You do not need a Gmail account to join Patch-L and receive and send Patch-L posts. But there are some advantages as noted at right.

If you would like to create a Google Account, please visit the Google Accounts homepage and follow the directions on that page. (You do not have to use a gmail account if you prefer to register another email address as your google account log in). If you're a previous Google Groups or Gmail user, you can use your existing Google Account to log in to Google Groups. If you have different Google Accounts for different Google services and applications, you can't be signed in to those accounts simultaneously. If you have a Gmail window open, you'll automatically be signed in using that account when you open a Google Groups window. If you wish to use a different one of your Google Accounts instead, you'll first need to click the Sign out link in the top-right corner.

Many Google Groups activities don't require you to have a Google Account, while many others do. For a brief description of which activities require an account and which don't, please see the list at right.

• Reading posts in public groups (Patch-L is a private group)
  
• Searching for groups, posts, or authors
• Posting to groups via email if they are unrestricted (Patch-L restricts posts to members - you have to join to send and receive e-mail to the list) or you're already a member
• Joining a public Google Group via email

Activities that require a Google Account:

• Creating and managing your own Google Group
• Posting to groups via our web interface instead of email
  
• Creating pages and uploading files (for LISTOWNERS)
  
• Subscribing to a Usenet newsgroup and receiving posts via email
• Joining a Google Group via our web interface
• Changing your subscription type (No Email, Digest Email...)
• Reading a restricted membership group's posts (like Patch-L) online