On Sept. 10, the Google Service Team made a configuration change in Google Groups to provide external group members the ability to browse the NC State Groups Directory. External group members are individuals who do not have an @ncsu.edu address. 

This change gives each Google Group manager the ability to choose a new option to allow “anyone on the web” to view their group. It does not impact the visibility of current Google Groups or modify individual group settings.

Google Group managers will continue to have the option to make their groups visible to “all members of the group” or “all organization members,” which includes everyone with an @ncsu.edu email address. All newly-created Google Groups will have their default visibility set to “all organization members.”

You can view instructions to adjust these settings at Change Google Group Visibility. 

Please be aware that visibility in the NC State Global Address List (GAL) is influenced by the group visibility setting. Choosing either “all organization members” or “anyone on the web” will cause your group to be displayed in the GAL; this means that your group email address will be discoverable through the Gmail interface.

Please direct all questions regarding these changes to the NC State Help Desk at help.ncsu.edu or 919.515.4357 (HELP).