Creating and Using Groups

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Groups are like subdivisions of the network/site itself, whereas the Forum is a feature of the network.
While each Group has it's own mini-forum, that Group forum is completely separate from the network's site-wide Forum.
 

How does the Forum work?

see also: the Forum section of the
FAQs + Help page

This Ning network has a global Forum (the Forum tab at the top) that applies to the whole site andis open to all members. That forum can be divided into categories, as you see such as General Chatter and Help.

The forum works like most others as far as posts and threading:
 

• Recent posts will appear on the forum index page(s).
• You can click each category title for a list of all posts in that category.
• To reply to any post you just type in the Reply To This box under the main entry, or click Reply To This under each member's post.

 

How do Groups work?

see also:

Creating & Using Groups

Groups (and their forums) operate entirely separately from the network Forum. Each Group has
its own mini-forum, which canNOT be divided into categories. A Group can be made public or
private.

Groups allow people to jump right to a specific discussion area without dealing with the clutter of
the many topics of the main forum. Think of Groups like individual communities in terms of discussions (features such as photos and albums are handled globally).

 

When to use a Forum vs. a Group

Lets say you wanted to talk only about Tattoos and Piercings. I could create a forum category for that, which would appear for the whole network's use. Or you could make your own Group, which would only be available for members who join that Group. By making your own group you could keep the discussions condensed to a specific area. You'd also have the opportunity to set privacy settings for who could join the group. Whereas a forum category is open to everyone on the network.