Whatever happened to bulletin boards?

January 20, 2012 8:44 AM

What is the most effective way to create an email list (for use by diverse senders with different email domains) and an easily accessed blog for postings by multiple users?

I have been charged with two tasks. Users cover gamut of ages and abilities; think extended family, reunion, neighborhood association.

1. I have been asked to create an email list that I can share with a defined list of users (all on the list) who have different email domains (e.g., some Gmail, some work addresses, etc.). They do not seem to want to reply to prior messages, or to cut and paste the addressees from prior messages. I don't think they are worried about limiting sending permissions. I have done this on a single domain (e.g., at work), but not sure that I know how to generate one that can be used by everyone everywhere, and the worst possible outcome is creating one that looks like it works for me and getting a flood of emails saying it doesn't work for others.

2. I have also been asked to create a blog site for *very* easy access and use by the same group. Probably does not need to last for more than six months; free is double plus good. Would prefer the ability to create a private spot, or at least one that was not easily discovered through searches; probably stuck with posting under common ID and password, since generating unique IDs will probably lead to heartburn.

Thanks!

posted by Clyde Mnestra to computers & internet (5 answers total)

You can do #1 with a yahoo group, and you can do #2 with a tumblr blog -- you can have the blog accept submissions by anyone or even accept submissions by email (so that a post emailed to a certain address can become a blog post), and you can password protect it or block it from search engines.
posted by brainmouse at 8:50 AM on January 20, 2012

I would do both of those things using Google tools. Create a Google Group for part 1, that'll give you the mailing list. Use Google Sites for part two, and use their blog element. Then give everyone on your mailing list view and edit authority on the blog site, and you have a private blog that they can all update.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:07 AM on January 20, 2012

Neat. So either Yahoo or Google are agnostic as to whether the participants and prospective senders have (respectively) Yahoo or Google addresses?
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 9:22 AM on January 20, 2012

Correct, any emails can be added to either.
posted by brainmouse at 9:29 AM on January 20, 2012

I appreciate the advice.

Warning: I chose the Google Group route, and I have encountered a widely experienced failure in terms of propagating invitations. This kind of sucks.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 12:10 PM on January 21, 2012