Yahoo Groups Help & Instructions

Created for the Volunteers of NERR&R

Getting Started

What is Yahoo Groups? Yahoo! Groups is a free service that allows you to bring together family, friends, and associates through a web site and email group. You don't need to know HTML to create your own site. Yahoo! Groups offer a convenient way to connect with others who share the same interests and ideas. You can use the Yahoo! Groups service at the web site or through any email program.

Now for the information that you have been waiting for!!

How do I get involved, how will I know when you need me and how do I know what is going on? The primary mode of global communication happens via the NERR-Distributed list. You are automatically subscribed to this list when your volunteer waiver (which is renewed yearly) is received. This list generates about 1-3 emails a week with information on what's going on, what needs to get done, etc. To respond to a certain task, you should email the contact person listed WITHIN the body of the email. If you hit reply, it will go to the moderator of the list. All NERR&R lists are business lists and should be used for SOLE PURPOSE of NERR&R business ONLY. Cross posts for available dogs, need for foster homes for other groups/individuals, etc. are not permitted on NERR&R lists. Additionally, members are expected to be professional and courteous at all times when posting to these lists.

NERESCUE - Primary business list - A list for all volunteers and foster parents of NERR&R. All applications for subscription are approved by the moderator and NERR&R first. If you are not already an approved volunteer or foster home and you would like to volunteer or foster, contact the list moderator.
Post message: nerescue@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: nerescue-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: nerescue-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: nerescue-owner@yahoogroups.com
URL to this page: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/nerescue

NERRSouth - NY/NJ volunteers for NERR&R can plan events, exchange ideas, and and work together to help rottweilers in the "tropical" regions of NERR&R.
Post message: NERRsouth@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: NERRsouth-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: NERRsouth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: NERRsouth-owner@yahoogroups.com
URL to this page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NERRsouth

NERRApps - A discussion group for all NERR&R members who process adoption and foster applications to enable an open discussion about problems, questions etc. that arise during processing. This is where apps that need processing and homechecks are posted.
Post message: nerrrapps@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: nerrrapps-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: nerrrapps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: nerrrapps-owner@yahoogroups.com
URL to this page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nerrrapps

NERRFRC - This list is designed for NERR&R member communications in regards to fund raising events.
Post message: NERRFRC@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: NERRFRC-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: NERRFRC-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: NERRFRC-owner@yahoogroups.com
URL to this page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NERRFRC

NERRbanter - This NERR&R list provides volunteers with an alternative to the business list so they may pursue social endeavors and get to know other volunteers without conflicting with business matters. There is just the one golden rule, "do unto others". We are a fun loving gang who are passionate about our cause.
Post message: NERRbanter@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: NERRbanter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: NERRbanter-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: NERRbanter-owner@yahoogroups.com
URL to this page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nerrbanter

NERREVAL - Discussion on evaluations, various techniques, actions, behaviors of dogs we are evaluating. This is for information on dogs that require a second eval, need approval to be pulled, etc., and NOT evaluations on dogs that have already been accepted into the program. List members should include all of the evaluations team members, as well as apprentice members. This should NOT be a high volume list.
Post message: nerreval@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: nerreval-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: nerreval-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: nerreval-owner@yahoogroups.com
URL to this page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nerreval

NERRFoster - This group was created so Fosters for NERR&R can keep everyone updated on who has who, what situations are best for their foster. This is also a place for fosters to go for any issues, concerns, questions or just to brag about your foster(s) without having to wonder if they are sending the question to the right person.
Post message: NERRFoster@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: NERRFoster-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: NERRFoster-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: NERRFoster-owner@yahoogroups.com
URL to this page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NERRFoster

NERRFollowups - This list was created to facilitate communications between volunteers following up on NERR&R adoptions. This should be a very low volume list.
Post message: NERRFollowups@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: NERRFollowups-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: NERRFollowups-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: NERRFollowups-owner@yahoogroups.com
URL to this page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NERRFollowups

There are also several Regional Lists that are moderated by your regional volunteer coordinator. If you are not aware of who this is or where the list is, please check the NERR&R Contacts. page

How much does it cost to use Yahoo! Groups? Yahoo! Groups is free to both members and moderators. Our service is advertiser-supported and is partially sponsored by advertisements inserted into the email messages you receive.

How/Why would I use the Yahoo! Groups Membership Wizard? One of the core features of Groups is a mailing list, so many users start using Groups by email before they access the service on the Web.

For instance, you might have joined a group's mailing list via the "subscribe" command or by giving your email address to the group owner and requesting to be added to the group. In either case, you could be receiving email messages from a group but still not see the group show up on your My Groups page. Furthermore, when you visit the group home page, it might say that you are not a member.

When you join a Yahoo! Group, your membership is associated with a specific email address. If that email address isn't connected to the Yahoo! ID you use to access the group on the Web; is not verified; or is connected to more than one of your Yahoo! IDs, some of your group memberships may not be displayed on the My Groups page.

The Membership Wizard can help you locate your group memberships using the information listed in your Account Info. Linking your Groups account associates it with a Yahoo! ID. If you don't know/forget your Yahoo ID and Password: Look up your ID and/or password after confirming some personal information

· Email-only users -- These are users who are receiving mail from a Yahoo! Group (groupname@yahoogroups.com) but who have never signed into the web site to use the many web features of Yahoo! Groups. You can access your group's web site by associating your current email subscription with a Yahoo! ID. All you have to do is use the Membership Wizard.

Do I have to link my account(s)? No. You only need to link your account if you need use the web site to manage your group, or to access web features that are designated for members only by your group owner. For example, email-only subscribers can read and post to their groups without having to log in to the web site, so they won't need to link their accounts to a Yahoo! ID. However, those who normally post using the web form would have to go through the Membership Wizard process.

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How to Set up a Yahoo! Groups Account

How do I set up my Yahoo! Groups account? Joining Yahoo! Groups is easy! To get started you will need to register for a Yahoo! ID and link it to any email addresses you wish to use for Yahoo! Groups.

Registration

  1. Click on the Registration link on any Yahoo! Groups page. Note: If you already have a Yahoo ID (username) you skip registration and click the Already have an ID? Sign In in the upper right corner (skip steps 2-3).
  2. Complete the registration form and click on Submit This Form. Note: The Yahoo! ID you choose must be unique. It does not need to match your email address.
  3. You should receive an email confirming your registration. Make sure to record your Yahoo! ID and password. You will need these to sign into Yahoo! Groups.

Setting up your account

Sign in to your account to access the following features.

  1. Use the Membership Wizard to locate your current subscriptions or to add up to 5 email addresses to your account. This is used if you are already receiving emails from a NERR&R list but have not accessed the website for Yahoo Groups before. This will LINK your email address to your Yahoo ID.
  2. My Groups allows you to manage your account and group memberships.
  3. Click on the Account Info link near the top-right corner to change your Yahoo! account and profile information.

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How to Add/Verify an Email Address

Yahoo! Groups makes it easy to change the email addresses you use for subscriptions. Before you make any changes to your address, however, it's important to understand how your account works.

Your account is identified by the Yahoo! ID you use to sign in. Your preferences, profile, and email addresses are all part of your account.

Your account can have up to 5 email addresses that can be used for group subscriptions. To view the addresses linked to your account, go to My Preferences.

To change your email address, you will first need to add your new email address to your account. Skip to the next set of instructions if the address is already linked to your Yahoo! ID.

Adding an email address to your account:

  1. Sign in using your Yahoo! ID and click on Account Info.
  2. Click on the Edit button to the right of Member Information.
  3. Add your new email address as an Alternate Email Address and click Finished.
  4. Click on the Edit button to the right of Member Information again.
  5. Click on the Non-verified link and follow the steps to verify the address.
  6. Go to groups.yahoo.com and click on My Preferences.
  7. The new address should be listed as "Not currently available for subscription." Click on the Edit button to the right of Email Addresses.
  8. Click on the Convert link to the right of the new email address.
  9. An email with an authorization code will be sent to the address. (It should arrive within minutes, but may take longer. Please allow up to 12 hours to receive the email.) Follow the instructions contained in the email to complete the process.

Changing your subscription addresses:

  1. Go to My Groups
  2. Click on Edit My Groups
  3. Use the drop-down menus to select the appropriate email address for each group, and click on Save Changes
    4. .

Removing your old email address:

  1. Go to My Preferences and click on the Edit button to the right of Email Addresses.
  2. Click on the Remove link to the right of the email address you no longer want to use.

How do I verify my email address? In order to use an email address for Yahoo! Groups, the address must be verified. The easiest way to set up your account is to use the Membership Wizard. The wizard will show all of the email addresses you currently have available for use in Yahoo! Groups. Any unverified addresses will be listed at the bottom of the second page. Next to the address will be a Verify link. Click on the link to generate a verification email that will be sent to you at that address. Follow the instructions contained in the email to complete the process.

If the email address you wish to use is not listed, click on the Add new email address link.

If you are having difficulty verifying an address, please read the following troubleshooting steps.

The email never arrives
If you are not getting the verification email at all, please make sure you are using a valid email address. If you have tried to verify your alternate email address several times and you still never receive the mail although your address is valid, we recommend asking your ISP if they are blocking any mail from Yahoo!. If you have your mail forwarded, you may not receive the verification email. Also, please note that while the mail will arrive quickly, it is not instantaneous. In some cases, the email may be delayed several hours due to Internet traffic and the email delivery route. If you and your ISP are not blocking any email and if it has been over 24 hours since you've tried to verify your alternate email address, please let us know.

No code in the email
If you are receiving the verification email, but there is no code in the body of the email (around the middle of the email, surrounded by asterisks), you may not be viewing the correct email. The Groups verification email is different from the email you received when you first registered for your Yahoo! account. However, if you are viewing the correct email and cannot see a confirmation code, please forward this email to us. Please send it as regular text, not as an attachment. We will then investigate the problem further.

Alternate email address did not match
If you have received the verification email with the code and you've followed the instructions, but have received an error that your email address did not match, it is possible that you have used a different email address than the one on record for your account. If these addresses are different, the verification will not work. Please note that you cannot verify your "@yahoo.com" email address. Your alternate email address is the non-Yahoo! address you specified when you registered for your account. In order to check what email address you have with us, go to your My Groups page and click on Email Preferences.

Incorrect password
If your password did not work with the verification code and alternate email address, please make sure you are using the correct password. This password is the same one you use with your Yahoo! ID in order to access the different areas of Yahoo!. It is not your security key password or password on your alternate email address. It must be your regular Yahoo! password, entered exactly as you would enter it when signing into your account. Invalid code If you receive a message that the confirmation code is invalid, please make sure that the code in your email matches the code that you have entered into the confirmation page. If it was not automatically entered for you, we highly recommend copying and pasting the code into the code field. Copying and pasting the code may prevent errors since some letters or numbers may look similar. The code can be found about halfway through the confirmation email, surrounded by asterisks.

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How do I join a group?

To join, or subscribe to, a group via the Yahoo! Groups web site:
  1. Locate a group by browsing the categories listed on the Yahoo! Groups home page, or by using the search box on any page.
  2. Once you've found a group that interests you, click its name to view the main group page for more information.
  3. Click on Join this Group!. In addition to joining, you will be able to set your membership options.
  4. If you haven't registered or signed in, you will be prompted to do so.
To join/subscribe to a group via email:
  1. Send a blank email to: groupname-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Make sure to replace "groupname" with the actual name of the group (e.g., pastry_chefs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com).
  2. You will receive a subscription confirmation message. Just reply to this message and your subscription will be complete.

If someone sent you an email invitation to join a group, simply reply to the message or click on the link provided to join via the Yahoo! Groups web site.

Note: Some groups are restricted, meaning that the moderator approves all requests to join. Joining a restricted group sends a message to the moderator, who will notify you if your request has been accepted. Once approved, you will be able to post messages to the group.

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How To Set/Change Preferences for Your Account

What's on the MyGroups Page? My Groups is a personalized group home base. From this page, you can manage all of your groups and your subscription settings. On the My Groups page, you can:

  • view all the groups you've joined, and link to them with a single click
  • change the delivery format of your messages (Individual Emails, Daily Digest Emails, read on web site only)
  • unsubscribe from groups · view and edit your Member Profile
  • learn about other Yahoo! Groups promotions and features.

How do I get to MyGroups Page? My Groups is available to all Yahoo! Groups members. To go there, click on the My Groups link near the top-right of any Groups page or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups

Note: You must sign in with your Yahoo! ID before you can access the My Groups page.

Why aren't all of my groups on the MyGroups page? When you sign into Yahoo! Groups, you use a Yahoo! ID. This ID is used to recognize you whenever you access online features of Yahoo! Groups. When you join a group, it is your email address that is subscribed, not your ID. In order for us to know which groups you are a member of, you must link your email addresses to your Yahoo! ID. Once that is done, you will see all of the groups your email address is subscribed to listed on the My Groups page.

Note: To view your groups on the My Groups page, you must use the same Yahoo! ID that is linked to your subscribed email addresses.

What are the options for each of my group subscriptions? Getting too much email? Or not enough? This section covers the different delivery options, what they mean and how you can set them for each of your subscriptions. For each group you belong to, you can choose one of these message delivery options:

  • Individual Emails: Messages are delivered one at a time to your email inbox. This is the best option if you want to keep up on the latest posts immediately. Email attachments, if included in a message and allowed by your moderator, will be sent directly to you.
  • Daily Digest: Messages are delivered in batches of 25 or daily, whichever comes sooner. This is the best option if you want to receive fewer mail messages and don't need up-to-the minute posts in your inbox. Email attachments are not available in digests.
  • No Mail/Web Only: This option puts email message delivery on hold, for example while you are on vacation. If message archives are available, this option also permits you to read messages at the Yahoo! Groups web site. Note that message archive options are determined by each moderator, and that some groups have no web message archives.
  • Special Announcement: This option is similar to No Mail/Web Only because you will not receive normal group messages. You will, however, be able to receive Special Announcements sent by the group's moderator.
To change any of these options, go to My Groups and choose from the drop-down list of message delivery options for your group. See "How to manage your groups" for more detailed instructions (next section).

How do I manage my group subscriptions? To manage your group subscriptions, sign in and go to My Groups. Click on Edit My Groups located above the list of groups.

Use the drop-down menus to choose the email address and membership type for each group and click on Save Changes.

If you do not see the email address you would like to use, click on Link your email addresses now near the top of the page. You can link up to 5 email addresses to your Yahoo! ID.

How do I put messages on hold while I am away and unable to check email? There are two ways you can do this.

  • Go to the My Groups page (make sure you're signed in).
  • Select No Mail/Web Only from the drop-down menu.
  • Click the Save Changes button.
Or, you can send an email to: groupname-nomail@yahoogroups.com. Replace "groupname" in the address with the actual name of your group. When you return, you can catch up on your messages by going to the Messages section of your group.

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Sign in Problems

What if I forgot my Yahoo ID or Password? Look up your ID and/or password after confirming some personal information.

If you are still having problems, try Sign In and Registration help at http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/edit/

Why am I getting a Sign In error about Cookies? The Yahoo! Groups web site requires that your browser accept cookies. A cookie is a small text file stored by your browser to help identify you. If your cookie is not accepted correctly, you will be signed out of your account as soon as you move to a different page. Some older browsers are not able to accept cookies. Please make sure that your browser is set to accept all cookies. If you are still having trouble, try closing all windows and then deleting the cookie files in your browser's program directory. Usually, these files are called "cookies.txt" or are stored in a folder called "Cookies." Then, try signing in to Yahoo! Groups again. For more information, please read: Yahoo! policy regarding Cookies

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Sending and Receiving Email via Yahoo! Groups

How do I post a message to the group? You can post messages to your group by email or from the Yahoo! Groups web site.

Via Email
To send a message to other group members, create an email and address it to groupname@yahoogroups.com, substituting the actual name of your group for "groupname". Group names are not case sensitive.

Note: you can only post to groups you've joined, and only from email addresses registered with Yahoo! Groups. If you misspell the name of a group, or attempt to send an email from an account other than the one you joined under, your message will not be delivered. If you receive a failure notice, check your email addresses and try again.

Via the Yahoo! Groups Web Site
After you've signed in, go to the group you wish to post to, and click Post, write your message, and then click Send Message.

Note: Yahoo! Groups restricts messages to 1 megabyte in size to prevent abuse.

How long does it take for messages to be delivered to the group? In general, messages are delivered almost immediately. Occasionally there are delays of a few minutes or hours due to high-volume traffic or scheduled system downtime.

Why hasn't a message I sent to the group appeared on the web site? Yahoo! Groups posts archived messages to the web site almost as soon as they are received. If you don't see your message, please wait a few minutes and check again. Here are some other possible explanations:

  • You are not a member of the group, and your message was returned to you or ignored.
  • Your group is moderated, and the moderator has not approved your message.
  • Your group is restricted, and the moderator has not approved your subscription request.
  • You sent an email from an email address other than the one you used to register, and your message was returned or ignored. (This is done to prevent spamming.)

Can I post messages from the web site? Can I post from more than one email address? To post a message from the web site, go to the Post section of the Messages area, compose your message, and click Send.

Currently, you can only post messages from your primary address specified when you registered with Yahoo! Groups. You can't post using your alternative email address.

Why does the My Groups page say my account is bouncing? If group messages sent to your email address are returned to Yahoo! Groups as undeliverable ("bouncing"), your Yahoo! Groups account may be temporarily disabled.

Messages can be returned for several reasons:

  • Your mailbox may be full -- try deleting messages from your Inbox.
  • Your ISP may have a backlog of email to process -- contact your ISP.
  • Your ISP may be blocking email from Yahoo! Groups -- contact your ISP.

In many cases, Yahoo! Groups can automatically reactivate your account once the delivery problem is solved. However, in some cases you will need to manually reactivate your account:

  1. Visit your My Groups page.
  2. Look for a bounce alert near the top of the page.
  3. Click the Alert link to reactivate your account.

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Files Section of Yahoo! Groups

Each group has numerous tools that can be used via the Yahoo Groups website. One that NERR&R uses frequently is the files section. We use these to post files, Updated NERR&R forms, etc.

The files sections of each group can be reached at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/groupname/files/

Why can't I open a file I've downloaded? You may not have the program necessary to run the particular file type, or the file may be designed for a different kind of computer. Recheck the file description, or contact the member who posted the file for more details about the file type.

When viewing contents of a folder, how do I get back to the top level? Click the Files area link in the left-hand toolbar, or click on Files in the folder path listed above the folder you're viewing.

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Other Information

If there is a problem that you have with Yahoo Groups that is not included in this packet, please go to: http://help.yahoo.com/help/groups/ and search for your problem.

If you are still having trouble using Yahoo Groups, contact your Regional Volunteer Coordinator.

Copyright 2002-2008 North East Rottweiler Rescue & Referral, Inc.
• All rights reserved •