( I + P )

Do you currently manage groups online? Are you thinking about using online groups to  organize information and people?

Let's all share what works!

Whether you're already using Convos to manage your groups or another web-based tool, there are lessons that we can all share with each other when it comes to setting up, managing, and keeping online groups active and focussed.

We'll start things off by posting some of our research, articles, and discussions over the next few days. Think of this as an open forum to share ideas with fellow group leaders.

Basic Rules 

We have set this up as a listserv to keep everyone in the loop. With that, we ask that your messages are relevant to the topic to prevent irrelevant message overload. If we see things getting out of hand, we'll switch over to a moderated listserv. In extreme cases, we reserve the right to remove anyone that's purely spamming everyone.

Read to join? Click here to join the Group.

or you can join us right from the internal Convos Directory. 

We just deployed a new batch of fixes to Convos.

Here's what we have done: 

• Updated the data grids to be more user friendly when sorting and navigating long lists
  
• Modified the Convos Directory keyword search for case sensitivity
  
• Fixed a bug that occured when saving group profiles with checkboxes and radio buttons
  
• Switched the Cancel and Delete buttons in the viewer to reduce accidental deletion
  
• Launched a fix to prevent users from signing up for groups multiple times
• Simplified Convos system messages and email footers
• Enhanced tabs for Photos to display the filename of the photo

We just updated Convos to distribute group messages to everyone in your group in under 1 minute! Previously, if you sent a message to a group, Convos was checking for new messages every 20 - 30 minutes and then sending the messages out.

The new setup has Convos continuously checking for new messages so you can rest assured that when you send a group message, it will be sent to everyone within 1 minute.

 
You just signed up for Convos and you started your very first group. Now it's time to put your Convos group to work for you.

We just updated the default group welcome page (shown left) with some pointers on how to get your new group off the ground. In the welcome page, we have outlined some of the key things you'll want to do.

We have listed them here below with links to our help center.

Create Content - With the "Group Item" dropdown you can add new pages, upload photos & files, create events, and more. This way when members join your group, you'll have some content for them to

Invite Members - What's a group without any members?  To invite members simply click the "+ Members" link in the middle panel (next to your group name)

Customize your welcome page - When group members join the group, you can greet them with a custom welcome page. If you need some help designing a welcome page, check out our pointers or contact us. We'd be happy to help.

For a comprehensive guide on how to start a group or use group modules, stop by the new Convos Help Center.

Since Convos is now live and we've got quite a few new visitors to the blog, we've gone ahead and turned comments back on.

Feel free to leave comments by clicking the "Post a Comment" link at the bottom of every post. We're looking forward to hearing from you!