We’re changing how we email you, and we need your help to make the switch. Starting soon, Dane/Iowa County ARES/RACES email will move from Mailman to Google Groups. If you have a Google (Gmail) address, you’ve already been added — no action needed. If you don’t, please check your inbox for an invite and accept it (see instructions below).
Why We’re Switching (skip ahead if you just want the instructions)
For years we used Mailman, a well-worn open-source tool that’s worked well but is showing its age — and our hosting company is discontinuing it, so we need a new way to reach you.
CC/BCC from a personal account works occasionally, but sending too often risks getting an address blacklisted, which means your announcements stop reaching people entirely. We tried another open-source tool, but it required HTML knowledge to format emails and ran into the same blacklisting problem.
Google Groups solves both problems:
- You control your own subscription — no need to ask us to add or remove you.
- The email list is much easier for us to manage.
- Sending and formatting announcements is simpler and more reliable.
You don’t need a Google account to receive emails, but having one lets you view message archives online and follow discussion threads more easily.
What You Need to Do
We’ve created two groups: QST for official announcements, and NET for discussions.
QST — Dane/Iowa County ARES/RACES (Announcements)
Official business, meeting announcements, and notifications. Only the EC and AEC can post to this list.
| Email address | qst-dicares@googlegroups.com |
| Group page | https://groups.google.com/g/qst-dicares |
| To subscribe | Send a blank email to qst-dicares+subscribe@googlegroups.com, then click Reply on the confirmation email you receive. |
| Subject line prefix | [qst-dicares] |
NET — Dane/Iowa County ARES/RACES (Discussion)
General discussion among members.
| Email address | net-dicares@googlegroups.com |
| Group page | https://groups.google.com/g/net-dicares |
| To subscribe | You cannot subscribe directly. If you received an invite, accept it. Otherwise, email kb9orn@gmail.com with your name and call sign and we’ll send you an invite. |
| Subject line prefix | [net-dicares] |
Important: To continue receiving Dane/Iowa County ARES/RACES information, you must subscribe to (or accept an invite to) these groups. If you have questions or run into trouble, contact kb9orn@gmail.com.