How to Create an Online Support Group on Yahoo Groups

If you have ever wanted to connect with people with similar interests, health concerns, occupations or hobbies, this article will show you how to create an online support group using Yahoo Groups. It's quick, easy and best of all free.

First you will need to have a Yahoo ID. Go to the Yahoo Groups home page and click on "Sign Up." Complete the registration form. I suggest choosing a Yahoo ID that is easy to remember, but do not use your real name. Keep your real identity a secret unless you want someone from your support group showing up at your door.

After you receive an email confirmation of your Yahoo ID and password, be sure to write it down somewhere safe. You'll need this information each time you want to sign into Yahoo Groups.

Return to the Yahoo Groups home page and click on "Start your group today." You'll need to select a category for your support group. It's important to be in the correct category if you want your group to be searchable. Once you have found the appropriate category, click on "Place my group here."

Now it's time to give your group a name. You will want a title that includes words that are searchable to increase the chance that people with similar interests will be able to find and join your group. A catchy name may seem cool, but if no one can find it, is doesn't do you much good.

Next it will ask you for a group email address. I recommend using the group name without the spaces. For instance, if your group name is Yahoo Group Support, then your email address could be YahooGroupSupport. That way members will recognize the email when it shows up in their inbox.

Your next step is to write a description of your group. Think about who you want to join and the general mood of the group. Will it be serious, or humorous? Do you want to exclude anyone (such as women only)? I like to include something in the description that warns members that anyone using vulgar language, attacking other members, or not being respectful to group members will be unsubscribed. You can change the description later in the Management section of your group's web site.

You will then be given the choice of which email address you want your group mail to go to. If you have a popular group, it's not wise to have it sent to your work address unless your boss doesn't mind you receiving tons of personal emails at work. But you will need to monitor the group on a daily basis, so use an email address you check often.

Yahoo shows you the profile that will be visible to other members. Check your profile carefully to be sure you don't have any information that could lead someone to your home or work. If you need to change your profile click on "Create new profile."

Next you will be asked to type in the word verification. This is to prevent automated registrations.

Congratulations! Your new group has just been created, and you are the official owner and moderator of the group. Now it is time to customize your group settings, so click on "Customize your Group" and click on Get Started. You will be asked the following questions to customize your group:

Do you want your group listed in the Yahoo Groups directory? Click yes if you would like to have people from all over the world join your group. If you would like to limit your support group to only people you invite, then click on Unlisted.

How can people join your group? I recommend choosing, "People can join only with approval." If you allow anyone to join, you will get all types of scammers posting offensive material. I recommend putting a requirement in the group description that all new members must say why they want to join your group. Requests for membership will be emailed to you by Yahoo, or you can check the group's web page for membership requests. If a membership doesn't seem legitimate then you can deny the membership request.

Who can post messages to your group? Click on "Only group members" so that non-members can't post inappropriate messages. Spammers love to find unsuspecting public groups to advertise their x-rated websites.

Do you want to approve messages before they are delivered? I usually choose the "Only messages from new members require my approval" option. That way you can make sure new members post something appropriate for your group. If you have a member who has a tendency to post inappropriate material, you can place that person on moderation through the group's web page, or unsubscribe them.

When a person replies to a message, do you want it to go only to the sender, or to all the group members? Most groups work best when they have the replies sent to all of the members. Make sure your members know that their posts will be sent to all of the members of the group.

Do you want to use the group's web features such as photos, files, calendar and polls? Many times it is helpful to have these features available for members.

Who should the message archives be available to? I don't think it's a good idea to allow non-members to view the message archives, especially in a support group situation. Members need to be assured that what they say in the support group will not be available to non-members searching the web. Click on "All members can view archives."

Who should be able to access the following web features? This depends on how trustworthy your members are. I tend to allow members to access the files and photos. The links need to be monitored carefully so that members aren't adding unsavory links. I like to limit polls to moderators only.

Click on Finish and you're done! Any time you want to modify these settings you can go to the Management section of your group's web site.

To go to your group's web site, go to Yahoo Groups, sign in with your Yahoo ID and password, and you will see all of your Yahoo Groups listed in the left column. Click on your group's heading and that will bring you to your group's web page.

You can either promote your group, or wait for someone to find you. You'll be amazed how many people are searching for a support group just like the one you created!