Using Groups and Direct Messages in V.O2

Groups can function like a private social feed within V.O2, while Direct Messages allow you to communicate with individual athletes or smaller groups.

What You Can Do with Groups

With Groups, coaches can:

• Create a private community for athletes
• Post updates, images, and videos
• Share stories that last for 24 hours
• Create polls
• Allow athletes to like and comment on posts
• Control who can post or comment
• Require athlete comments to be approved before appearing
• Add moderators, such as assistant coaches
• Invite athletes individually or sync members from an existing coaching group
• Customize notification settings

Creating a Group

To create a new group:

1. Go to the Groups section in V.O2.
2. Select the plus button to create a new group.
3. Add a group name and image.
4. Choose your group settings.
5. Invite members or sync the group with an existing V.O2 group.
6. Save your group.

Once created, your group will include a feed where you can add posts, polls, images, videos, and other updates for your athletes.

Posting in a Group

Coaches can use group posts to keep athletes informed and engaged. For example, you can post:

• Workout reminders
• Race-day information
• Team updates
• Training questions
• Photos or videos
• Polls to collect feedback or coordinate schedules

Athletes can like and comment on posts depending on the permissions you select.

Creating Polls

Polls are useful when you want quick feedback from athletes. For example, you might create a poll to ask which time works best for a team meeting, group run, or event.

To create a poll, add a new post and select the poll option. From there, you can enter your question and response options.

Managing Comments and Posting Permissions

Coaches can control how athletes interact within a group. Depending on how you want to use the feature, you can choose settings such as:

• Allowing everyone in the group to post
• Allowing athletes to comment on posts
• Requiring comments to be approved before they appear
• Limiting posting or commenting to coaches and moderators only

These settings allow you to decide whether your group feels more like an open community, a moderated discussion space, or a coach-only announcement feed.

Inviting Members

There are two ways to add athletes to a group:

Sync with an Existing Group

You can sync your group with an existing V.O2 coaching group. For example, you may want to connect a marathon training group, a specific team, or athletes on a certain subscription.

When using this option, athletes in that V.O2 group will automatically sync with the group.

Invite Members Individually

You can also invite athletes one at a time. This is helpful if you want to create a smaller or more specific group.

Please note: groups can either be synced with an existing group or managed with individually invited members. You will need to choose one method.

Adding Moderators

Coaches can add moderators to help manage a group. This is helpful if you have an assistant coach or another team member who helps communicate with athletes.

Moderators can help support the community and manage interactions depending on the permissions available.

Notification Settings

Groups include custom notification settings. Coaches and athletes can choose how they want to be notified.

For example, users may choose to receive notifications when:

• They are mentioned
• Someone comments on a post
• New activity occurs in the group

This gives each person more control over how often they receive updates from the group.

Using Direct Messages

V.O2 also includes Direct Messages, which allow coaches to communicate privately with individual athletes or smaller groups.

To send a direct message:

1. Go to the Inbox tab.
2. Select the option to create a new message.
3. Choose an individual athlete or multiple athletes.
4. Write your message.
5. Add an image if needed.
6. Send the message.

Direct Messages can be used for individual athlete check-ins, small group conversations, or private communication outside of the main group feed.

Why Use Groups and Messages?

Groups and Direct Messages are designed to help coaches keep athlete communication in one place. Instead of relying on separate social media platforms, text threads, or messaging apps, coaches can now communicate with athletes directly within V.O2.

This can help with:

• Keeping athletes engaged
• Sharing timely updates
• Building community
• Managing team communication
• Reducing the need for outside platforms

Feedback

If you have feedback about your experience using this feature, please contact us and let us know how we can continue improving it.