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Will You Add? - How to Start an Internet Group and Get It Going
With the increase of use of the internet almost all the activities of life are now oriented towards the internet life style. The cyber world of trade has made its mark on the literary aspects as well. Now people prefer writing e-books as compared to the hard copies of books which are sold in the book stores. The competition in the online world is greater as practically everyone can write an e-book and sale it through the internet now. Still, it is not very easy for every one to be able to write an e-book.If you want to be one of those people who write really good e-books and who make lots of money through writing e-books, you need to follow certain steps. First of all, you need to know the concept of your e-book before you actually sit down to write it. Planning and devising the theme is very important step. Once you are done with it, the second step will be to divide the story line into chapters and prepare pointers. Once the chapters have been demarked, then you can move forward to the third stage. At this stage you have to actually write this book. Many people hire other writers to write the concept they have created. Once you are done with these three steps you simply need to compile it and make it ready to be sold. Find a proper e-publisher and start making money through selling your e-book. You can make money through this way.
7. Expect problems to develop sometimes. When they do, look on them as challenges, and deal with them the best you can.
8. Keep your sense of humor.
G. Suggested Group Rules & Guidelines
The rules (guidelines) listed here will not work for all groups, but they are a starting point.
Ideally, start with just a few basic rules. As the group grows, the need for other rules or guidelines will develop, so they can be added.
(If you can get the group to approve and support any new rules before adding them to the list, it will be much easier to implement changes, by the way.)
Pick and choose what would work from this list with your group. Ignore the rest.
a) All interactions with other members should be positive. No name calling, sarcasm, or personal attacks.
b) All messages need to be signed with your name. (Some groups allow anonymous members or nicknames. Others believe that anonymity takes away from group security and integrity.)
c) You should not share private information about our members with others. This includes their names, email addresses, and the messages they write.
d) Do not send SPAM to the group.
SPAM is defined as: forwards, petitions, requests for mass mailing of cards to strangers, chain letters, etc.
e) Sexual, religious, racial, and political jokes should not be sent to the group. Jokes about drunks or people who are mentally ill or physically handicapped should not be sent, either.
Note: Any jokes should be considered carefully before they are sent to make sure they are funny without being offensive.
f) Prevent religious controversy within the group by monitoring your own faith sharing carefully.
Note: Religious comments should be general, non-judgmental, and not sent with the intent of influencing others.
g) Members should not sell products to other members for the sake of making profit, nor should they promote their own businesses to other group members, either via the group or privately.
h) Honor copyright laws. If you copy a poem or
The UK registry at Companies House provides a useful service for limited companies. In addition to incorporating and dissolving companies they also maintain the national register. This involves the recording and storing of data relating to all UK incorporated companies and LLP’s. Historically most records were updated by the submission of manual forms. This would include the submission of company accounts, change of address forms and forms appointing new company officers as well as many other documents. Whilst this system has served a purpose for many years it is far from secure as signatures are not checked and changes are implemented without further checks.Identity fraud has increased over recent years, which meant that the previous system at Companies House was open to serious abuse. Companies have found their records have been updated without their knowledge. Individuals can masquerade as company officers, open bank accounts and enter into fraudulent contacts. It has been too easy for too long for businesses to be deceived and for companies to be hijackedHowever, Companies House has now introduced some basic protective measures that limited companies in the UK can adopt. Firstly they have introduced ‘WebFiling’. This is an electronic online filing system. It allows companies to make changes to their company details online. Instead of posting forms to Companies House changes can now be made in minutes online. To increase security there are two simple security procedures used. A security ‘authentication code’ is issued for each company and users requi
I started the first group with very little knowledge or experience, because groups were very new, at the time. It was more of an experiment, with no long-range goals in site. It was a grief group; our goal was to simply get through one day at a time.
Since then, the first group has grown into a large vibrant e-community, other groups have evolved from the first group, and we?ve set up various website related to the groups also.
We've also developed a variety of group projects.
The groups I've been involved with are all through yahoogroups, so my directions may fit YG more than other group services, but most of the information would probably work no matter who provides the group service.
I have been asked how to set up a group. Right now, I will address 4 issues for those who are considering setting up a group.
First, I have a few questions to help you decide if you are ready to set up a group. Then, I'll offer homework suggestions to help you prepare for setting the group up. Next, I'll give specific suggestions on how to set the group up and get it off the ground, and finally, I?ll include a few group rules or policies you to can pick from to use when you first start the group.
A. Are you ready to start a group?
Ask yourself the questions below to help you assess your readiness to set up an Internet group. If you are honest in your answers, you will know whether to continue with your plans or not.
1. Do you have time to invest in preparing for a group, setting it up, getting it going, and in managing it?
2. Do you have decent communication skills?
3. Do you have a reliable Internet connection?
4. Do you have patience to explain (and re-explain) sign up procedures and group policies to those who do not follow directions or remember them?
5. Do you have enough knowledge to deal with the issues that your group will be addressing?
6. Do you have enough experience to bring to the group so that they will see you as a leader, not as a follower?
7. Do you have enough tact and diplomacy to deal with trouble-makers in the group in a respectful way?
8. If your group deals with people who are working through personal issues, have you worked through your own issues to the point that you can focus on their needs more than your own?
9. If your group is open to the public, would you have trouble embracing members who come from different backgrounds or values or lifestyles from your own?
10. Do you need to be the star, the center of attention, or are you comfortable in your own skin, doing what you need behind the scenes without recognition?
11. Are you willing to share responsibility for the group, or do you feel the need to be in absolute control?
12. Do you anticipate the group being a pleasant challenge, or a chore?
13. Do you have the commitment to do the work involved over a long period of time?
B. If you are ready, what homework needs to be done before setting up a group?
1. Establish whether there is a need for the group.
Search the Internet, YahooGroups, msn.com and any other services that may attract the people you would want to connect with to see what's available.
If there are groups, study their mission statements, their level of activity, and how long they have been in existence.
You may need to contact people you know who share the same interest to get feedback from them on whether there is a real need for this new group or not. Listen to what they say.
If there are already similar groups, is there a need for another group, or would it be a waste of time to start a new one? If you believe that there is a need, how would your group be different?
2. After you establish that there is a need, write a basic mission statement for the group so that it?s clear who would be in the group and the direction it would go in.
3. Give your group a name: short and focused.
4. Find the right group hosting service by comparing what's available.
5. Read and study all of the information and directions about setting up a group at the hosting site you select. Make sure you understand all of the services, options and limits.
6. Identify the population that would be interested in your group and where you would find them.
C. Preparing to Set the Group Up
1. Write a brief group description to go along with the mission statement. The description should identify who qualifies for the group and any requirements of members.
2. Decide on the group policies or rules. Simple is best. Write up the list of rules or policies and then get someone to read over them, playing the devil's advocate to make sure they are clearly stated.
3. Make other decisions about group functioning based on what the group service offers.
Do you need to use a database to keep information about the members?
Do you need the messages to be archived?
Do you need to set up a chatroom for your group?
Do you plan to use the calendar to remind the group of related events?
Are there things that should be put on the Message Footer to go out to all members with each message?
4. Decide what information you need from every member of the group. (Note NEED is the key word. Do not solicit information just out of idle curiosity.)
5. Set up a database to record the required information on each member. (If you choose to not keep a record of who is in your group, you would not need a database.)
6. Identify people who may be interested in your group and enlist friends to help you find people who might want to join. Make a list of them by name and email address.
D. Inviting people to the group
1. Write a letter to be sent to potential members of the group. You should introduce yourself, state the mission statement and requirements of the group, and ask if that person wants to be invited to join. Make it short and sweet.
2. After the group is set up and ready, send the letter out to each person on your list privately. No bulk mailing.
3. Keep track of all who reply affirmative. Send them a letter requesting the required information. Let them know when to expect the official invitation.
E. Setting up the group
1. Set the group up, according to the directions offered by the hosting site. Make sure your group mission statement is on the home page of your group website or sign-up site.
2. Set up your files with copies of the documents you've prepared.
3. Set up automatic files so that the rules and other important information is sent out to new members as they join.
4. Set up a letter to be sent out automatically to each person who will be invited to join the group, letting that person know what information is required before their membership is approved.
5. Send invitations to those who have indicated they would like to be in the group.
6. As they accept the invitations, put the information they provided in the database so you will have it on file for a variety of other things.
7. Once the charter group seems set, send out the first message to the group, and invite the members to send in their introductions. 8. After that, play ball!
F. Ideas to help a group flow
1. Include members of the group in any decisions that you are willing to share.
2. Ask for volunteers from the group for various projects that may arise. Make sure you give the volunteers good, clear instructions on what should be done. (Example, you may get a volunteer to handle the database, at first.)
3. Send out a thought-provoking question every day.
4. Watch for members to suggest ideas, and then help develop any of the ideas that would enrich the group experience.
5. Remember to be flexible, and willing to change with the tide as your group grows. What works with a small handful of members will not work with a large active group. Each group has its own personality.
6. Do not recruit members from other groups, without the express consent of the group owner. This type of action could have a negative impact on the reputation of your group.
7. Expect problems to develop sometimes. When they do, look on them as challenges, and deal with them the best you can.
8. Keep your sense of humor.
G. Suggested Group Rules & Guidelines
The rules (guidelines) listed here will not work for all groups, but they are a starting point.
Ideally, start with just a few basic rules. As the group grows, the need for other rules or guidelines will develop, so they can be added.
(If you can get the group to approve and support any new rules before adding them to the list, it will be much easier to implement changes, by the way.)
Pick and choose what would work from this list with your group. Ignore the rest.
a) All interactions with other members should be positive. No name calling, sarcasm, or personal attacks.
b) All messages need to be signed with your name. (Some groups allow anonymous members or nicknames. Others believe that anonymity takes away from group security and integrity.)
c) You should not share private information about our members with others. This includes their names, email addresses, and the messages they write.
d) Do not send SPAM to the group.
SPAM is defined as: forwards, petitions, requests for mass mailing of cards to strangers, chain letters, etc.
e) Sexual, religious, racial, and political jokes should not be sent to the group. Jokes about drunks or people who are mentally ill or physically handicapped should not be sent, either.
Note: Any jokes should be considered carefully before they are sent to make sure they are funny without being offensive.
f) Prevent religious controversy within the group by monitoring your own faith sharing carefully.
Note: Religious comments should be general, non-judgmental, and not sent with the intent of influencing others.
g) Members should not sell products to other members for the sake of making profit, nor should they promote their own businesses to other group members, either via the group or privately.
h) Honor copyright laws. If you copy a poem or a
So you’ve hung up your shingle and customers aren’t exactly beating a path to your door. What can you do? Well you might think standing out on the street with a megaphone will do the trick. And it may be one way to gain attention for your business, but an overall public relations plan incorporating a number of promotional ideas could be just what your business needs.Public relations is communicating who you are, what you do and how you make a difference. It's about having successful “relationships” with your “public”. They could be friends, clients, potential customers, competitors or the media who can all help spread the word about your business.One way of communicating your message is through publicity or media relations. Sending out media releases to create awareness of your product or service is great publicity but is just one tactic of an overall PR plan that you could incorporate in to your business.Lets look at a few other ideas:1. Special events such as an open day, a fund raising event, trade show or award night2. Product launches and product giveaways to the media3. Newsletters email or hard copy – direct communication with your public, clients and customers4. Write articles about your area of expertise and submit them to business or consumer publications5. Fact sheets or tip sheets– written information about your product or service that you can include with any mail outs or have in your reception area6. Create a website. This is your online PR brochure but you need to keep telling people about
6. Do you have enough experience to bring to the group so that they will see you as a leader, not as a follower?
7. Do you have enough tact and diplomacy to deal with trouble-makers in the group in a respectful way?
8. If your group deals with people who are working through personal issues, have you worked through your own issues to the point that you can focus on their needs more than your own?
9. If your group is open to the public, would you have trouble embracing members who come from different backgrounds or values or lifestyles from your own?
10. Do you need to be the star, the center of attention, or are you comfortable in your own skin, doing what you need behind the scenes without recognition?
11. Are you willing to share responsibility for the group, or do you feel the need to be in absolute control?
12. Do you anticipate the group being a pleasant challenge, or a chore?
13. Do you have the commitment to do the work involved over a long period of time?
B. If you are ready, what homework needs to be done before setting up a group?
1. Establish whether there is a need for the group.
Search the Internet, YahooGroups, msn.com and any other services that may attract the people you would want to connect with to see what's available.
If there are groups, study their mission statements, their level of activity, and how long they have been in existence.
You may need to contact people you know who share the same interest to get feedback from them on whether there is a real need for this new group or not. Listen to what they say.
If there are already similar groups, is there a need for another group, or would it be a waste of time to start a new one? If you believe that there is a need, how would your group be different?
2. After you establish that there is a need, write a basic mission statement for the group so that it?s clear who would be in the group and the direction it would go in.
3. Give your group a name: short and focused.
4. Find the right group hosting service by comparing what's available.
5. Read and study all of the information and directions about setting up a group at the hosting site you select. Make sure you understand all of the services, options and limits.
6. Identify the population that would be interested in your group and where you would find them.
C. Preparing to Set the Group Up
1. Write a brief group description to go along with the mission statement. The description should identify who qualifies for the group and any requirements of members.
2. Decide on the group policies or rules. Simple is best. Write up the list of rules or policies and then get someone to read over them, playing the devil's advocate to make sure they are clearly stated.
3. Make other decisions about group functioning based on what the group service offers.
Do you need to use a database to keep information about the members?
Do you need the messages to be archived?
Do you need to set up a chatroom for your group?
Do you plan to use the calendar to remind the group of related events?
Are there things that should be put on the Message Footer to go out to all members with each message?
4. Decide what information you need from every member of the group. (Note NEED is the key word. Do not solicit information just out of idle curiosity.)
5. Set up a database to record the required information on each member. (If you choose to not keep a record of who is in your group, you would not need a database.)
6. Identify people who may be interested in your group and enlist friends to help you find people who might want to join. Make a list of them by name and email address.
D. Inviting people to the group
1. Write a letter to be sent to potential members of the group. You should introduce yourself, state the mission statement and requirements of the group, and ask if that person wants to be invited to join. Make it short and sweet.
2. After the group is set up and ready, send the letter out to each person on your list privately. No bulk mailing.
3. Keep track of all who reply affirmative. Send them a letter requesting the required information. Let them know when to expect the official invitation.
E. Setting up the group
1. Set the group up, according to the directions offered by the hosting site. Make sure your group mission statement is on the home page of your group website or sign-up site.
2. Set up your files with copies of the documents you've prepared.
3. Set up automatic files so that the rules and other important information is sent out to new members as they join.
4. Set up a letter to be sent out automatically to each person who will be invited to join the group, letting that person know what information is required before their membership is approved.
5. Send invitations to those who have indicated they would like to be in the group.
6. As they accept the invitations, put the information they provided in the database so you will have it on file for a variety of other things.
7. Once the charter group seems set, send out the first message to the group, and invite the members to send in their introductions. 8. After that, play ball!
F. Ideas to help a group flow
1. Include members of the group in any decisions that you are willing to share.
2. Ask for volunteers from the group for various projects that may arise. Make sure you give the volunteers good, clear instructions on what should be done. (Example, you may get a volunteer to handle the database, at first.)
3. Send out a thought-provoking question every day.
4. Watch for members to suggest ideas, and then help develop any of the ideas that would enrich the group experience.
5. Remember to be flexible, and willing to change with the tide as your group grows. What works with a small handful of members will not work with a large active group. Each group has its own personality.
6. Do not recruit members from other groups, without the express consent of the group owner. This type of action could have a negative impact on the reputation of your group.
7. Expect problems to develop sometimes. When they do, look on them as challenges, and deal with them the best you can.
8. Keep your sense of humor.
G. Suggested Group Rules & Guidelines
The rules (guidelines) listed here will not work for all groups, but they are a starting point.
Ideally, start with just a few basic rules. As the group grows, the need for other rules or guidelines will develop, so they can be added.
(If you can get the group to approve and support any new rules before adding them to the list, it will be much easier to implement changes, by the way.)
Pick and choose what would work from this list with your group. Ignore the rest.
a) All interactions with other members should be positive. No name calling, sarcasm, or personal attacks.
b) All messages need to be signed with your name. (Some groups allow anonymous members or nicknames. Others believe that anonymity takes away from group security and integrity.)
c) You should not share private information about our members with others. This includes their names, email addresses, and the messages they write.
d) Do not send SPAM to the group.
SPAM is defined as: forwards, petitions, requests for mass mailing of cards to strangers, chain letters, etc.
e) Sexual, religious, racial, and political jokes should not be sent to the group. Jokes about drunks or people who are mentally ill or physically handicapped should not be sent, either.
Note: Any jokes should be considered carefully before they are sent to make sure they are funny without being offensive.
f) Prevent religious controversy within the group by monitoring your own faith sharing carefully.
Note: Religious comments should be general, non-judgmental, and not sent with the intent of influencing others.
g) Members should not sell products to other members for the sake of making profit, nor should they promote their own businesses to other group members, either via the group or privately.
h) Honor copyright laws. If you copy a poem or
You're a small business owner, you do considerably well for yourself. Your business is profitable, it's not a Fortune 1,000 company, but it's not losing money either. So why would you need a consultant? What would be the point because apparently you are doing well enough on your own? Let me answer you question, it's because you're not a Fortune 1,000 company. Funny thing is, even global corporations still bring in outside help, because they understand everyone needs a hand.Now is the time for you to rebut with all of your predetermined excuses. Let me tackle a few for you. “My budget doesn’t allow for a consultant.” Although your budget does allow for expenses that are too high, fees/prices that are too low, minimal profits, and sub-par leadership, strategy, and overall output. You make a great case, let’s proceed. “Consultants do nothing for a company.” If that’s the case then why are they still around, and why do executives of the globes largest corporations use them when they are paying their own executives millions in salary, bonuses, and benefits to run the company in the first place. That is quite the convincing argument. “I can do what consultants do” if this is the case, then why aren’t you running a successful consulting practice? Why are you reading this article looking for tips, advice, or direction?Consultants provided a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and insight that most owners do not see because they are too close to the situation. Consultants are analysts that can take apart a situation, show you which parts aren’t working well, and the
5. Read and study all of the information and directions about setting up a group at the hosting site you select. Make sure you understand all of the services, options and limits.
6. Identify the population that would be interested in your group and where you would find them.
C. Preparing to Set the Group Up
1. Write a brief group description to go along with the mission statement. The description should identify who qualifies for the group and any requirements of members.
2. Decide on the group policies or rules. Simple is best. Write up the list of rules or policies and then get someone to read over them, playing the devil's advocate to make sure they are clearly stated.
3. Make other decisions about group functioning based on what the group service offers.
Do you need to use a database to keep information about the members?
Do you need the messages to be archived?
Do you need to set up a chatroom for your group?
Do you plan to use the calendar to remind the group of related events?
Are there things that should be put on the Message Footer to go out to all members with each message?
4. Decide what information you need from every member of the group. (Note NEED is the key word. Do not solicit information just out of idle curiosity.)
5. Set up a database to record the required information on each member. (If you choose to not keep a record of who is in your group, you would not need a database.)
6. Identify people who may be interested in your group and enlist friends to help you find people who might want to join. Make a list of them by name and email address.
D. Inviting people to the group
1. Write a letter to be sent to potential members of the group. You should introduce yourself, state the mission statement and requirements of the group, and ask if that person wants to be invited to join. Make it short and sweet.
2. After the group is set up and ready, send the letter out to each person on your list privately. No bulk mailing.
3. Keep track of all who reply affirmative. Send them a letter requesting the required information. Let them know when to expect the official invitation.
E. Setting up the group
1. Set the group up, according to the directions offered by the hosting site. Make sure your group mission statement is on the home page of your group website or sign-up site.
2. Set up your files with copies of the documents you've prepared.
3. Set up automatic files so that the rules and other important information is sent out to new members as they join.
4. Set up a letter to be sent out automatically to each person who will be invited to join the group, letting that person know what information is required before their membership is approved.
5. Send invitations to those who have indicated they would like to be in the group.
6. As they accept the invitations, put the information they provided in the database so you will have it on file for a variety of other things.
7. Once the charter group seems set, send out the first message to the group, and invite the members to send in their introductions. 8. After that, play ball!
F. Ideas to help a group flow
1. Include members of the group in any decisions that you are willing to share.
2. Ask for volunteers from the group for various projects that may arise. Make sure you give the volunteers good, clear instructions on what should be done. (Example, you may get a volunteer to handle the database, at first.)
3. Send out a thought-provoking question every day.
4. Watch for members to suggest ideas, and then help develop any of the ideas that would enrich the group experience.
5. Remember to be flexible, and willing to change with the tide as your group grows. What works with a small handful of members will not work with a large active group. Each group has its own personality.
6. Do not recruit members from other groups, without the express consent of the group owner. This type of action could have a negative impact on the reputation of your group.
7. Expect problems to develop sometimes. When they do, look on them as challenges, and deal with them the best you can.
8. Keep your sense of humor.
G. Suggested Group Rules & Guidelines
The rules (guidelines) listed here will not work for all groups, but they are a starting point.
Ideally, start with just a few basic rules. As the group grows, the need for other rules or guidelines will develop, so they can be added.
(If you can get the group to approve and support any new rules before adding them to the list, it will be much easier to implement changes, by the way.)
Pick and choose what would work from this list with your group. Ignore the rest.
a) All interactions with other members should be positive. No name calling, sarcasm, or personal attacks.
b) All messages need to be signed with your name. (Some groups allow anonymous members or nicknames. Others believe that anonymity takes away from group security and integrity.)
c) You should not share private information about our members with others. This includes their names, email addresses, and the messages they write.
d) Do not send SPAM to the group.
SPAM is defined as: forwards, petitions, requests for mass mailing of cards to strangers, chain letters, etc.
e) Sexual, religious, racial, and political jokes should not be sent to the group. Jokes about drunks or people who are mentally ill or physically handicapped should not be sent, either.
Note: Any jokes should be considered carefully before they are sent to make sure they are funny without being offensive.
f) Prevent religious controversy within the group by monitoring your own faith sharing carefully.
Note: Religious comments should be general, non-judgmental, and not sent with the intent of influencing others.
g) Members should not sell products to other members for the sake of making profit, nor should they promote their own businesses to other group members, either via the group or privately.
h) Honor copyright laws. If you copy a poem or
Jim’s dad died when he was just 15, and he had a stay-at-home mom who didn’t have marketable skills.So he dropped out of high school to work, choosing encyclopedia sales as his ticket to an income sufficient to support himself and his mom.There was only one small, technical difficulty.Jim had a terrible speech impediment, a stutter, so how could he make it through presentations?He asked for a glass of water before he started his pitches, and when he began to stutter, he took a sip.He was always well hydrated.But he was also well compensated, because he simply had to succeed. There was no other option.As his success grew, his stuttering improved until it became barely discernable.Jim went on to publish his own encyclopedias and he started a finance company to make them affordable. Now, he and his family live in one of the most beautiful and famous golf communities in America.This goes to show the curative power of selling.One of my consulting clients told me, “I’ve never met a problem in business that a few more sales couldn’t cure!”Let me add to his thought.I’ve never met a problem in my personal life that a few more sales couldn’t cure, either!One of them is SHYNESS.When I started to sell I was a shy, 19 year-old teenager, but pleasantly, people took me seriously because I initiated my career by working on the phone. I can’t tell you how broadening and confidence-building it was to successfully persuade mature businesspeople, many decades my senior, to buy what I was of
3. Keep track of all who reply affirmative. Send them a letter requesting the required information. Let them know when to expect the official invitation.
E. Setting up the group
1. Set the group up, according to the directions offered by the hosting site. Make sure your group mission statement is on the home page of your group website or sign-up site.
2. Set up your files with copies of the documents you've prepared.
3. Set up automatic files so that the rules and other important information is sent out to new members as they join.
4. Set up a letter to be sent out automatically to each person who will be invited to join the group, letting that person know what information is required before their membership is approved.
5. Send invitations to those who have indicated they would like to be in the group.
6. As they accept the invitations, put the information they provided in the database so you will have it on file for a variety of other things.
7. Once the charter group seems set, send out the first message to the group, and invite the members to send in their introductions. 8. After that, play ball!
F. Ideas to help a group flow
1. Include members of the group in any decisions that you are willing to share.
2. Ask for volunteers from the group for various projects that may arise. Make sure you give the volunteers good, clear instructions on what should be done. (Example, you may get a volunteer to handle the database, at first.)
3. Send out a thought-provoking question every day.
4. Watch for members to suggest ideas, and then help develop any of the ideas that would enrich the group experience.
5. Remember to be flexible, and willing to change with the tide as your group grows. What works with a small handful of members will not work with a large active group. Each group has its own personality.
6. Do not recruit members from other groups, without the express consent of the group owner. This type of action could have a negative impact on the reputation of your group.
7. Expect problems to develop sometimes. When they do, look on them as challenges, and deal with them the best you can.
8. Keep your sense of humor.
G. Suggested Group Rules & Guidelines
The rules (guidelines) listed here will not work for all groups, but they are a starting point.
Ideally, start with just a few basic rules. As the group grows, the need for other rules or guidelines will develop, so they can be added.
(If you can get the group to approve and support any new rules before adding them to the list, it will be much easier to implement changes, by the way.)
Pick and choose what would work from this list with your group. Ignore the rest.
a) All interactions with other members should be positive. No name calling, sarcasm, or personal attacks.
b) All messages need to be signed with your name. (Some groups allow anonymous members or nicknames. Others believe that anonymity takes away from group security and integrity.)
c) You should not share private information about our members with others. This includes their names, email addresses, and the messages they write.
d) Do not send SPAM to the group.
SPAM is defined as: forwards, petitions, requests for mass mailing of cards to strangers, chain letters, etc.
e) Sexual, religious, racial, and political jokes should not be sent to the group. Jokes about drunks or people who are mentally ill or physically handicapped should not be sent, either.
Note: Any jokes should be considered carefully before they are sent to make sure they are funny without being offensive.
f) Prevent religious controversy within the group by monitoring your own faith sharing carefully.
Note: Religious comments should be general, non-judgmental, and not sent with the intent of influencing others.
g) Members should not sell products to other members for the sake of making profit, nor should they promote their own businesses to other group members, either via the group or privately.
h) Honor copyright laws. If you copy a poem or
We are probably all aware at this point in our lives that many illegal aliens work at carwashes and even with the pretend crack down on illegal immigration and the outrage of citizens in the United States of America it is obvious that nothing has changed at the carwashes, they are still hiring illegal aliens.This has been going on for decades and having been in the carwash industry myself, I was always completely appalled by these violations our competition was committing against our immigration laws. You see in my travels I have also visited over 3000 coin-op car washes, 700 full service car washes, 3800 roll-over car washes, and even had my Corporate Command Center washed at over 100 different truck washes. Personally I have viewed the units of over 1000 plus mobile washing units and visited every other major manufacturer of washing equipment. I can tell you although my competition in the mobile carwash business generally did not hire illegal aliens, some where illegal aliens themselves.And the fixed site carwash owners, well let’s just say most of them used illegal alien labor. And as far as “used” it was really closer to “Exploited” as they willfully and knowingly and continuously broke our immigration laws.We can stop this abuse, you need to call your local Border Patrol Office and/or INS office and demand that they get their butts down and raid the local car wash and not on a slow Monday either. On a Friday or Saturday as 20-30 illegal aliens are there working taking jobs that local college students would love to have. Consider this in 200
7. Expect problems to develop sometimes. When they do, look on them as challenges, and deal with them the best you can.
8. Keep your sense of humor.
G. Suggested Group Rules & Guidelines
The rules (guidelines) listed here will not work for all groups, but they are a starting point.
Ideally, start with just a few basic rules. As the group grows, the need for other rules or guidelines will develop, so they can be added.
(If you can get the group to approve and support any new rules before adding them to the list, it will be much easier to implement changes, by the way.)
Pick and choose what would work from this list with your group. Ignore the rest.
a) All interactions with other members should be positive. No name calling, sarcasm, or personal attacks.
b) All messages need to be signed with your name. (Some groups allow anonymous members or nicknames. Others believe that anonymity takes away from group security and integrity.)
c) You should not share private information about our members with others. This includes their names, email addresses, and the messages they write.
d) Do not send SPAM to the group.
SPAM is defined as: forwards, petitions, requests for mass mailing of cards to strangers, chain letters, etc.
e) Sexual, religious, racial, and political jokes should not be sent to the group. Jokes about drunks or people who are mentally ill or physically handicapped should not be sent, either.
Note: Any jokes should be considered carefully before they are sent to make sure they are funny without being offensive.
f) Prevent religious controversy within the group by monitoring your own faith sharing carefully.
Note: Religious comments should be general, non-judgmental, and not sent with the intent of influencing others.
g) Members should not sell products to other members for the sake of making profit, nor should they promote their own businesses to other group members, either via the group or privately.
h) Honor copyright laws. If you copy a poem or article to the group, include the name of the author, and if possible, also include the name of the website link you got it from.
i) Attachments and photos cannot be sent through the group. (This is not a rule, just a bit of information.)
Suggestions
k) The subjects listed with your messages should match the content.
Note: Please do not use words in the subject intending to alarm others.
l) It's okay to delete messages. No one is expected to read all of the mail.
m) Don't write to the group expecting replies, and don't pressure others to reply to you.
n) Establish your own boundaries so that you do not get pulled into a situation that is too much for you to handle. This includes private communications with members, as well as those through the group
o) Don't offer advice to other people, unless they directly ask for advice. Gentle suggestions are okay, however.
p) If a message hurts your feelings or offends you, please don't reply to it. It's fine to write and ask for clarification, as long as you do so respectfully. (Chances are that the person who wrote it mis-communicated and did not realize that the message would upset anyone.)
q) Please learn to tend to your own message settings, so that if you need to switch to digest or special notices, you can do so when you need to make changes.
r) If someone does break a rule, please send a copy of the message to the moderator.
s) Remove clutter from your messages so that they come through clean.
t) Follow all general rules of Internet courtesy, and also the Golden Rule.
H. Conclusion:
Chances are that if you want to start your own Internet group, you have participated in at least one other group to get the feel for how groups work, what helps and what hurts.
You may not have been aware of all the work behind the scenes, but with a little bit of diligence, if you believe you are ready to start a group after answering the questions in section A, you should be able to get your group going without too much stress.
I wish you well with your group!
Karyl Chastain Beal
karylbeal@bellsouth.net
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