The Saratoga Business Development Council holds monthly meetings to provide a "regular and informal forum" for the city's business community to "discuss Saratoga business issues," according to the group's mission statement. But between those meetings, an email discussion group allows members to bring up promotional ideas, solicit help from others, send reminders of upcoming events and do just about anything else they would in a regular meeting.

Council secretary Brian Berg joined the group, which was started in 2002. Since Berg, owner of Berg Software Design, was experienced in setting up email discussion groups for other clients, he recommended implementing one for the council.

"People immediately responded to it," Berg said. "There's been a positive reaction."

The email discussion list—called a "listserver"—helps further the organization's goals, said Clare McBride, council chairwoman.

"One of the reasons [the council] was created was opening up lines of communication with the different aspects—the businesses, the city, the commissions," she said. "We can bounce ideas off each other."

Recent messages to the group have included solicitation of items for the Saratoga Museum, a reminder for the Mustard Walk and comments and pictures from the Village tree-lighting ceremony and open house in November. McBride also circulates the council agendas via the list.

Berg pointed out one problem with the listserver, though: since the email messages are not made public, the group does not comply with California's Ralph M. Brown Act, which requires that the actions of public commissions "be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly." Since it is not an official commission, Berg said the council has no budget.

"While the listserver allows for broad dissemination of information, it only goes to its subscribers and, hence, is not public," he said. "Business for a formal government body would not be able to be conducted on a listserver. SBDC is an informal group, but a parallel formal commission may eventually be created."

Despite keeping the council from being a formal commission, the emails provide a valuable support forum for members—both professionally and personally.

In one recent posting, McBride asked group members for any information about job openings they might have since she was laid off in early February. Though all she received from council members was empathy—she was able to find work through other channels—she said the email group is a perfect "chat situation" for such requests.

"It helps to have something like this list," she said.