"jared:  Love this. groupme:  Families on GroupMe Judging by the hundreds of emails we get from users every week, we've had a hunch for a while now that families are some of GroupMe's biggest users. Plus, most of us here on the team have groups with our own families—it just seems like a natural fit. So this week, we decided to go further than that and get the real story on families using GroupMe. At the end of last week, we tweeted a quick request for stories about families using GroupMe, and put it on our Facebook page. Within an hour, our inbox had dozens of awesome stories from people who are in groups with their families.   Right off the bat, users were telling us about how GroupMe had changed the way they communicate with the people closest to them. One email from a pastor in Illinois said ""we just used GroupMe to set up our Memorial Day plans as a family!"". Another was from a father in Washington who told us about his group with his ""wife, 2 teenage daughters, father, 2 sisters, and 2 teenage nieces,"" where every Friday, everyone sends around messages wishing everyone else a good weekend.     There are a lot of stories. So before we get into those any further, let's take a step back and look at the statistics.  A search of our group database revealed that over 10% of groups are called ""Family"", or something similar (""Parents"", ""Siblings""). That's huge!  Those family groups have an average of 4.5 members per group, accidentally lending credence to the old ""2 parents and 2.5 kids"" chestnut.  Now, 11% is a lot of groups, but without figuring out what the rest of those groups are for, it's hard to say just how powerful GroupMe has become for families. That's why we looked into the names of group members next.  A comprehensive top-level analysis of all groups on GroupMe (not just the ""Family"" ones) led us to some great findings, displayed here in this very complicated infographic:  That's right. By a huge margin, Moms and Dads are the most popular people in groups. (For what it's worth, numbers 3-5 are Chris, Mike, and Alex. Go figure).  And the stories we received totally back up these statistics, and then some.  Check out this one, for example:  My family is spread out from Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee. We are all super-close despite the distance. But it was hard to have to make 4 phone calls just to tell them what is going on. GroupMe has made it SO much easier to keep them updated even on the small things of life that you would never really want to call about. […] Our ages range from 13 to 60. (Grandson to Grandpa) It's made it so nice, and kept us close. My whole family loves it and I constantly get texts from them!  Thanks GroupMe.  One of our other favorites is from Jayne, an American who recently moved to London. She writes: I use GroupMe with my twin and little sister (well she's 17 so not really little anymore) now that I'm living in London. It works – we send each other jokes and family/friend gossip. I miss them so it's almost like we're in the same room again when we text each other on GroupMe.  So now I never miss an awkward moment to share or be shared with my sisters or ask them for advice *cheesy thumbs up* - but seriously - it makes home a bit closer for me. Carol in California has lots of groups for different uses within her extended family. Last one, I promise! We use GroupMe all the time.  In fact we use several different groups within our family for different purposes.  I come from a big family, so I have many sisters and brothers. Using GroupMe simplifies the process of communicating and staying in touch with family. Try coordinating 10 brothers and sisters for a simple event […] with GroupMe there is no question what the plans are or who was invited.  We also have one that we use for our immediate family and I don't have to worry that my husband has picked up my daughter […] We are all on the same group so when she says she's out of school or any event she attends I know she's ready and when she's been picked up.We live in San Diego and about a year ago two young girls about my daughter's age were picked up and killed right outside of her high school so you don't know how much that peace of mind really means.  I could go on and on with how we use GroupMe. GroupMe has really been a blessing to have.  Thank you so much for this awesome communication tool. Then there are stories from college students using GroupMe to keep in touch with their extended family while away from home, young parents using it to coordinate with babysitters and carpools, and whole family reunions planned and re-planned entirely over GroupMe. Families love GroupMe. And needless to say, we love that families are using GroupMe to make their lives easier and more enjoyable, across generations and across oceans. Thank you all very much. Of course, we want to hear how you are using GroupMe and feature it here. Send your story to stories@groupme.com.   Love this. I introduced GroupMe to my family at Elizabeth's graduation. She was waiting to receive her diploma onstage, I was with my parents in the stands, and little Christine was cheering her on from Prague.  (Plus, I still get a real kick whenever I can show my dad how to use something…)"
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