For more information, please visit the link below.

https://support.google.com/a/answer/6099642?hl=en

https://support.google.com/a/answer/166852?hl=en

Delete a Group

Visit the following link to delete a Google Group that is owned by you.

https://gustavus.edu/account/manageGroups

Create a Group for a personal Google account

1. Sign into Google Groups at https://groups.google.com/
2. Click Create Groups
3. Enter information and settings
4. Click Create

Collaborative Inbox

Enabling the Collaborative Inbox option on a Google Group allows managers to manage the conversation that are sent to a group more effectively.

To learn more about a Collaborative Inbox and how to enable it on a Google Group, please visit the link below. https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/167430?hl=en

FAQ

What happened, Google Groups looks different.

Google rolled out a new user interface to Google Groups on June 9th. If you would like to access the classic interface, please follow the steps below. Please note that this option is only available temporarily and will eventually be disabled by Google.

1. Sign in to Google Groups.
2. In the top right, click the Settings Gear.
3. Click Return to classic Google Groups.

My messages are no longer filtered by subject

If you have your email filter to filter messages via the subject prefix (e.g. [groupname]subject....), you will need to set up your filter by another method. The group manager/owner can turn this prefix on by following the directions above.

After migrating my email list to a Google Group, email messages sent to the list contain a footer

"-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "groupname" group.To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to groupname+unsubscribe@gustavus.edu."

This footer is enabled by default by Google. You can remove this default footer by following the directions above.

Why do I see Groups in the Google Groups interface that I have not migrated

All email lists will show up in the Google Groups interface even if they have not been migrated. Any changes made to the members using the Google Groups interface for email lists that have not been migrated will not remain. Before making changes to a Group in the Google Groups interface, please make sure it has been migrated.

Why is there a g- in front of my new Google Group

Any new Google Group that is created will contain the prefix g- before your group name. For example, if you select yourgroupname, then your group will become:

g-yourgroupname

Please note that this only affects newly created groups using the Manage Groups page. Existing lists that are migrated do not contain this prefix.

How do I allow users who are not a member of a new group I created to send to it

Please follow the directions below.

1. Sign into @ Google Groups.
2. Click on My Groups
3. Click the group name you would like to manage and select Group Settings
4. Under the Who Can Post options, select the group of users that you would like to send to the group. For example select Anyone on the web if you would like any user to be able to send to the group.
5. Select Save to apply your settings.

Why is a group member not receiving email messages sent to the group

The group member may have selected the option Don't send email updates in their Google Groups settings. When this option is selected by the member, they will not receive messages sent to the group. The owner/manager can change this by following the steps below.

1. Sign into @ Google Groups.
2. Click on My Groups
3. Locate the group you would like to manage and select Manage Group
4. Click on All Members
5. Locate the member that is not receiving the messages and check the box next to their name
6. Click on the Actions menu
7. Select Change delivery setting->All email

When I try to add a group member, it says they are already a member, but I don't see them in the list of members

If the member was recently added, sometimes it can take a while for the member list to update on the Google Groups interface. During this waiting period, you can still send to the group and they will get the message since they are members.

When I try to add an external member to a group, I get the error message an error has occurred

First make sure Allow external members is set to ON under Group Settings/General

If the above setting is enabled, you have hit the maximum number of external members that can be added in one day to a group. Using the Google Groups interface, this is 25 members in one day. Please try again in 24 hours.

Why do I get an error page when selecting export list in a Google Group

The Google Groups interface only supports exporting groups that have less than 5000 members. When exporting a group larger then this you will get the error Bad Request Error 400. For more information, please visit the following link. https://support.google.com/a/answer/9772903. If you need to export a group larger than this, please contact the Technology Helpline.

Additional Information

Google Groups support can be found at https://support.google.com/groups/?hl=en#topic=9216.