in2it Groups

What are in2¡t groups?
in2¡t groups are about getting to know others through a shared activity. in2¡t is a way to meaningfully introduce your friends to the people you go to church with. in2¡t opens the door for new friendships to form. In2¡t provides those who are new to our church to get to know others in a comfortable setting.

 How does in2¡t work?
We help establish an affinity group online where individuals can join a group or groups of their choice. Each member of that interest group will receive emails from others in the group. As an idea for an activity develops, it is posted so that everyone in that group can respond. You can post your own ideas or respond to another’s idea. Each email you receive also gives you the ability to unsubscribe so you don’t have to feel obligated to stay in any group.

What does in2¡t look like in action?
Let’s say Bob likes to play golf. He would like to set up a foursome for Saturday morning. He posts about the opportunity on the “in2¡t - Golf” site and he starts receiving emails from others in that group. Some say they are up for it, while others tease him for not working. One of the guys, Eric, who signed up has just moved into the area from California and was interested in getting to know other men in the church. He loves golf and signed up online to be part of the group. Another guy, Tom, has a heart for his neighbor Jim, who is struggling in his marriage and invites him along. The foursome becomes two foursomes followed by breakfast at a local diner. The conversations are sometimes silly and other times serious. For two guys, Eric and Jim, it’s the first step in feeling connected. Jim will eventually go through Alpha to try to understand this whole Jesus thing while Eric will meet a guy who will one day be his accountability partner.

Are in2¡t groups restricted to what is offered?
No. If you have a passion for an interest not yet listed, we can help you get started by posting your idea to see if there is other interest.

GROUPS

What in2¡t groups are currently being offered?
Here is our current list of in2¡t groups:
in2it - Boating
in2it - Classic Cars
in2it - Coffee Chat
in2it - Dinner Groups
in2it - Hiking
in2it - Hunting
in2it - Men’s Biking
in2it - Men’s Fishing
in2it - Men’s Golf
in2it - Men’s Motorcycles
in2it - Men’s Music
in2it - Men’s Snow Sports
in2it - Men’s Team Sports
in2it - Men’s Tennis
in2it - Men’s Woodworking
in2it - Men’s eXtreme Biking
in2it - Parenting Elementary Age
in2it - Photography
in2it - Racquetball
in2it - Sailing
in2it - Scrapbooking
in2it - Scuba Diving
in2it - Women’s Book Club
in2it - Women’s Coffee Chat
in2it - Women’s Crafts
in2it - Women’s Dog Walk
in2it - Women’s Gardening
in2it - Women’s Hiking
in2it - Women’s Stamping
in2it - Women’s Tennis

Interest has been shown in starting the following:
in2it - Tai Chi
in2it - Fire Fighters
* if you’re interested in seeing one of these groups form, email in2it@westminster.org and let us know.

JOIN

How do I join a group?
Email your request to join a certain group(s) to in2it@westminster.org. You will receive an invitation from the group along with an introductory email. Depending on your email sensitivity, the invitation may go to your spam folder, so if you feel that some time has passed without receiving your invitation, check your spam folder. If you have other problems, feel free to email the in2¡t administrator at in2it@westminster.org.

Can I invite others to join?
Yes. On your group website you can click the invite envelope to invite them to join or tell them to send an email to in2it@westminster.org.

How come my group doesn’t seem active?
These groups are meant to be proactive, not passive. Some groups have a higher ratio of those waiting for something to happen then stepping out and making the first move. But it usually only takes one person to break the ice and post the first event. Are you that person? Don’t be shy. Post your thoughts and see what happens.

FEATURES

There are plenty of features you can add to your group website once you have joined. We chose Nexo as our host site because it offers the most flexibility. You are able to add widgets (a term to describe these functional add-ons) to any page to expand on functionality. You can upload photos, add maps to destinations, show weather and much more. Here are some of the widgets available and their respective descriptions:

Bookmarks
The bookmark widget allows you to create a section on your page with links to any URL(s) you choose. You can specify a particular URL, select from popular URLs, or search for URLs from Google, Yahoo, Delicious, web pages or your own files. The Bookmark widget menu lets you group bookmarks in folders and display them in various ways.

Calendar
The calendar widget allows you to create a section on your page with a calendar. You can add events manually or import/export them from other calendars. The calendar menu allows you to display events in various ways.

Comments
The Comments widget allows you to create a section on your page where visitors can add comments and interact with each other like in chat. The Comments widget menu lets you display comments in various ways.

Dictionary
The Dictionary widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can get word definitions from www.dictionary.com.

Encyclopedia
The Encyclopedia widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can get word definitions from www.encyclopedia.com.

Feeds
The Feeds widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can get RSS feeds. Unlike many RSS readers, you do not need to paste in any HTML. You can specify the URL, pick from popular feeds, or search for feeds on any topic. Feeds are updated instantly. You can filter feeds by recency using the filter at the top of the page. You can add folders to organize your feeds.

Files
The Files widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can upload your files to share. Changes made to the uploaded file are tracked, so the group can maintain version control. It is important to remember that changes to uploaded files do not change the original file stored on your computer (and vice-versa). Version information and comments can be seen from the menu for that file. Files may be organized in folders. Update requests can be emailed.

Filter
The Filter is a slider that lets you see the most up-to-date information. You can set it to see only information that has changed in the last hour, the last day, the last week, etc. This is useful for news feeds and other RSS content where you can simplify the page so that it only shows recent articles.

Images
The Images widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can upload pictures. Images can be uploaded from your computer, selected from a URL or webpage, or can be searched from Flickr or Google. Images can be organized in folders. They can be viewed in many different ways, such as a slide show or film strip. Update requests can be emailed.

Journal
The Journal widget allows you to add a blog section on your page.

List
The List widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can list things. Text tools enable the list items to be formatted as you like. List items can be organized in folders. Update requests can be emailed.

Map Search
The Map Search widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can access maps from Google Maps.

People/Team Roster (Youth)
The People widget and Roster widgets allow you to create a section on your page where you can keep contact information. Contacts may be imported from vcards. The information may be displayed in many different ways. Update requests can be emailed.

Polls
The Polls widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can have polls. Nexo polls allow you to ask a question and have responders choose from any number of possible responses (as text, pictures or dates). Many options are available for defining the poll, including allowing users to see the poll outcomes and who has voted for what. Polls can be emailed for quick response.

Properties
The Properties widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can list assets/properties and their values. Update requests can be emailed.

Q&A
The Q&A widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can show questions and answers. Update requests can be emailed.

Search
The Search widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can search Google from your Nexo page.

Tasks
The Tasks widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can list to dos, task owners and progress. Tasks can be organized in folders and can be viewed in many ways. Tasks can be emailed for updates and notification.

Text
The Text widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can type text or cut and paste text or other content. Text tools allow the section to be formatted as you like.

Thesaurus
The Thesaurus widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can get word definitions from www.thesaurus.com.

Videos
The Videos widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can view videos. Videos can be searched from YouTube, Google or Yahoo or can be selected from a specified URL. Videos can be organized in folders. They can be emailed or a request for an update can be emailed.

Weather
The Weather widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can get the latest weather. You can select weather locations by zip code or city name. Clicking on the city name brings up the full weather information from Yahoo Weather. Weather locations can be organized in folders.

Web Page
The Webpage widget allows you to create a section on your page where you can show a live webpage. You just specify the URL and the height (optional). Updates to that webpage occur instantly on your Nexo page as well.

Yellow Pages
The Yellow Pages widget allows you to create a section on your page where you do Yellow Page look-ups right from your Nexo page.