Frequently Asked Questions

About GroupSpaces

• What is GroupSpaces?
• Who is GroupSpaces aimed at?
• Why should I use GroupSpaces for my group?

General

• How do I reset my password?

Managing a Group

• How do I make someone else a manager of my group?
• How do I import a member database to my group?
• How do I import a Distribution List from Microsoft Outlook (desktop version) to my group?
• How do I import a Distribution List from Microsoft Outlook Web Access to my group?
• How do I import a mailing list from Mailman to my group?
• How do I import a mailing list from Gmail to my group?
• How do I customise the appearance and "From" name for my group's e-mail newsletters?
• What is the list of "Bounces" in my group?
• How do I create a table of contents for my e-mail newsletters?
• How do I remove the adverts from my group?
• Can I customise the Welcome message new members see when they join my group online?
• How do I add a calendar of my group's events to our website?

Using GroupSpaces for Specific Groups

• How do I import my mailing list from Oxford University Herald?
• Using GroupSpaces to power a JCR or MCR mailing list

Other

• How do I delete a group?

About GroupSpaces

What is GroupSpaces?

• GroupSpaces is an easy-to-use suite of tools that real-world groups use to save time managing themselves online. The suite of tools GroupSpaces offers includes mailing lists, newsletters, member databases, file sharing, wikis, event management and more. Take a Tour to see the tools.

Who is GroupSpaces aimed at?

• Real-world groups such as sports clubs, charities and university societies. GroupSpaces works particularly well for networks of groups.

Why should I use GroupSpaces for my group?

• We believe less is more - because GroupSpaces can do the work of 4 or 5 other websites and programs, you can spend less time administering your group and more time on what's important to you and your members.

General

How do I reset my password?

• You can use our password reset form to reset a forgotten password.

Managing a Group

How do I make someone else a manager of my group?

1. Go to your group's Dashboard and click "Edit Managers"
2. Enter the e-mail addresses of people you want to make managers and click "Make Managers"

How do I import a member database to my group?

• Microsoft Excel
  1. Choose "Save As" from the File menu in Excel
  2. In the "Save as type" field choose "CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv)"
  3. Give your file a name and click "Save"
  4. Answer "Yes" if you are asked to confirm that you want to save in this format
  5. Once you have saved the file, click "Add Members" from your group's Dashboard
  6. Select "Import Members from a File" and select the file you have just saved
• Other Programs
  • Most database and spreadsheet programs should have a "Save As" or "Export" function that allows you select CSV as the file type.

How do I import a Distribution List from Microsoft Outlook (desktop version) to my group?

1. Click on "Contacts" in Outlook
2. Double click on the Distribution List you wish to import
3. Choose "Save As" from the File menu
4. In the "Save as type" field choose "Text Only (*.txt)"
5. Open the file and highlight all the e-mail addresses in it (don't worry if other text is also highlighted)
6. Go to your group's Dashboard and click "Add Members"
7. Select "Add E-mail Addresses" and copy and paste the contents of the .txt file

How do I import a Distribution List from Microsoft Outlook Web Access to my group?

1. Log into Outlook, click "Contacts" and go to the Distribution List you wish to import
2. Highlight the e-mail addresses (and names) of the people on the list
3. Go to your group's Dashboard and click "Add Members"
4. Select "Add E-mail Addresses" and copy-and-paste the highlighted e-mail addresses
5. Click "Add Members"
6. Done: GroupSpaces will pick out all the email addresses you pasted in and add them to the mailing list for your group.

How do I import a mailing list from Mailman to my group?

1. Log into Mailman as an administrator for your list
2. Change the word "admin" to "roster" in your browser's address bar i.e. the URL should change from http://www.../mailman/admin/YOURLIST to http://www.../mailman/roster/YOURLIST
3. Highlight all the e-mail addresses on this page
4. Go to your group's Dashboard and click "Add Members"
5. Select "Add E-mail Addresses" and copy-and-paste the highlighted e-mail addresses
6. Click "Add Members"

How do I import a mailing list from Gmail to my group?

1. Log into Gmail and click "Contacts"
2. Click "Export"
3. Export the list you wish to import in Google's CSV format
4. Go to your group's Dashboard and click "Add Members"
5. Select "Import Members from a File" and choose the file you have just saved

How do I customise the appearance and "From" name for my group's e-mail newsletters?

1. Select "Settings" from your group's Dashboard
2. Click "Edit e-mail template"

What is the list of "Bounces" in my group?

• "Bounces" are members whose e-mail addresses have consistently returned errors when sent messages. Normally this happens because their e-mail address has expired or is mis-spelled.

How do I create a table of contents for my e-mail newsletters?

• After writing the opening message for your e-mail, click "Add new section" to add sections that you wish to appear in the newsletter's table of contents.

How do I remove the adverts from my group?

• Ad removal is a premium service and costs £5/month. Send us an e-mail and we'll sort this out for you.

Can I customise the Welcome message new members see when they join my group online?

• Yes - you can do this by selecting "Membership Settings" from your group's Dashboard

How do I add a calendar of my group's events to our website?

1. Select "Website Integration" from your group's Dashboard
2. Click "customise the calendar appearance" and configure your calendar
3. Once you are happy with how it looks, click "Generate code"
4. Copy-and-paste this line of code into the appropriate page on your group's website
5. For more information about integrating content from your group with your own website, see the "Website Integration" page, accessible from your group's Dashboard.

Using GroupSpaces for Specific Groups

How do I import my mailing list from Oxford University Herald?

1. Log into your list on Herald at http://maillist.ox.ac.uk
2. Click "subscribers" on the list you wish to import
3. Highlight all the e-mail addresses on this page
4. Go to your group's Dashboard and click "Add Members"
5. Select "Add E-mail Addresses" and copy-and-paste the highlighted e-mail addresses
6. Click "Add Members"
7. Done: GroupSpaces will pick out all the email addresses you pasted in and add them to the mailing list for your group

Using GroupSpaces to power a JCR or MCR mailing list

• If you are a president or secretary of a JCR or MCR, we have a guide for using GroupSpaces to power a JCR/MCR mailing list

Other

How do I delete a group?

• If you would like to delete your group, contact us and we will arrange this for you.

Please contact us if you have any questions, problems or suggestions.