Many Friends appreciate sending and receiving messages through the Meeting's email list. Sending messages is easy. After joining the email list, anyone can send a message that is received by each other person who has joined.

Please read the instructions for how to sign up for the email list, as well as the guidelines for using it. You may also download the instructions and guidelines as PDF files by following the links at the bottom of this page.

Guidelines for Using the Email List

Members and attenders of Frederick Friends Meeting are invited to sign up for our email list. Its purpose is to communicate news relevant to the Meeting, including:

• Activities sponsored by Frederick Friends Meeting or one of its committees;
• Activities announced by Baltimore Yearly Meeting;
• Joys or concerns regarding our members and attenders; and
• Events, groups, and activities that we believe to be consistent with our Quaker testimonies.

In order to ensure that the email list serves the needs of our Meeting and answers that of God in everyone, consider these questions when participating:

• Is the email list the most appropriate venue for the information I am posting? Is this a brief notice or the beginning of a longer discussion, which may be better suited to the Meeting website or a face-to-face conversation?
• Is my announcement something about which Friends would welcome hearing? Does it harmonize with the testimonies and practices of the Meeting? Have I made mention of it or similar topics much already in the recent past?
• If I am replying to an announcement, do I make sure my reply goes only to the person who posted the announcement, rather than all Friends on the email list, who may not wish to receive it?
• Do I respect the privacy of Friends by not including other email lists or individuals who do not already belong to the email list in my announcement, and by not forwarding emails to the email list without the consent of those who initially wrote them?
• Is my message respectful and courteous? Do I refrain from any personal and direct retorts to others in the meeting or the community? Have I refrained from any language that might be seen as inflammatory or disrespectful?
• Do I keep my announcements small enough for all Friends on the email list to read easily by not including large attachments (files greater than 1 megabyte)?

We hope that these considerations encourage the appropriate use of the email list and allow it to be a source of light for those who receive it, rather than a burden. In order to keep the email list a useful resource for all, the Web Administrator reserves the right to unsubscribe anyone who repeatedly sends messages deemed inappropriate for the purpose of this email list.

Instructions for Signing Up

Join the Google Group by sending an email to webmaster@frederickfriends.org. You will be added to the group, and you will be ready to send and receive messages.

In order to send a message, send email to FrederickFriends@googlegroups.com. You will receive each message that is sent by anyone in the group.

Using advanced features of Google Groups

You may be interested in using some of the optional advanced features available through Google Groups. These features include the following:

• You can customize how you receive messages. Options are to receive:
• Every message as soon as it is sent to the group,
• One summary email of all the new messages sent that day,
• 25 messages grouped in a single email, or
• No email (you would read your messages by going to the Google Groups website—see more on this below).
• You can send, receive, and manage your messages at the Google Groups website (web interface). This would allow you to do the following:
• Send the message from the website,
• View all messages online, or
• Filter and search for specific messages.
• If you belong to multiple Google Groups with the same email address, you can manage them all in one place.

If you would like to try the optional advanced features, see the section below.

Setting up an account so that you can use the optional advanced features

If you want to use these optional advanced features, you will need a Google Group account. This is not the same thing as a Google email (Gmail) account, and you do not need to have a Gmail account to get a Google Group account.

If you do not already have a Google Groups Account:

1. Go to groups.google.com.
2. Click on Sign In at the upper right corner.
3. Click on Sign Up at upper right corner.
4. Complete the form:
1. Note that where it says "Choose a username" the suggested username will be an Gmail account. If you do not want to create a Gmail account, click on "I prefer to use my current email address."
2. You must use the same email address that you provided to Olivia when you signed up for the email list in order for your account to be linked to the FrederickFriends group.
3. If you want to use a different email address, let Olivia know.
5. You will receive a confirmation email with directions for completing the sign-up process.

Once you have a Google Groups account:

1. Go to groups.google.com.
2. Sign in, if you are not already signed in.
3. Click My Groups. You should see the FrederickFriends group.
4. Click on the FrederickFriends group. This is the web interface referenced above. Use this as an alternate method of writing and receiving messages.