Warning:
- You must contact the ITS Service Center to request a Discussion Group in the U-M Google domain. The Create group button does not allow you to create a Google Group in U-M Google.
- Discussion Groups are not MCommunity groups, and there is no relationship between them.
- Discussion Groups are different from Google Groups synced with MCommunity, although both can be used to send email to its members.
Overview
Discussion Groups are email-based online groups that are protected in U-M Google. These groups are requested by contacting the ITS Service Center by anyone affiliated with the University of Michigan. Provide the group name (at least nine characters) and group owners. We recommend multiple owners. Discussion Groups are created as [email protected]. Additional owners can be added after the group is created. Group members are added and managed by the owners. There is no relationship between Discussion Groups and MCommunity groups. All group management is done from within the Discussion Group.
Discussion Groups are used to:
- Engage in discussions about a specific subject
- Create a question and answer support group
- Organize meetings, conferences, or social events among members of a group
- Find people with similar hobbies, interests, or backgrounds
- Read group posts through email, the online Groups interface, or both
Furthermore, Discussion Groups:
- Are not synced with MCommunity
- Are not managed in MCommunity
- Must be managed within Google Groups
- Must enable the "Allow members outside your organization" setting
- They display the "External" tag because they are created under a different domain than @umich.edu. However, the same protections that apply to U-M Google accounts also apply to these groups.
- Have an address of @discussions.umich.edu (Email sent to this address goes to the group and to the group members' emails.)
Getting Started
To participate in discussions via email, use the group's email address: groupname"@discussions.umich.edu.
You cannot use the "Create group" button referenced in this guide. Contact the ITS Service Center to have a group created in U-M Google.
- Set who can view, post, & moderate
While your settings may allow you to add MCommunity groups as members, they will not function as expected (i.e., members of the group cannot join the Discussion Group or send email to it). Therefore, you should not add them to your Discussion Group.
- Create & respond to messages
In-depth training and videos are located in the Google Workspace Learning Center.
Finding Your Discussion Group
To view your current Discussion Groups, click My Groups from the Google Groups page.