General - Google Groups - Managing List Membership via Email
This KB documents how to join and leave a Google Group via email and the necessary Group Owner settings to allow/disallow the join feature.
If you have a list that allows people to join without being explicitly added by an administrator (i.e. a list open to the public), it’s possible to join the group via email.
Joining a list via email
- To join a Google Group via email, send an email to [Group Name]+subscribe@g-groups.wisc.edu.
- For any group names with spaces, the spaces have to be replaced with hyphens (-), though standard naming conventions for Libraries lists do not include spaces.
- For example, to join the group called ulcinfo-lib, send an email to ulcinfo-lib+subscribe@g-groups.wisc.edu.
- If this feature is available, you will receive an email with the following information:
We received your request to join [Group Name].
In order for us to complete the request, please reply to this email or click [the button] below.
Notes:
- Always reply to the email to join. Clicking the button is inconsistent and will sometimes give an error of "you do not have permissions to access this group".
- You should send the subscribing message from the email address you want to receive messages. The above instructions need only be used for those without direct access to Google Groups at https://groups.google.com/a/wisc.edu/forum/#!myforums.
- For some groups, you may need to confirm the subscription request, as delineated above, while other with more restricted membership will require the group owner to approve your subscription request before you can join.
Leaving a list via email
- To leave a Google Group via email, send a blank email to [Group Name]+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
- In the standard convention, it should look like ulcinfo-lib+unsubscribe@g-groups.wisc.edu.
- If it is successful, you should receive an email with the following Subject Line and Content:
Your unsubscription to [group name] was successful.
Note: It may take some time for the unsubscribe request to go through.
Group Settings
The following is for Group Owners:
- To enable the join feature, the Google Group setting under "Who Can Join This Group" is set to either "anyone can ask" or "anyone can join".
- For more security, "anyone can ask" will require approval for each incoming request.