List Owners & Moderators FAQ

MSN Groups

MSN Groups offer these features: Posting and receiving posts to the group by email, moderated and unmoderated groups, moderation at the web site and by email, photos, files, chat, bookmarks, and public, private and restricted groups. There is a directory as well as a groups search function. MSN Groups now offers virtually the same services as YahooGroups, though I have not personally tested all these features.

The email function (both posting and receiving from the group) seem to work quite well. MSN Groups are finally a full featured list host, and not just a glorified message board.

Groups are either moderated or unmoderated - there seems to be no facility for individual or new member moderation. (This is, IMO a weakness.)

Group administration is quite simple and straightforward.

Email with attachments must be posted directly to the Message Board - they cannot be posted by email.

I have no direct experience with how well the Chat works, I don't use it, but it can't be too much more cumbersome than YGs chat.

Members can select either HTML or text as their mode of delivery, and can choose either email or "read on web."

List Owners can choose either email moderation or moderation on web.

List owners can choose to send a default message when rejecting messages, or choose to send a personal not along with the rejection.

There is a help section but be patient, especially on dial up - it may take a while to load.

There is no apparent way to subscribe by email (another weakness) but list owners can email invitations. When the invitation arrives, the prospective member clicks on a sub link, and is taken to a page where he must either enter a Passport or Hotmail address, or must obtain one. This is rather tedious. (A weakness, equivalent to requiring a Yahoo ID, but here it is required of subscribers)

Once subscribed, the member may choose a non-Hotmail address for email posting and delivery, but only one per Hotmail ID.

So, it's not perfect, but it looks now like a viable, full featured list host alternative. It's worth a look.

Thanks to Bill Holmes for posting this info on EL-M.

Last updated on December 26, 2003 08:28 PM