This is a simple and easy way to share your interest, hobbies
or passion. Join us now and talk to people from all over the world. Our mission
is to share and grow the world’s knowledge.
A vast amount of the knowledge that would be valuable to
many people is currently only available to a few — either locked in people’s
heads, or only accessible to select groups. We want to connect the people who
have knowledge to the people who need it, to bring together people with
different perspectives so they can understand each other better, and to empower
everyone to share their knowledge for the benefit of the rest of the world.
A group is a Web site, part of a Web site, or part of an
online service, that provides a venue for communities of users with a common
interest to communicate in real time. Forums and discussion groups, in
comparison, allow users to post messages but don't have the capacity for
interactive messaging. Most groups don't require users to have any special
software; those that do, such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC) allow users to
download it from the Internet.
Users register for the groups of their choice, choose a username
and password, and log into a particular room (most sites have multiple groups).
Inside the groups, generally there is a list of the people currently online,
who also are alerted that another person has entered the groups. To chat, users
type a message into a text box. The message is almost immediately visible in
the larger communal message area and other users respond. Users can enter groups
and read messages without sending any, a practice known as lurking.
Because groups messages are spontaneous and instantly
visible, there is a potential for abuse, which may or may not be intentional.
Site hosts typically post a frequently asked questions (FAQ) list to guide
users to appropriate groups behavior, such as introducing yourself when you
enter a room, making it clear when you are directing a question or response to
a specific user, and reporting disruptive users, for example. Disruptive users
may verbally abuse other chatters, monopolize the conversation, or even just
disable it by repeatedly typing the same word or phrase into the conversation,
a practice (much frowned upon) known as scrolling.
Groups can be found that focus on virtually any aspect of
human endeavor or interest: there are current communities based on classic
movies, Irish ancestry, baton twirling, and psychic readings. We guide users
through the steps required to create their own groups.