Controlling how much email you receive from a group

Options for controlling email delivery

If a group you belong to is particularly active and you want to reduce the number of email messages you receive from it, you have these options:

• Receive messages in all topics except for topics that you explicitly mute, including topics with hashtags that you mute. (Muting means that you are not sent any further messages associated with that topic or hashtag.)
• Receive messages only in topics that you explicitly follow, including topics with hashtags that you follow. (Following means that you are sent messages associated with that topic or hashtag.)
• Receive a digest or daily summary instead of receiving individual messages as they are sent.
• Set your email delivery method for the group to No Email. You can still log in to the group’s website and read messages there at your convenience, but you will not receive group messages by email.

Note: Muting and following affect email delivery only. Any topics and hashtags that you mute or are not following by email are still visible to you in the message archive on the group's website.

Tip: If you have set your email delivery method to No Email but you still would like to receive notifications about new messages or for topics that have specific hashtags, you can enable web/app notifications for new messages (see Member notification settings) or for those particular hashtags (see Hashtag uses and notes). Those notifications will be sent to your web browser or mobile device but will not generate emails.

Setting your email delivery method

1. Desktop browser: On any page at the group’s website, select Subscription > Settings from the left menu.
   Mobile device: On any page in the group, tap the More icon at the bottom, then tap Subscription > Settings on the More menu.
2. On the Subscription page, in the Email Delivery panel, select the option you want to use for the group. See Email delivery settings.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click or tap the Save button.

Tip: You can set the email delivery method for several groups at once from the Your Groups home page.

Muting topics or hashtags

To be able to apply muting, you must select All Messages in the Message Selection area of your Advanced subscription preferences. However, be aware that group owners or moderators might set some hashtags so they cannot be muted.

If you receive individual email messages from the group, the footer in each message contains a Mute This Topic link as well as links to mute any hashtags associated with that topic. If you receive message digests, a Mute Topic link is at the end of each message in the digest. Clicking or tapping these links takes you to the group’s website, where you can confirm or cancel the action.

When you are viewing messages on the group’s website, in either Topics view or Messages view, you can click or tap the Mute button that is displayed at the top of each topic page or individual message’s page to mute that topic.

For hashtags: To mute specific hashtags (so you stop receiving messages in topics that are tagged with those hashtags), you can use any of these methods:

• In a group email message, click or tap Mute for any hashtag listed in the message footer.
• On the Hashtags page on the group’s website, click or tap the Mute/Notify button (or link, if you are viewing the page in List View) for the hashtag. On the resulting page, in the Email panel, select the Mute Topics checkbox, and select a length of time from the Mute Duration list. Then click or tap the Update button at the bottom of the page.
• On an individual hashtag’s page, click or tap the Mute button under the hashtag’s name near the top of the page. On the resulting page, select the Mute Topics checkbox, and select a length of time from the Mute Duration list. Then click or tap the Update button at the bottom of the page.
• When you are viewing a topic on the group’s website, hashtags are displayed next to the topic’s subject line. In that view, you can click or tap the down arrow in a hashtag to display a dropdown menu, then select Mute from that menu. On the resulting page, select the Mute Topics checkbox, and select a length of time from the Mute Duration list. Then click or tap the Update button at the bottom of the page.

Tip: Consider setting a specific duration limit (as opposed to leaving the hashtag muted forever) because the same hashtag could be used in future topics that you might be interested in.

Note: If a moderator has set a hashtag to Special (meaning messages with that hashtag are sent as special notices), you cannot mute that hashtag because special notices cannot be muted.

Unmuting topics or hashtags

To unmute topics or hashtags that you have muted, use any of the methods mentioned in Muting topics and hashtags above. The button or link will be labeled “Unmute” instead of “Mute.”

Following topics or hashtags

To be able to follow or stop following (unfollow) topics or hashtags, you must select Following Only in the Message Selection area of your Advanced subscription preferences. With this preference set, you receive messages only in topics that you choose to follow and messages in topics with hashtags that you choose to follow.

To receive the first message in each new topic that is posted to the group—so you can then decide whether to follow that topic—select the First Message Also checkbox when you set the Following Only preference for your subscription.

If you receive individual email messages from the group, and you selected First Message Also in your subscription preferences, the footer in those messages contains a Follow This Topic link and links to follow any hashtags associated with that topic. If you did not select First Message Also, you can select which topics to follow using the Groups.io website.

Email messages other than the first one in a topic include an Unfollow This Topic link and links to unfollow any hashtags associated with that topic. If you receive message digests, the follow or unfollow links are at the end of each message in the digest. Clicking or tapping these links takes you to the group’s website, where you can confirm or cancel the action.

Note: If the owner has set the group’s Reply To setting to “Topic Followers Only,” you will, by default, be following any topics you create in that group. Therefore, regardless of whether you set the Following Only preference in your email subscription for that group, you will see an Unfollow This Topic link in the email footers of topics that you create.

When you are viewing messages on the group’s website, in either Topics view or Messages view, you can click or tap the Follow This Topic button that is displayed at the top of each topic page or individual message’s page to follow that topic.

For hashtags: When you have selected Following Only in your email subscription for the group, you will see a Follow/Notify button (or link), instead of a Mute/Notify button (or link), on the group’s Hashtags page and on individual hashtag pages. To follow specific hashtags—so you receive messages in topics that are tagged with those hashtags—you can use any of these methods:

• In a group email message, click or tap Follow for any hashtag listed in the message footer.
• On the Hashtags page on the group’s website, click or tap the Follow/Notify button (or link, if you are viewing the page in List View) in the hashtag. On the resulting page, in the Email panel, select the Follow Topics checkbox, and select a length of time from the Follow Duration list. Then click or tap the Update button at the bottom of the page.
• On an individual hashtag’s page, click or tap the Follow button near the top. On the resulting page, select the Follow Topics checkbox, select a length of time from the Follow Duration list, and then click or tap the Update button.
• When you are viewing a topic on the group’s website, hashtags are displayed next to the topic’s subject line. In that view, you can click or tap the down arrow in a hashtag to display a dropdown menu, then select Follow from that menu. On the resulting page, select the Follow Topics checkbox, and select a length of time from the Follow Duration list. Then click or tap the Update button at the bottom of the page.

Tip: Consider setting a specific duration limit (as opposed to following the hashtag forever) because the same hashtag could be used in future topics that you might not be interested in.

Unfollowing topics or hashtags

To unfollow topics or hashtags that you are following, use any of the methods mentioned in Following topics or hashtags above. The button or link will be labeled “Unfollow” instead of “Follow.”

Managing muted and followed topics

The Topics home page on the Groups.io website provides a place where you can manage the topics that you have muted or are following in all of your group subscriptions:

1. At the top of any group page, click or tap the Groups.io logo on the far left in the blue header. This action takes you to the most recent Groups.io home page that you viewed.
2. Desktop browser: On the resulting page, select Topics from the left menu to display a submenu. In the submenu, select Muted or Followed, depending on which topics you want to manage.
   Mobile device: On the resulting page, tap the More icon at the bottom. On the More menu, select Muted Topics or Followed Topics, depending on which topics you want to manage.
3. On the resulting page, find the topic you want, and click or tap its link to open it.
4. At the top of the topic’s page, click or tap the applicable button to take the associated action:
   • Mute This Topic

     Stop email delivery of messages in that topic.

   • Unmute This Topic

     Resume email delivery of messages in that topic.

   • Follow This Topic

     Start email delivery of messages in that topic.

   • Unfollow This Topic

     Stop email delivery of messages in that topic.

Managing muted and followed hashtags

The Hashtags home page on the Groups.io website provides a place where you can manage the hashtags that you have muted or are following in all of your group subscriptions:

1. At the top of any group web page, click or tap the Groups.io logo on the far left in the blue header. This action takes you to the most recent Groups.io home page that you viewed.
2. Desktop browser: Select Hashtags from the left menu to display a submenu. In the submenu, select Muted or Followed, depending on which hashtags you want to manage.
   Mobile device: Tap the More icon at the bottom of the page. On the More menu, select Muted Tags or Followed Tags, depending on which hashtags you want to manage.
3. On the resulting page, you can:
   • Remove a hashtag from the list by selecting the checkbox next to it and then clicking or tapping the Remove button (for muted hashtags) or Delete button (for followed hashtags).
   • Add a hashtag to the list by clicking or tapping the Mute A New Hashtag link (for muted hashtags) or Follow A New Hashtag link (for followed hashtags) at the upper right of the page.