GroupMe

Unless you’ve been staying cool this summer by living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about GroupMe by now. It’s a great way to disseminate information quickly via group text messaging, but it can also become very annoying if misused. Because we use it as our “weather hotline,” it’s best that everyone join their team’s group, install the smart phone app, and abide by our rules of engagement.

Here’s how to join:

  1. Go to https://web.groupme.com/signup and create your account using your email address (you will also link your mobile phone number to your account)
  2. Install the GroupMe app on your smart phone and sign in
  3. Join the group for your team (e.g., “Cincy SC B07 Elite”)

A few tips to get the most out of your experience:

  • Install the app – if you have a smart phone and you’re still getting GroupMe messages with your normal text messages, you’re leaving a lot on the table.
  • Use our official groups mainly for urgent messages. Urgent is defined as “requiring immediate action or attention.” Some good examples: weather updates, can’t find the field, the girls are going to Firehouse Subs for lunch between games (just kidding, we all know they’re going to Panera).
  • Quiet hours: before 8am and after 10pm. Even though you may be a night owl or like to get organized at 6am, nobody wants to get a text while sleeping. 8am-10pm is a good guideline.
  • You can customize your name in a group. Some parents last year put their kid’s name in parentheses, like “Russell Lewis (Rowen).”
  • You can add other members to a group. Adding a 2nd parent is great, but please don’t add players. (Exception: HS age players are ok.)
  • You can create your own new groups! Want to use GroupMe for your futsal team but only half the team is playing? You can create a new group for that specific purpose and add just the relevant people.
  • You can send a Direct Message in GroupMe. Just click on the person’s avatar or read this.
  • Remember we have other ways to communicate. Party planning, links to videos, and personal/individual questions are situations where the calendar, email group, direct messages, or 1:1 conversations may be more effective than using the GroupMe group. Too many group messages in GroupMe may lead to people turning off notifications (please don’t) and missing the really important stuff. It’s ok if you’re running 5 minutes late, we don’t need a group text about it.