Settings Tutorial

Note: Links in this document are to the Yahoo Groups help files for each item.

 MANAGEMENT allows you to modify and configure your group to your specifications. To change or modify your settings, click on the Management link in the left sidebar window near the bottom of your group's front page. (Fig. 1).

 
         Fig. 1. Left sidebar window of the front page

Note: If you are not SIGNED IN (button near top of main window), the Management link will not show up.

 Next, you will see a screen with various setting choices (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. The Management menu

Clicking on Management Help at the top right of this screen takes you to a group of general questions and answers.

Memberships - you get a list of all the members who are subscribed, unsubscribed, or invited to join the group. and when, and their full e-mail addresses. This information can help if a member joined with one address and now is trying to access the group with another.

Moderator Activity - you get a list of what all the owner/moderators have done (i.e., you and your mentor (s). Examples of activity recorded in this category include editing of group settings, editing of member settings, and message and member moderation, for example deleting spam or banning a spammer.

Email Commands - tells you when members were approved and by which moderator, and when they unsubscribed. This can give you an idea of the traffic through your Group.

Web Features - you see the dates of all Web activity by  group members including uploading/deleting shared files and links, creation of polls, deletion of archived messages, calendar items added, etc.

Message Posts - you get a list of all posts made to the group and shows all posts (usually spam) that were "bounced" or rejected.  Be sure you have set your group so that "Members only can post messages," so that non-member posts will be rejected.

Description and Appearance - Very Important Feature

These settings show the current address and placement of your Group and let you customize its appearance (See Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Description and Appearance editing page 

 

Web Address - Be careful not to change the Web address of your group, as all links in the Files area and references on other Web pages linking to your group will also have to be changed by hand. Choose a good name and address for your group, or edit them before you start adding files and accepting members

Description - It's a good idea to put some part of the syllabus on your front page, and to change the page perhaps once a week to keep members coming back to the page for more information. The Group description can handle HTML, and we will give you some examples of how to insert colors, pretty fonts, and Web addresses into your page.

Category - Your Group should be in "Distance Learning". There is no need to change it if you are not in this group because your group should not be public. (see the file Creating a Yahoo Group)

Colors and Photo - You can choose a theme, or use a custom color combination, but be sure to have other moderators check the colors on different browsers and platforms for compatibility. A photo or graphic image gives real "personality" to your Group. If you don't have one you like, ask the Moderators Group for help in finding or creating one. 

Membership

Membership Type - open or restricted.  You should check restrict membership so that you approve each new member after reading their introductory message. The idea is to discourage people who would clutter our group sites with spam. If you are suspicious about an introductory message, write to that person individually with a query.

Email Address Display - For security purposes, you should hide email addresses of members. Remind participants that for additional security, they may also set up a Yahoo address/mailbox just for this session. You should also remind them to sign their posts, as a courtesy to others. 

Welcome Message - This is the message that is sent to each person who has asked to enter your group. You can edit the generic message easily, and it should include a reminder of where your syllabus is available, a link to it, or even include the syllabus itself in your file (Fig. 4).

Additional Messages - Note that you can add other files and messages under various conditions. It would be good to include the Netiquette file for all new members, and a brief farewell and thank-you message for those leaving the group (Fig. 4).

Fig 4.  Membership type and Welcome message editing page

 Web Tools

This feature allows you to choose which Yahoo functions you want to use. All Web Tools should be available for member only use, as in Fig. 5. You may find that members will want to use tools in ways that you haven't thought of (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5. Web tools editing page

Messages

Use Messages to set up your group email address, set up a subject tag and footer, send out scheduled messages, and set other message options. (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Messages editing page

        Email Address - Don't change your address once your Group has opened and you have added members.

Subject Tag and Footer - It's a good idea to include the Subject Tag, as in the default. Your footer could include a link to the syllabus or advice about how to leave the group, et al. You can change the footer weekly to add a notice of upcoming events, for example.

Posting and Archives - Please set these options as in Fig. 7, as explained below. 

Scheduled Messages -You can set reminders to go out to the group with parts of your syllabus. This helps to keep everyone on track. You can also set syllabus reminders via the Calendar. 

These are the Posting and Archives options: (Fig. 7).

Figure 7. Posting and Archive editing page

• Reply to - In the Reply to section, you can decide how you want your emails addressed. In the illustration, it is set to All members. This means when you reply, all members will receive the email. This is the best option to keep your discussion going.
  
• Who can post and Moderation - This allows you to configure who and how posting of a message is accomplished. It is suggested that you allow discussion so that only members can post messages, and that it is unmoderated. The difference between moderated and unmoderated is that if your group is moderated, you must approve every message before it is distributed.
  
• Attachments - Since attachments are a source of viruses, We HIGHLY suggest  REMOVING this possibility from the beginning and encourage participants to add larger documents to Files and smaller ones included inside the message.
  
• Archives - If Archives is set to members, it means that ONLY members can access the links on the left side of your group home page. and view previous messages sent to your group.

For further instructions on the use of Yahoo! Groups go to the tutorial index page at: http://daf4.free.fr/settings/yg-index.htm