Brotherhood’s Guide to Google Groups

Journeymen,

You may find yourself the recipient of many different emails from the Brotherhood. These mails are the primary means of communication within the organization and serve us greatly in its operation.

The club now operates under the Google Groups domain to handle its mail service. Essentially, this is a service that allows the Brotherhood to subscribe its members and officers to “groups” that are organized by affiliation or interest. This way when, for instance, the Clan Plagueis Summit needs to contact its members on an important issue, they may do so by mailing Plagueis@googlegroups.com. Every member subscribed to that group will receive the communication. Within the Brotherhood, there is a group for every facet of activity.

When first joining, you should be prompted via email to sign up at the Google Groups site. Their page is here:

http://groups.google.com/

Create an account and then follow the instructions to gain membership to the particular group. Some groups anyone can join, others will be restricted to those who comprise the group’s selected body. Don’t try to add yourself to groups you have no need to join. When initially starting out, your House and Clan groups should suffice.

If for some reason you wish to be removed from the group, simply log in at the Google Groups site and click on the group name you wish to be removed from. Click on “unsubscribe or change membership” and then unsubscribe.

While this is a simple-to-use system and allows for the free flow of information both up and down the chain of command, there are some guidelines to be aware of when using the groups.

ID Lines- Please include your ID Line from your dossier at the bottom of all your communications. It is required and quickly identifies who the sender is as email addresses often differ from the member’s club name.

Questions- There’s absolutely no reason not to ask questions over the groups. However, realize that every mail you send goes to sometimes as many as 100 participants, most of whom don’t need to see your communication. Send specific questions to specific people. If you have a simple question you can’t find an answer to yourself, try sending an email to your Battleteam Leader, not the entire Clan group.

If the question is more general in nature, and you’re just looking to see who might be able to help, start with your House group. Usually someone, such as an Envoy or other helpful member will quickly mail you back. If the initial mail doesn’t really call for the attention of anyone else, take it to private or direct mailing of that person’s address.

Chain of Command- This directly relates to the asking of questions or other inquiries. Always use your chain of command. Start with the BTL or House Envoy. Normally you won’t need to go above them for an answer. If you do, then proceed to the Aedile of your House, etc. There’s no need to mail a Summit group or the Clan when you can and will find the answer to your question within the positions that were created to help you.

Spamming- This is one of the main concerns when subscribed to a mail group. Remember a group is not an instant messaging service. One line, or sometimes even one word, conversations are not a good idea sent across groups. One or two of these between a few people on the group is not a big deal, but avoid them by using that person’s email address specifically. Excessive spamming can lead to moderation of your ability to post to the group.

Language & Manners- There’s really no reason to use inappropriate language over the groups. The club, though casual and fun, seeks to maintain a professional appearance as much as possible. Remember many of our members are young adults who really don’t need to see such language or have poor examples set for them. Occasionally a word or two might slip in, we’re not prudes, this is not a big deal, but let people see your maturity rather than the lack thereof.

Be polite. If you have questions, or comments, you’re more likely to get positive responses if you ask nicely or comment without being rude. This especially holds true for younger members who may have many questions, but lack the patience or developed manners to effectively communicate. “Where do I get ‘xyz’?” is the typed equivalent of a poor attitude. Try, “Does anyone know where I can find ‘xyz’, please? Thanks!” I promise you more members will come out of the woodwork to help you with the latter.

All former darkjedibrotherhood domains should forward to the new Google Groups. Occasionally the Google will hiccup and cause issues, but they are usually resolved by an administrator’s attention. If you’re having trouble with a particular group, check your account and make sure you’re properly subscribed. There is also a FAQ on the Google Groups page to help answer questions on usage.