I use private, informal groups to bring some organization and context to things that matter to me.

Here's an overview of some ways I'm using Convos Groups:

• Brandt Updates - A temporary, private mailing-list group that my family uses to communicate updates on the health of my new nephew
• Bryant Park Films - A temporary, private listserv group that a group of my friends use to see who's can make the weekly film screenings in Bryant Park
• Downtown Supper Club - A private listserv group that my friends and I use to coordinate a monthly dinner party
• NYC / PHL Trips - A private listserv group for my friends that live in Philadelphia that are planning trips to come to NYC (and vice versa)
• NYC Film Nights - A private listerv group that my friends use to coordinate a periodic movie night
• Roadtrip with Nana - A temporary, private listerv group that my family is usinguse to organize an upcoming roadtrip from FL to NJ
  
• The Trush Family - A private listserv group for my immediate family to communicate upcoming visits and holiday events
• Trush Yankee Tix - A private listserv group where my dad coordinat dates where we have Yankee tickets and who can make it
  
• Vinyl Exchage - a private listerv group where my friends share information about records they're looking for, record store sales, etc.

If I used traditional online groups for these topics, I would spend all of my time navigating between each group, upgrading content, etc.  With the Convos interface, everything is on one page so when I login, I do what I need to do and sign off.

Have an interesting way you're using a Convos Group? Let us know here. 

"The talented design walks in and proves itself on sight."

- Jacob Jensen

Chief designer for Bang and Olufsen (1965 - 1985)

Next week, Internet Week kicks off here in NYC. From June 3rd to June 10th, there will be events covering a wide range of topics and hosted by local NYC internet companies and groups.

Here's a full schedule if you're in town. 

Click the green "+ Members" button

Type or paste email addresses

Click the "Add to List" button

Add some text to the invite and click "Send Invite"

An email will go out to new users that looks like this:

Hello,

Bob Smith has invited you to join the Smith Family Group on Convos.

To view this invitation, simply click here http://live.convos.com:8080/group_websites/signup...

or

paste the following URL into your browser:

http://live.convos.com:8080/group_websites/signup...

To learn more about creating your own groups or using your account, visit the Convos Help Center at http://help.convos.com.

When your user clicks the links in the email, they will be able to sign up for Convos and your group!

For a complete guide on this and the other ways to invite members to your group, visit this section of the Convos Help Center.

We invite you to share your experiences with us in our simple feedback form.  Where appropriate and with your permission, we would like to share these experiences on our website and with others.

Click here to send us your feedback. 

"Design should bring the most of the best to the greatest amount of people for the least."

- Charles Eames 

I recently picked up a great book that provides a comprehensive history on the use of typefaces in everyday lives. It's a great read for anyone wanting to learn more about the role that typefaces has played in our history.  Below is a description:

This lively account of the printed word draws together the histories of typography and printing into one robustly illustrated volume, and describes how dramatic changes in technology have affected type design. Historical paintings, engravings, and photographs give a visual context to the different eras of type design and print, and key typefaces from each historical era are discussed and compared to others of the era. The original use of each typeface is pictured alongside contemporary examples, providing a broad sense of the character of each face. Sidebars explain how to use individual typefaces, warn of pitfalls, and highlight the particular benefits of using the face. A superb and engaging introduction to the world of typography, the book is also a vital reference for anyone who works with type and knows that understanding the history of letterforms is key to using type creatively and effectively.

The book is available here from Amazon for $20. 

London-based artist Paul St George recently unveiled an exhibit called The Telectroscope.  In the piece, giant, steam-punk style telescopes embedded in the pedestrian walkways in London and NYC provides onlookers with a real-time view of people on the other side.  Even more impressive is the story as to how this idea came about.

While today's version is done with video streaming technology, it's a whimsical piece and worth checking out if you're in either town. Here's an excerpt from the story page:

Some years ago an artist by the name of Paul St George happened upon a packet of dusty papers in a trunk in his grandmother’s attic. On further inspection he discovered that they had been the property of his great-grandfather, an eccentric Victorian engineer, Alexander Stanhope St George.

Paul began to read through the papers and discovered a veritable treasure trove: diaries, diagrams, correspondence, scribbled calculations, and even one or two photographs. At first, Paul felt a detached interest in this first hand account of social and cultural history. But as he read on, he became more and more absorbed, until, with a sudden thrill, he realised that these papers could have a greater significance than was at first apparent.

The notebooks were full of intricate drawings and passages of writing describing a strange machine. This device looked like an enormous telescope with a strange bee-hive shaped cowl at one end containing a complex configuration of mirrors and lenses. Alexander seemed to be suggesting that this invention, which he called a Telectroscope, would act as a visual amplifier, allowing people to see through a tunnel of immense length… a tunnel, the drawings implied, stretching from one side of the world to the other.

Our first entry in the Labs is about our work on Convos upgrades and the upcoming features allowing you to upgrade your Convos account and groups

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.