Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Group Communication

[Jasen Robillard (jasen]

*Hi Jasmine,*

*The nearly defacto online tool used for communication in cohousing groups
has been Yahoo Groups. This has waned in recent years since new
collaborative tools have come to the market. *

*The challenge with any communication tool is adoption by the whole group
so while I would say that there are better tools than Yahoo out there, you
likely need a tool that allows your group to use email as a backdrop to
communication. If your group members are familiar with one tool, then it
sometimes isn't worth the hassle to migrate. On the other hand, if you have
a fairly tech savvy group then you have additional options. My
recommendation is to use a system that requires the least amount of upkeep,
as well as the least amount of training to accomplish your goals. Having
someone take a "tech" lead within your group will likely pay dividends in
the long run.*

*I would highly recommend the use of Google Docs (spreadsheets, proposals,
agendas, decision log, etc.) as your main document generation tool. Then
for communication, you have a number of good options (Google Groups,
Wiggio). I've personally shied away from Yahoo Groups mainly due to
experiencing issues in the long term with their file size and quantity
limitations (which you can pay $ to overcome). While I haven't tried it
myself, another option might be the new Slack app which is getting rave
reviews in collaborative teams. It integrates into a number of other online
tools (Google, Dropbox, Asana, etc.). If I had a new forming group starting
from scratch, Slack is likely what I'd test first within a small group.*

*Hope this helps,*

*Jasen Robillard*
*Connexus Cohousing Collaborative, Principal*

Project Management and Group Development Facilitation

c: 403.554.8681

e: *jasen [at] connexuscohousing.com <jasen [at] connexuscohousing.com>*

> *From:* jasminephilip [at] lycos.com
> *Date:* December 6, 2015 at 8:04:51 AM PST
> *Subject:* *[C-L]_ Group Communication*
>
> Hi,
>
> I am part of a newly formed group, who are trying to create a
> cohousing development in Victoria, BC, Canada. We are really just
> getting off
> the ground and one of our biggest issues at the moment is how to best
> manage
> communications between members of the group. We are wondering what
> people who have already established cohousing communities use for their
> communications.
>
> 1. Are there any document sharing platforms that are favoured by your
> cohousing groups?
>
> 2. How do groups disseminate information to group members. We are trying
> to
> figure out what would serve us best, a listserv or something like google
> groups, or something else all together that we might not have thought of
> yet.
> We especially need ways for different committees within our group to
> communicate with one another as well as ways for us to communicate to
> people
> who might be interested in our cohousing community vs active members.
> Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jasmine Philip
>
>