Combining the best of listserves and threaded discussion forums, eGroups is an ideal communication tool to enable communities to engage in dialog while pushing out and archiving user-generated content. Users receive an easy-to-read email that contains a picture of the author linked to the author’s profile, a link to the online archive where all postings are automatically stored, and a mistake-free link to respond to either the author or to the entire group.
Users can return to your website to start new topics and conduct research using the stored content of archived postings, or stay within their own Microsoft Outlook or Entourage application to view and respond to email messages. eGroups includes many preference settings including the receipt of real-time or daily digest postings, RSS subscription, and a PDA option so that you can read messages on your mobile devices. Contact and preference information can be fully integrated with your AMS system to ensure that only members or subscribers in good standing receive access and to eliminate having to maintain user lists. Organizations benefit from eGroups by selling advertisement space to sponsors to generate non-dues revenue, increasing the amount of valuable content their website can offer members through automated archiving of all postings and attachments, and by producing emails that carry the organization’s visual identity to maintain the organization's brand integrity.