the apdo-uk Yahoo! group

Why do I need to join?

Quite simply, it makes communicating with the whole group much easier.

• Vital messages to all members can be published easily; the Moderators can send these important messages to everybody without running the risk of being suspected of 'spamming'!
• The webmaster is sometimes contacted by clients with special decluttering requirements, or by the press, and the Yahoo! group is the only place that will be used to post these advertisements - so you will miss out if you don't join in
• Important documents - such as the annual Accounts, sample documents, logos and the like - can be published there for easy accessibility
• The membership can be "polled" on their opinions - vital as our industry develops

Do I have to join in with discussions?

Not if you don't want to. Obviously, the more that people contribute to topics under discussion, the more that we can achieve a democracy in our community; but if you don't want to join in with these discussions, that's absolutely fine.

Will I receive hundreds of email messages as a result?

Absolutely not. To begin with, it's a closed group (not featured on Yahoo listings) and open, by invitation, to members of apdo-uk only - so the only messages you'll receive are from other members. More importantly, you can choose several ways to receive communication.

• Individual emails - every time somebody posts a message, you'll get to hear about it straight to your inbox.
• A "daily digest" - all messages posted in one day will come to you in a single mailing at the end of the day.
• Special messages from the moderator(s) - the only emails you'll get are those that it's really important for the whole group to know. This facility is only used when absolutely necessary; during the first eight months of the Yahoo group being in operation, just three messages were sent in this way.
• It is possible to choose view the site only, and receive no emails at all, but please don't choose this option - it makes it much easier for us to contact everybody with something important through the Special Message option.

Of course, don't forget that you can view the messages, and other documents on the site, at any time, by visiting the apdo-uk Yahoo group home page - the address will be confirmed to you when you join.

Our recommendation is that you choose to receive the Daily Digest; you will therefore receive no more than one message each day, but you won't run the risk of missing out on current postings.

Do I have to use the Yahoo! email address allocated to me when I sign up?

No. If you're not habitually a user of Yahoo! services and email, you might not realise that you can change the option to receive emails at whatever is your usual address. If you don't use Yahoo for anything else, we strongly recommend this option, as it saves you forgetting that you have another email account to check!

How do I join the Yahoo group?

You can't join until you're invited (because it's a "closed group"). As soon as your membership of apdo-uk has been processed, you should get an email from us confirming your membership, and under separate cover an invitation (from Cassie, via Yahoo) to join the group. Follow the instructions in that email. If you don't get this email, please contact Cassie (see below) to let her know. Don't bother trying to search through the Yahoo pages, as you won't find us there!

Any other technical problems or queries?

Please don't hesitate to contact Cassie Tillett via the Contact page.