The Rochester District Yahoo! Group is a totally separate website from this KCACR Rochester District Official Site. However, it is more than just a website. It is a very powerful tool for communication between bell ringers within the Rochester District.
There are many features which district ringers are encouraged to use. Firstly there is a Message facility, which allows group members to post a message to any single member. For example, you may like to send a message to 'Joe Bloggs' asking for his assistance at a forthcoming event or ringing practice. Or you might like to post a message to all members of the group to let them know that your tower is holding a special practice or a particular event. This facility is even useful for letting other ringers in the district know that your tower practice will not take place this week for whatever reason. Alternatively, if you need advice or have a particular topic which you would like to discuss with other members then post a message to the yahoo group.
If you don't have an email address or account you can see messages that are posted to all members on the site by visiting the Yahoo! Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rochester_district (you will need to sign in with your Yahoo! ID or register one if you haven't already done so). If you do have email you can post a message to all members by sending an email to rochester_district @ yahoogroups.com (NB - email addresses do not have spaces. Email addresses on this website have been cloaked (hence the spaces around the @ sign) to prevent spam software from harvesting such addresses).
There is also a Photos facility where by you can upload any photos that you wish to share with group members. For example, you have just taken a beautiful picture or your local tower covered in snow. You like it so much that you want others to see it. So upload it to the group! (you will need to sign up for a Yahoo! ID if you don't already have one). Or perhaps you have photos from your tower outing. These too could be uploaded to the group.
The Yahoo! Group also has a Calendar, which lists district events. If your tower or church has a particular event that anyone is welcome to attend why not add the details on the calendar for others to see? People won't attend an event if they don't know about it!
Another great tool on the group is a Polls facility. An example of this would be to ascertain interest in a district event - such as the District Outing. The poll facility would be used to generate a set of questions that is sent out to all members, who are then asked to vote by viewing the poll on the website. For example, this is useful for finding out how many people would be available to attend the outing and how many places they would like on the coach.
The Yahoo! Group is an under-used tool for the district and I would like to see as many Rochester District bell ringers as possible joining up. It's free and all you need to do is spend a few minutes to register for a Yahoo! ID, which you can do by clicking the link below. Just follow the on-screen instructions. You will need to think of a Yahoo! ID (which will be your log-in name) and a password. If you experience any problems or difficulties Gareth Lawson will be glad to assist. Just telephone him or send him a message from the Officers page on this website.
Click to join rochester_district
Alternatively, if you are only interested in receiving the messages from other members so you can be kept informed of district events and discussions simply subscribe to the email list (you will need your own email address)
Coming soon... tips and hints on how to do what on the Yahoo! Group.