Need a group website, suggestions please!

[TheVBs]

Ok, I'm way out of my depth here, but I've decided that it would be great if there were a central place where all the families at our riding lessons could post information. I'm looking for a site where we can:


Post names and pictures
have a calendar for events
post everyone's riding times
post everyone's lease ride times
be able to exchange messages with everyone


I would just like a site where we can be a little more organized and have an easy way to communicate, ask questions, switch lesson times, carpool, etc. Of course, the first thing suggested to me was Facebook. But, not all of us are on there, nor do we all want to join (I know I don't). But we do all have email and internet access. Three other sites were recommended to me. I've peeked at them, but I'm hesitating to dive in without knowing more about them and the person who suggested them hasn't actually used them. They are:


Qlubb
Groupcafes
bigtent


Has anyone here used any of these sites for a group? Any insight would be great! Thanks! :mickey:

[DizneyRox]

Meetup

[missymouseworld]

Our Little League uses Shutterfly.

[SBETigg]

You can set up a Google calendar for a group. I have one to keep track of a group blog that I manage. It syncs with my iPhone and iPad, too, so I have the calendar handy on all of my devices. You can also set up a group blog at Wordpress or Google's blogger, in which everyone would be able to post dates, messages, pictures, etc. Almost everyone has a gmail identity or can set one up for free, so it's a good bet. You could then use calendar and blog together and everyone could exchange messages and keep in touch that way. It's very easy to set up.

[c&d]

I've used shutterfly in the past with my son's soccer and wrestling teams. I'm not really web savvy and it was super easy to set up.

[azcavalier]

Yahoo! Groups. You can set up a mailing list, post pictures and files, have a message board, etc. And it's free.

[TheVBs]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I've looked into all of these, and I think I'm leaning towards Qlubb. It's free, it seems to offer all the features we're looking for, seems user friendly and is visually pleasing. Whether people will use it after I set it up? Who knows!

[SBETigg]

Keep in mind that a lot of people are reluctant to sign up for sites due to fear of being spammed. That's why I use Google. Almost everyone is already on it without having to sign up for a new service and there's less fear. I know this from dealing with lots of different groups online. Good luck with it!