Mailing lists, discussion forums, file sharing tool

[matei]

Dear Brethren,

Can you please advise on the best online tool to use as a mailing list / discussion forum / file sharing for our Lodge?
We are hoping to find something a bit more user-friendly than yahoo groups
Ideally it should allow the access to specific archives according to the degree of each member of the group, so that an EA cannot see the minutes of a Master meeting, for instance.

Thanks in advance!


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[Morris]

Dear Brethren,

Can you please advise on the best online tool to use as a mailing list / discussion forum / file sharing for our Lodge?
We are hoping to find something a bit more user-friendly than yahoo groups
Ideally it should allow the access to specific archives according to the degree of each member of the group, so that an EA cannot see the minutes of a Master meeting, for instance.

Thanks in advance!


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In the Air Force we use SharePoint. It can be fairly time consuming but once someone is trained up on it, it becomes more user friendly.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-001/sharepoint-foundation-help/what-is-sharepoint-HA010378184.aspx


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[Lowcarbjc]

If your lodge brothers have dropbox installed it will greatly simplify the file sharing need. You can setup the folders and who have access to what. After that you simply put the file in the correct folder on your computer (no logging into websites is needed) and it will sync to everyone.


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[pointwithinacircle2]

I have been searching for for a program that I can purchase that would allow me to set up my own private social network. I have had a family group on Yahoo Groups for years and would be happy with something like that.

 

[matei]

Thanks to all.

We have dropbox as well, it's just that it's awkward to use dropbox for file sharing and yahoo groups for mails... I was hoping we could find an all-in-one solution, rather than having 2 softwares. Making the passage from duality to unity, if I may say so...




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[crono782]

I guess you could build a forum like vBulletin from scratch and lock down certain forums for different members in your lodge.


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[dmurawsky]

::cracks knuckles:: This I know a thing or two about.

It sounds like you want a community website, with extra features. I would recommend looking at Drupal and/or Wordpress. There are many modules available and you can cobble something together quite well for your requirements. There are also premade bundles which give many of the features you are looking for. For example, BuddyPress is based on Wordpress and OpenAtrium is based on Drupal (and there are many more).
Alternatively, you could use different tools for each of your tasks.
Mailing list - Mailman (the grandaddy of mailing list managers)
File sharing - OwnCloud
Discussion Forum - PHPBB / VBulletin

For any of the above, you'll need a good webhost. I have used both Bluehost and Dreamhost in the past and have been very satisfied with them.

I would look at one of the bundles for your needs. Probably Wordpress/buddypress if you were going to do it yourself as it is more user friendly. Be warned! There is a lot to learn with any of these packages!

 

[pointwithinacircle2]

I am so behind the times! I checked out your recommendations. They looked like what I want, but they me asked lots of questions that I didn't know the answers to. For example, they wanted me to plan my site. I don't even know what the building blocks would look like or what they do. What kind of plan do I need to make? Is there, like, a large format paperback workbook that I could buy? Or maybe a step by step web tutorial?

 

[dmurawsky]

There are many tutorials and how-to guides for the different offerings. Each will be somewhat unique. If you want to use BuddyPress, for example, there is a tutorial on the website. Don't be affraid to google. There is a lot of free information available on setting all of these packages up. There are even videos.
Which system were you looking at specifically? What features were you looking at, specifically? I can point you at more detailed documents and the like.

 

[matei]

Thanks so much! This is indeed a trove of information, and i'll take a good look at your suggestions - ultimately, one of the biggest criteria in the final choice will be the simplicity to use. The Brethren from my Lodge are as profane in IT matters as myself...



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[dmurawsky]

FYI: Setting it up is vastly more complex than using it.
There are also a few offerings which specialize in generic clubs and have little to no learning curve. They might be a better fit.
http://www.clubwizard.com/
http://www.clubexpress.com/