Using Discussion Groups

Discussion Groups are a shared electronic communication system for a sub-community within the national organization, ANNA. Examples of sub-communities include member-verified sub-groups such as an ANNA National Committee or Board of Directors, locality-verified membership in a sub-community, such as in an ANNA Chapter, or simply a sub-community of ANNA members with a common clinical interest.

How to Post a Message


When you click on "Post Message," you will see a dialog like this:

Provide the following information to send a message:

  • To - select an eGroup from the drop down box
  • Cross Post To – select a second eGroup the drop down box if you wish to contact two groups at once
  • Subject - type a hint of what the main idea is
  • Message - type in the your message

Click SEND or Click ATTACH (see instruction below)

Attachment(s) – attachment(s) are stored in the chosen Resource Library. You can attach files your message but the attachment(s) will not physically should up in you mail. The attachment(s) will be stored in the Library Resource Group you choose when creating eGroup Message. To view the attachment(s) just click on the attach email. The View Documents screen will appear so that you can view the attachment(s) sent with eGroup Message.

Step 1: Describe Your Document(s)

  1. In the Title field, enter a heading for your document or group of documents. This is similar to creating a folder.
  2. In the Description field, enter a brief summary of your document(s). This helps others identify documents when browsing through the Resource Library.

Step 2: Upload Your File(s)

You can upload one or more documents by going through the following steps for each file you want to upload.

  1. Click on the Browse button to find any file that you want from your computer.
    • Double click on the file or click on the file, then click open to select the file.
    • You can upload documents (including Word, Notepad, PowerPoint slide shows and Excel), video clips, audio clips or images.
  2. In the File Name field, enter a name for the file that is being uploaded. If you want the document's existing file name to display, don't type anything here.
  3. Click on the Upload button.
  4. If there are more then one file being uploaded, then repeat the above steps until all files have been uploaded.

Step 3: Add Tags/Keywords to Your Document

Tags, also known as keywords, are words that help users find documents in the Resource Libraries. You can assign multiple tags, such as "policy" or "agenda" to help identify your files. A set of tags have been established already, but you can also create your own.

Currently there are no tags available.

Click Finish

After you click finish, you have successfully uploaded your message with the attachment(s)! Go to the My Message tab and you will see your "Post Message" in your group's library.

Managing Your Subscriptions

In the navigation on the left (at your Profile page), click on "Manage Subscriptions." You will see a screen like this:

The Discussion groups you are eligible for will be displayed on this screen. There are five choices for subscription options. You can subscribe, unsubscribe, change your subscription type, or change your email address on this screen:

  • Real Time: You will receive each message as it is sent. This is recommended if you are an active participant in a group.
  • Daily Digest: You will receive one email at the end of each day (as long as messages were sent that day) containing all of the day's messages.
  • No Emails: If you select "No Emails," you will never receive emails for this eGroup, but you will be able to read the messages on AMSN Networks.
  • Unsubscribe: Click here if you wish to completely leave the eGroup. You will no longer be able to see messages on ANNA Connected, you will not receive any more email messages, and you will no longer have access to the group's Resource Library.

If you would like to change the email address where you receive eGroup messages, contact the National Office.

You also have the ability to choose your mail format at the top of the page. Selecting "Text" means that you will receive messages in plain text, with no images and no text formatting. "HTML" is the recommended format, which allows for easily readable text formatting and hyperlinks back to ANNA Connected.

Hit the "Save" button before leaving this screen to keep your changes!