A reminder: when you send a message to a GroupMe group, you’re spreading the news to 30 or so people. We try to reserve it mainly for urgent messages, with urgent defined as “requiring immediate action or attention.”

Good times to send a group message include:

  • Severe weather is coming or there’s a delay/cancellation
  • A parent can’t find a field
  • Help needed for a ride to a game or training
  • Sharing the outcome of a game for the folks that weren’t there
  • Sharing the girls’ lunch plans between games (or just go to the nearest Panera and I’m sure you’ll find them)

Some not so good uses (please don’t do this):

  • You’re running late for training or a game
  • A player won’t be at training
  • Working out the details of a carpool with one other parent (or similar conversation that should be taken “offline” or handled 1:1)

These conversations are better handled through through a direct message in GroupMe, or through some other channel (email, text, call, etc.) with just the relevant person (often just the coach). Most others don’t need to know.

There are some messages that could go either way, such as:

  • Injury status of a player
  • Game status of a player

I think the entire team would want to know that “the x-rays were negative!” but they might not need daily PT updates. They’re probably all at the game wondering “Where’s Max?” (he learned the hard way that he’s allergic to shellfish), but they don’t need to know that Max will need to miss an upcoming game due to a school trip.

Thanks to all of you that are using GroupMe the way we’ve requested and thanks to all of you that read this far! One more favor to ask: if you’ve muted your team’s GroupMe group or turned off notifications, please consider turning them back on, before lightning strikes.