I mean yahoo group.

Yahoo groups gives us web site owners a chance for free, reciprocal advertising. It is also a good place to pose any questions about a particular subject, as in our case embroidery or patchwork,and get some really good answers or advice or tips by those that are more experienced.
It is also a good place to swap ideas.

What Ricky told you is very true. If you're not a business owner, and don't know a lot about how web hosting works, then you don't realise how expensive it can become. Most people cannot afford the expense of a webmaster to write all the programming it would take to have a site like here at Cute, nor the bandwidth cost involved. I've only seen a very few sites like Cute, who have a forum and all the other things, Designs by SiCK is one, but Shawn is his own webmaster and computer guru, he writes his own code. There are websites with these forums, etc, but you have to be a paid member of the site to access them. The availability of Yahoo Groups gives others a chance to have the interchange of ideas, offer some free designs or detailed instructions for designs and projects in the File section, allow polls of the members, put up databases for quilting exchanges, etc., and it's all free from Yahoo. Of course, you have to put up with the Yahoo ads, and whatever Yahoo decides to do in the way of maintenance, etc., but it's a small inconvenience for the free service. I personally belong to several Yahoo groups that I enjoy very much. Hope this expands a bit on what Ricky said. Hugs, Marji

glad you asked, did not know either.

It allows for a more personal relationship with the digitizers. The ones that I belong to, the owners are right there, reading what people are saying and answering questions, taking suggestions of what they should digitize next, etc. Some do become a "family". I seem to remember back a while there was a software that allowed people to download all the freebies from a site without having to look through the pages. A lot of download and run without buying. Plus there are a lot of specials for members either as member only designs or special prices on the site.
Jo

There are many groups that specialise in certain embroidery including lace, cross stitch, quilting, and certain software and programs. there are many to choose from and they all have SO much advice and help for newbies like us.

Glad you asked this EM, I'm not a Yahoo group fan, I think I need to reconsider it :) Love,Yoriko