Hi Jim,

Hashtags are words that start with '#'. In the case of Groups.io, they only apply to the subject of a message. So, if you send a message to your group with the subject 'This is a sample message #test', the message will be categorized with the hashtag '#test'. 

You can search the archives by hashtags. And you can set hashtags so that any messages tagged with them will be deleted automatically after a specified period of time. 

One potential use: intros. Tell people when they join your group that they should post an intro message about themselves, and have them tag it with #intro. Then, you can search on the #intro hashtag and see everyone's intros. 

Another potential use is for neighborhood groups with people offering things for sale. Those messages can be tagged with #forsale, and that tag could be configured such that messages tagged with it are automatically deleted from the archives after a month. So you're not left with a bunch of for sale messages in the archives that no longer apply.

Hope that explains it. They are, of course, completely optional. Clearly I need to do more on the site to explain them, as they're a new concept for email groups.

As for files and photos, we do not currently have a dedicated area for those. It's definitely on the todo list.

Thanks,

Mark

On Fri, Oct 10, 2014 at 11:00 AM, Jim Fisher <ejf@...> wrote:

Hello

I've just joined the group and had no problems doing so, but I do have two queries:

1.. I don't understand what hashtags are or what they are for. Can you explain please?

2. I don't see any mention of uploaded files in the way Yahoo offers. I own a few small Yahoo groups, and this is one of the few facilities, other than email of course, that we use. Some of them occasionally put up photos as well, and in one case the links section is used (again, I see no sign of one here). Am I asking for facilities still on the to do list, perhaps?

Thanks,

Jim