Google Groups
Quicklink(s)
Google Groups is a web-based application that provides a platform for online discussion groups and communities, allowing you to share information, collaborate on projects, and communicate with others who share similar interests. Google Groups is included in UCI Google Workspace.
Benefits of Google Groups
- Use the group email address as a mailing list.
- Engage in discussions about a specific subject, organize these discussions based on multiple tags, and use Google’s search capabilities for locating information.
- Create a question and answer group for a UCI organization or service.
- Organize meetings, conferences, or social events among members of a group.
- Read group posts through email, the online interface, or both.
- Have multiple managers for a group to facilitate moderated discussion, if desired.
- Share documents with all current members of the group for viewing, commenting, or collaborative editing.
- As individuals join or leave the group, their collaborative participation access is adjusted accordingly.
To make full use Google Groups, each participant must have a UCI Google account, although some features (such as receiving announcements) are possible using any email address.
Google Support
Learn more about how to manage and participate in a Google Group from Google’s Help Center.
Tip: To allow non-UCI Google group email access to your Google Group, go to Group Settings > General and toggle “Allow external members” to ON.
Client Support
See the Client Support and FAQ below.
Need more help?
AT A GLANCE
REQUIREMENTS
- Full participation requires a UCI Google account.
- New Google Groups require a faculty or staff sponsor.
COST
No additional cost
ELIGIBILITY
RELATED OR SIMILAR SERVICES
Client Support
UCI Google Groups - Quick Overview
Frequently Asked Questions
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How can users request to join my group?
First, make sure that your group is set up to allow users to either ask to join or join - this is controlled by the "Who can join group" setting.
If your group is set up to allow non-members to view the group ("Who can see group" setting), you can link the home page of the group and users will be able to hit "Join group": https://groups.google.com/u/1/a/uci.edu/g/groupname
Otherwise, users can email groupname+subscribe@uci.edu and then reply to email they get from groupname+subconfirm@uci.edu to join/send a join request.
How do I prevent my list from showing up on the UCI Google Groups directory (https://groups.google.com/all-groups)?
Go to “Group settings” and change “Who can see group” to “Group members”; this will make it visible to only users already in the group.
Why are users with an @uci.edu email address showing up as external? Why am I unable to add users with a uci.edu email address?
In the context of Google Groups, an external user is someone who does not have a UCI Google account, not necessarily someone who is external to UCI. By default, Groups do not allow external users to be added. To change this, go to “Group settings” and turn “Allow external members” on.
How do I archive messages sent to my group?
Turn “Conversation history” on. If you do this, make sure to review the “Who can view conversations” setting. Conversation history does not count against your Google storage quota.
Why can’t I update the “Welcome message” field under “Group settings”?
This is a legacy field that Google no longer allows updates to. When you are adding users to the group, you have the option to include a custom welcome message. The group description is also included in the message sent to a user when they are added to your group.
How do I whitelist certain external senders without making them a member of the group in Google Groups?
Google Groups does not offer sender filters like Mailman. You can add these individuals as members of the group, change their subscription to “No email” so they don’t receive any messages from the group, and then set posting to “Allowed” for them under the Members section.
Other questions?
If you have further questions that are not answered here or in Google’s help documentation, please contact oit@uci.edu.