Overview
UWF students, faculty, and staff can create native Google Groups. Native Google Groups should be used primarily to manage contact lists. These contact lists can be used for emailing people, sharing files, message boards, managing a collaborative inbox, or inviting individuals to Google Calendar events.
Google Groups are generally ideal only when multiple people need to email a group of people on a regular basis.
If you're the only person who'll contact the group of people, then consider using Google Contacts instead. Google Contacts are far easier to configure and maintain.
Only UWF retirees have indefinite access to Native Google Groups that their UWF Google accounts own
Nearly all other users (including former students and former employees) should avoid having their UWF Google accounts own their personal Native Google Groups. Students and employees should create and use a personal Google account, and have that personal account own their personal Native Google Groups.
Please visit the following webpages to learn more:
Instructions
Step 1
Go to Gmail.com and log in to your UWF account.
Log in to a departmental account, if possible!
Whoever creates a native Google Group will own that group by default. If you create a native Google Group using your student UWF account, then that account will own that group. The same goes for employees too.
Problem
When people leave UWF, and they owned native Google Groups, those people will have to transfer ownership of those groups to someone else, before their ArgoNet accounts are downgraded (see Leaving UWF for more details). This may become a problem if people forget to transfer ownership before their accounts are downgraded.
Solution
For UWF employees
For UWF employees, they should create the native Google Group using a departmental Gmail account – departmental Gmail accounts rarely leave, and whoever has access to the departmental Gmail account would have access to the native Google Group too.
Log in to the departmental account first, then follow the instructions below. After creating the native Google Group, you could determine who manages the group. Note that the only difference between a Google Group Manager and the Google Group Owner is the Owner changes who owns the group. See Managing native Google Group membership and settings for additional details.
For UWF students
Transfer the ownership to another user with a student Gmail address.
If you intend to build a Group for UWF proposes, then work with a UWF employee to get your group created in a departmental Gmail account.
Step 2
Go to the Google Groups app. Click More to find the Google Groups app, if necessary.
Step 3
Click Create Group.
Step 4
Complete the Group name and Group description fields, and click Next.
Step 5
Use the dropdown menus and slides to configure the following settings. Then click Next.
- Who can search for your group
- Who can join your group
- Who can view the group's conversations
- Who can post to the group
- Who can view the group members
It is a security best practice to only grant the lowest amount of access that's needed.
For example, there's generally no need to allow anyone at UWF access your Google group and view the group's messages, if that access isn't necessary to fulfill the purpose of the Google group.
Step 6
Determine if you want to invite users to the group, or add members to your group directly.
Please know you can skip this step now if you want. You'll be able configure these settings afterwards.
Click Create group when you're finished.
| If you choose to invite members | If you choose to add members directly |
|---|---|
|
* Visit Set who can view, post, & moderate to see the roles members can have in a Google Group. ** Visit Manage your subscriptions & global settings to see the subscription options. |
Step 7
Click Go to group to go to the group.
Step 8
Go to Managing native Google Group membership and settings to configure the settings for your new native Google Group.