By Chip Coker KD4C
Our Groups.io list is a great resource for the RWK! It’s a great way to learn new things and connect with other members, and even get some free stuff! However, as with any communication tool, it takes some knowledge to use it effectively and the best way for the RWK. Our list contains most (but not all) of the RWK members. Joining the RWK does not automatically add you to groups.io, and because the group is an open group, you can join our groups.io and not be a member of RWK. Because it’s a large list (over 400!), it can generate a lot of email traffic, and lots of traffic can make some people want to unsubscribe and leave the list. We want every message to be an important one, so that people feel that the list is valuable.
Here are some tips (and some things not to do) for our Groups.io mailing list:
- Message content should be limited to ham radio subjects and related technologies (things used for radio). Absolutely no off-subject posts (such as politics) are allowed.
- Please reply to the right place! If you want your reply to be read by anyone on the list, by all means reply to the groups.io message (the default response by hitting “reply” to the message). But if your reply is only to the sender of the message, use the “reply to sender” link (at the bottom of every message). If someone is offering something for free to the list, only one person needs to see your “I want it” response, so reply to just the sender please.
- Please avoid “back and forth” discussions on the list. If you say in a post that the best radio brand is Yaesu and someone replies “No, it’s Icom”, please resist the urge to reply with your 12 reasons why it’s Yaesu, with will then prompt another 12 replies with 12 reasons why it’s Icom.
- Use hashtag filters to block subjects that you don’t want to see. Many repeat messages that are on the list are for a specific subject and will contain a hashtag (e.g. “#foxhunt” or “#dx”) in the subject line. If you don’t want to see our weekly Foxhunt messages, then block the “#foxhunt” subject (there’s a “mute #” link at the bottom of every message that has a subject hashtag). You’ll never see another foxhunt message, but the fox may have his feelings hurt.
- If the volume of messages is still too high, you can always change your message delivery settings to “daily summary”. You will get a single email every morning with a summary of the messages from the previous day. Of course, the free stuff will probably be gone by then…
With a little care and feeding, our Groups.io list can be a great resource for the RWK and won’t overload us all in email volume!
[this was originally published in the March 2022 Chawed Rag]
