This website is part of a broader range of communication tools we are testing starting early 2012. We have been communicating as a group with an annual letter package. We started out with a paper package sent by postal mail; and, we've tested several different electronic formats. Google seems to have a pretty good suite of free, integrated communication tools which we are testing for our purposes.
Going online with communication — Americans have been doing it for over a decade. The US Postal Service is going to scale back a lot this year (2012). Many of us with free web-based email also file and store communications online. We are testing out extending this concept this year.
Common thread with kaofela: Public Website; Group Website; Mailing List/Online Private Group Forum; High-Capacity Letter (and optionally photo/movie) Storage; Flexible Up/Download File Types; Custom Maps/ Calendars/ etc.; Share Easily With The Group custom apps/webpages/documents; Secure, Year-after-year and Familiar Password/Login System; Ability to send forms and collect data from the group; ability to edit your letter even after the letter due date, can run searches in documents, the website, group communications, etc.; searchable online help documentation; email everyone with just one email address, Browser/device agnostic; free and stable servers, etc. ---- No Programming Involved for us (although there is a way to do that if you really want to). That and the fact that It's All Online and All Free means coordinating the letters will be fairly easy and the transition from one year to the next will be much smoother.
GETTING STARTED
See the Create account page for more detail and rationale.