Greetings from Groups.io,

The updates group has been quiet, but we've been working hard on improving Groups.io. It's a new year and we wanted to update you on some of the improvements we've made to Groups.io over the past several months. If we listed all the improvements, this message would be way too long. Instead, here's a sampling of what we've done:

New Mobile Site

If you haven't visited the website on your phone or tablet lately, you should check it out. We've made it much easier to work with your groups while on the go. There's new navigation specifically for small screens and infinite scroll to make viewing messages easier.

Chat

You can now create chat rooms to go along with your groups. Some conversations are best done in threads and posts, some conversations are best in chat. We now support both!

Better Profiles

You can now change your profile for each of the groups you're a member of. Use a different photo, change your display name, set a different bio.

Enterprise Version of Groups.io

We've been hard at work on the Enterprise version of Groups.io. With this option, you can specify your own domain name and logo, and other options. Look for an announcement about it soon.

Other changes, in brief:

• Two Factor Security. You can now set up two-factor security on your account, for extra protection.
• RSVPs for Events. People can RSVP to events, and you can view and message those who have responded.
• New Member Directory. Each group can have a member directory, where you can view the profiles of other members of your group.
• Custom Signatures. You can specify custom signatures to be added to your messages.
• Groups can be set to auto-moderate or auto-close threads after a specified number of days.
• Database tables have a new Image column.
• You can upload and include images in your Wiki pages now.

Have an idea for how to improve Groups.io? Join the beta group and let us know!

Remember, you can unsubscribe from these notices at any time. Just click on the 'Unsubscribe' link in the footer of this message.

Thanks for using Groups.io and have a great weekend!

Mark

Greetings from Groups.io,

We continue to work on improving Groups.io, and we have added several features in the last month.

Subdomains

We just rolled out a big improvement for groups that have subgroups (if your group does not have any subgroups, you can ignore this part). If your group has one or more subgroups, we've created a subdomain for you. An example is probably the best way to explain this. Let's say you have a group called 'example', with subgroups 'sub1' and 'sub2'. Right now, you send messages to these groups using the addresses 'example@groups.io,' 'example+sub1@groups.io,' and 'example+sub2@groups.io'. While you can still do that, you can now also send messages to these groups using the addresses 'main@example.groups.io,' 'sub1@example.groups.io,' and 'sub2@example.groups.io'. And you can go to https://example.groups.io to access your groups.

Drafts

When composing a new message or replying to an existing message on the Groups.io website, we now automatically save your message as you type it. Should your computer crash or you otherwise navigate away from the website before sending, your message will not be lost. Click on the Post link in the group sidebar and you'll be able to access your draft.

Table of Contents in Wiki

You can now specify that your wiki pages have a table of contents. When composing a wiki page using HTML mode, look for the ToC button.

Improved Subgroup Management

For groups with subgroups, you can now see on a single page which subgroups each of your members is a part of. Click the Subgroups link in the group sidebar.

Other Updates

• You can now add attachments when composing messages on the website.
• The group calendar can now be made visible to the public.

Have an idea for how to improve Groups.io? Join the beta group and let us know!

Thanks for using Groups.io and have a great weekend!

Mark

Greetings from Groups.io,

New year, new features! Here's what we've been up to since our last update:

Database

Groups now have a database. Define a table with a set of columns, which can include: text fields, checkboxes, multiple choice selections, dates, times, or addresses. Each table supports an unlimited number of rows. Tables are great for storing and searching on structured data and forms.

New Sign-Up Form

You can now embed a signup form in your website, making it easy for people to join your group. See the new Promote tab in the sidebar for your group for more information.

Full Featured Digests

We've had plain text digests since the beginning. Now we also have full featured digests. They look nicer and contain links making it easy to jump from the Topics list to individual messages within the digest.

Log In And Join Group Improvements

It's now easier to log into the Groups.io website, using the new 'Email me a link to log in' function. We've also made it easier to join groups through the website.

Other Updates

• We've added About Me, Location and Website fields to your profile.
• You can change the date display on the website from showing relative times to absolute dates.
• Group moderators can specify that one hashtag is an alias of another hashtag.
• Many cleanups, improvements and bugfixes.

Of course, we're not done. Have an idea for how to improve Groups.io? Join the beta group and let us know!

Thanks for using Groups.io!

Mark

Hello,

After a summer of working on new features, we're back with a new Groups.io update. Here's what we've been up to since our last update:

Polls

Groups now have polls. Specify any number of possible answers and whether people can select one or many. Decide whether people can see the results before the poll is closed or only after.

Subgroups

We've had subgroups for quite some time now, but now we've made them even better. Subgroups can now have public archives. Also, group members can create their own subgroups.

Allowing Non-Subscribers to Post

You can now set your group so that posts from people who are not subscribers will be moderated instead of rejected.

Other Updates

• You can assign different colors to hashtags.
• You can specify that tagged threads are automatically closed.
• We changed the URL structure of the site to be less verbose.
• Lots of little cleanups and improvements to the website.

Of course, we're not done. Have an idea for how to improve Groups.io? Join the beta group and let us know.

Thanks for using Groups.io!

Mark

Hello!

It's been awhile, but we're back with an update. We've been hard at work adding new features and squashing bugs. Here are just some of the features we've added since our last update:

Trello Integration

Do you use Trello? Now, you can receive notifications whenever there are changes to your Trello boards, cards and lists. Configure this integration through the Integrations page for your group.

Google Drive Integration

We also added Google Drive integration. Like our Dropbox integration, you can configure Groups.io to automatically save specific attachments sent to your groups in your Google Drive. Configure this integration through the Subscription page for a group.

RSS Archive Feeds

Public archives now have RSS feeds. Enter the URL of a group home page into your favorite feed reader, and you will receive group messages directly in your reader.

Moderated Hashtags

Hashtags can now be moderated. Whenever a thread is tagged with a moderated hashtag, all messages in the thread will require approval before being sent to the group. Configure moderated hashtags through the Hashtags page in your group.

Likes

And finally, you can now like messages. Click the 'Like' button under a message on the Groups.io website, or, you can reply to a message with a simple 'like' or '+1' (without the quotes).

Of course, we're not done. Have an idea for how to improve Groups.io? Join the beta group and let us know.

Thanks for using Groups.io!

Mark

Hello!

We've been hard at work adding a passel of new features to Groups.io. Here are some highlights:

Photos

Every group now has a photos section. Photos are stored in albums. An album can be set to allow any group member to upload photos, or it can be set to restrict uploads just to the person who created it. In addition, the Photos section can be set to allow uploads by group members, or it can be restricted just to moderators and owners.

Max Attachment Size

Don't want to receive large attachments in your group messages? You can specify the max attachment size allowed in messages you receive. If an attachment is larger than your max size, you'll get a link to it on the Groups.io website instead. See your Subscription page for all the goodness.

Default Subscription Options

Owners, you can now specify default subscription options for new people joining your group. Do your members generally like to be on digest? Set that as a default, and new people joining will default to that (of course, they can change their subscription whenever they want). The new Default Sub Settings page can be accessed from the Settings page of your group.

Calendar Improvements

We've made several small improvements to the calendar. You can now specify that a notification is sent to your group when an event happens. You can also specify hashtags in event names. And we're now tagging messages sent from the calendar: reminders have the tag #cal-reminder, notifications have the tag #cal-notice and calendar invites are tagged with #cal-invite.

If that's not a passel of new features, then I don't know what a passel is (and I just looked up that word before writing this). Of course, we're not done. Have an idea for how to improve Groups.io? Join the beta group and let us know.

Thanks for using Groups.io!

Mark

Hello,

We've been busy working on new features and improving Groups.io. Here are our latest updates:

Slack Member Sync

Mailing lists and chat, like peanut butter and chocolate, go great together. Do you have a Slack Team? You can now link it with your Groups.io group. Our new Slack Member Sync feature lets you syncronize your Slack and Groups.io member lists. When someone joins your Groups.io group, they will automatically get an invite to join your Slack Team. And when someone joins your Slack Team, they'll automatically get added to your Groups.io group. You can configure the sync to be automatic or you can sync members by hand. Access the new member sync area from the Settings page for your group.

As an aside, another potentially great combination, bacon and chocolate, do not go great together. Trust us, we've tried.

Thread And Message Management

The heart of a group is the message archive. And nobody likes a unorganized archive. We've added the ability to split and merge threads. Has a thread changed topics half way through? Split it into two threads. Or if two threads are talking about the same thing, you can merge them. You can also delete individual messages, and change the subject of threads.

Google Log-in

You can now log into Groups.io using Google. For new users, this allows them to skip the confirmation email step, making it quicker and easier to join your groups.

Have an idea for how to improve Groups.io? Join the beta group and let us know.

Thanks for using Groups.io!

Mark

Hello,

Do you have a group with Yahoo or Google that you'd like to move to Groups.io? We've just launched our group transfer service to make it easy to do. Simply click here and follow the instructions.

Have an idea for how to improve Groups.io? Join the beta group and let us know.

Thanks for using Groups.io!

Mark

Hello,

It's been awhile since we sent a message to updates@groups.io, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy improving the service! Here's just a short list of some of the features we've added recently:

• You can now post messages using Markdown and emoji characters :+1
• Messages can be edited or deleted, and you can compare revisions
• Moderators can tag posts as special
• Numerous other bug fixes and improvements

Tomorrow, Friday February 5th, Groups.io will be down from 9am-10am Pacific Time, so that we can role out improvements to our group subscription options. You can see a mockup of the new, easier to understand, options here. Emails sent during our downtime will be queued up and delivered when we return.

Thanks for using Groups.io!

Mark

Hello,

We continue to improve Groups.io and today we're happy to announce that every group now has a Wiki. Wikis are great for storing information relevant to your group, like links to other sites, or reference materials. Like the Files section and Calendar, access to the Wiki is completely controllable; access can be restricted to either subscribers or moderators.

Are you interested in helping us improve Groups.io? Are you interested in seeing a list of the day to day changes to the service? If so, subscribe to the Beta group.

Thanks,

Mark

Hello,

Every group and subgroup now has a Files section, where you can upload files that are relevant to your group. The Files section has the same permissions types as the Calendar; upload and access can be restricted to either subscribers or moderators. Moderators and owners have a new notification check box to indicate that they are to receive notifications when the file space is full. All operations in the Files section are logged in the Activity log.

Are you interested in helping us improve Groups.io? Are you interested in seeing a list of the day to day changes to the service? If so, subscribe to the Beta group.

Thanks,

Mark

Hello,

We've just added a calendar to every group. Calendars are full-featured; you can set single and repeating events, and each event can have a series of reminders, which are sent to the group members. As we continue to build out Groups.io, the calendar will serve as the foundation for several additional features we have planned.

Hello,

Integrations are a powerful feature of Groups.io. They allow you to connect your Groups.io group with an outside service. We have several integrations available. One of the integrations is with github.com; notifications of activity in your github repository, such as checkins and releases, are sent to your Groups.io group. Another integration is the feed integration. Any blog or web site that has an RSS or Atom feed can be integrated with your group, so that new blog posts or updates are automatically sent to your group. We also have Facebook, Instagram and Dropbox integrations.

We just added a feature where you can moderate integration messages. Instead of having the messages automatically be posted to your group, you now have the option to approve them first. This is great if, for example, you've set up a feed integration with a blog, but that blog only sometimes has posts that are relevant to your group. You can reject the posts that aren't relevant.

How can we improve Groups.io? Please let us know!

Thanks,

Mark

Groups.io now supports subgroups. A subgroup is a group within another group. When viewing your group on the website, you can create a subgroup by clicking the 'Subgroup' tab on the left side. The email address of a subgroup is of the form parentgroup+subgroup@groups.io.

Subgroups have all the functionality of normal groups, with one exception. To be a member of a subgroup, you must be a member of the parent group. A subgroup can be open to all members of the parent group, or it can be restricted. Archives can be viewable by members of the parent group, or they can be private to the members of the subgroup. Subgroups are listed on the group home page, or they can be completely hidden.

We're constantly working to improve Groups.io. Have a suggestion for a feature or improvement, please let us know!

Thanks,

Mark

• Integration with other services, including: Github, Google Hangouts, Dropbox, Instagram, Facebook Pages, and the ability to import Feeds into your groups.
• Businesses and organizations can have their own private groups on their own subdomain.
• Better archive organization, using hashtags.
• Many more email delivery options.
• The ability to mute threads or hashtags.
• Fully searchable archives, including searching within attachments.