Using the eGroups

eGroups are a shared form of electronic communication for a sub-group of AMSN members. eGroups combine the best features of traditional email discussion lists and forums. You can send a message from AMSN NetWorks and it will be distributed to everyone in the group, and the archives are kept online for you to view at any time.

Examples of eGroups are: the Board of Directors, Chapters, National Committees, or member-created groups around a special interest or task.

eGroups Home

When you are on the eGroups home page, you will see a listing of all eGroups you are eligible to participate in. The eGroups that you are subscribed to are noted in bold.

From this page, select the eGroup you wish to go to, or you can search the messages.

To search

1. Enter word(s) to search for in the Search Term field.
2. Select an eGroup in the drop down box or select "All eGroups" to search all of your eGroups.
3. Click Go. (If you would prefer to use the Advanced Search, click on this button. Further instructions are provided below.)

How to Post a Message

In the navigation on the left, click on "Post a Message" to send a message to any of your eGroups. You will see a screen like this one:

Complete the following fields to send your eGroup message:

1. To – select one of your eGroups from the drop box
2. Cross Post To – if you would like to send a message to two eGroups, select a second eGroup the drop box
3. Subject – type a hint of what the main idea is. This will be the subject line of the email.
4. Message – type your message here. (Hint: If you have a long message to compose, you might wish to create it in a separate word processing program, and then paste it into this field when you are finished. This will prevent you from losing any information while you are working on it.)
5. Click SEND or click ATTACH if you would like to add an attachment* to your message

*Attachment(s) – Attachment(s) are stored in the Resource Library connected with this group. When you choose to "attach" a file, the file is not physically stored in your email. Instead a link is created to the file and the file is stored in your group's Resource Library. This means you don't have to worry that your large file didn't make it to all recipients. Everyone in the group can access it in the Resource Library.

To add an attachment, complete these steps before hitting the SEND button:

Step 1: Describe Your Document(s)

1. In the Title field, enter a heading for your document or group of documents. This is similar to creating a folder.
2. In the Description field, enter a brief summary of your document(s). This helps others identify documents when browsing through the Resource Library.

Step 2: Upload Your File(s)

You can upload one or more documents by going through the following steps for each file you want to upload.

1. Click on the Browse button to find any file that you want from your computer.
• Double click on the file or click on the file, then click open to select the file.
• You can upload documents (including Word, Notepad, PowerPoint slide shows and Excel), video clips, audio clips or images.
2. In the File Name field, enter a name for the file that is being uploaded. If you want the document's existing file name to display, don't type anything here.
3. Click on the Upload button.
4. If there are more then one file being uploaded, then repeat the above steps until all files have been uploaded.

Step 3: Add Tags/Keywords to Your Document

Tags, also known as keywords, are words that help users find documents in the Resource Libraries. You can assign multiple tags, such as "policy" or "agenda" to help identify your files. A set of tags have been established already, but you can also create your own.

1. Select one or more Tags by clicking on the check box next to the word. To add a new tag, type it in the space provided.
• A space needs to separate each unique tag.
2. Click on the Finish button.

Click SEND

After you click "Send," you have successfully uploaded your message with the attachment(s)! Go to the My Message tab and you will see your "Post Message" in your group's library.

How to Use the Advanced Search Feature

Click on "Advanced Search" in the navigation on the left to access the advanced search feature. You will see a screen like this one:

Enter any or all of the criteria below to search messages in your eGroups:

• Search Term – enter a word, a few words or a phrase to search for.
• Show results with - If you choose "All Words," the messages must contain all words you typed in your search term field. If you choose "Any Words," the messages only need to contain one of the words you provided in the search term field. If you choose "Exact Phrase," the messages need to contain exactly the words you typed, in the order you typed them, in order to match your search.
• eGroup – select an eGroup in the drop down box or keep "All eGroups" selected to search all of your eGroups
• Date Search – type the date range you wish to search in the two boxes. The first box is the starting date and the second is the ending date.

Click Search

Viewing Your Sent Messages

In the navigation on the left, click on "My Sent Messages." You will see a screen like this:

This screen is a record of messages that you sent in the last 30 days (either using the eGroups or directly to another member).

You have the following options for each of your messages:

• Edit - selecting "edit" allows you to edit the Subject Field and/or Message Field and then resend the message. You can also click on the subject line to view/edit the message.
• Delete - clicking here allows you to delete the message from your Sent list. It will not be removed from the archive on the site nor will it send a retraction to other members' email inboxes.  Remember that it has already been distributed by email and cannot be retracted from the inboxes.
• Resend - click on "resend" to open up the message for editing and then resend. You can resend to the same eGroup or a new eGroup.
• Forward - selecting "forward" enables you to forward this message to someone using his/her email address. This is used for someone outside of the eGroup, and does not need to be a member of AMSN. Make sure to include a note in the space provided before sending.

Managing Your eGroup Subscriptions

In the navigation on the left, click on "Manage Subscriptions." You will see a screen like this:

The eGroups you are eligible for will be displayed on this screen. There are five choices for subscription options. You can subscribe, unsubscribe, change your subscription type, or change your email address on this screen:

• Real Time: You will receive each message as it is sent. This is recommended if you are an active participant in a group.
• Daily Digest: You will receive one email at the end of each day (as long as messages were sent that day) containing all of the day's messages.
  
• PDA: Your messages will be formatted specially for display on a PDA or similar device.
• No Emails: If you select "No Emails," you will never receive emails for this eGroup, but you will be able to read the messages on AMSN Networks.
• Unsubscribe: Click here if you wish to completely leave the eGroup. You will no longer be able to see messages on AMSN NetWorks, you will not receive any more email messages, and you will no longer have access to the group's Resource Library.

If you would like to change the email address where you receive eGroup messages, click on the "change" link next to the current email address. You can change your email address here, but please note that this will only change your email address for this individual subscription, and will not change your email address anywhere else (such as your login or in your AMSN member record).

You also have the ability to choose your mail format at the top of the page. Selecting "Text" means that you will receive messages in plain text, with no images and no text formatting. "HTML" is the recommended format, which allows for easily readable text formatting and hyperlinks back to AMSN NetWorks.

Hit the "Save" button before leaving this screen to keep your changes!

How to Edit Your Signature

In the navigation on the left, click on "My Signature." You will see a screen like this:

By default, your signature will be your name and your position. If you would like to change your signature, you can do so here. You have two options for creating your signature:

1. Type it in yourself. In the text area, type whatever you would like to appear.
2. Use the Available Variables. If you click on one of the fields under the "Available Variables" header, you can create your signature quickly and easily. For instance, if you click [FirstName] and [LastName], "[FirstName] [LastName]" will appear in the signature text box. When you send a message, your signature will contain your first and last name only. Please note that if you use these variables, you must use open and closed brackets around each word.