What do you think groups are for?
In my opinion a group should be place for people with the same interest to share information and resources.However I see a lot of groups with 1 person and 1 discussion: the pasted copy of some program.
I do not mind postings of programs in a group if it is related to the topic of the group; fe. in a traffic group you could post a comment about a specific TE stating why you like it.
I would not mind if there where more strict rules about starting a group. Or that there would be a commission to approve or disapprove a group.
There are many "posts" in groups that are nothing more than an affiliate link. without even a short description where the program/service is about. Increasing the number of characters a post must contain should be increased to at least 500.
The maximum should be expanded a lot. There are some groups with members trying to post articles in a group with some substance but have to post it in parts.
My solution now is just to post an article outside a group and than post an introduction to the post in that group.
What do you think?
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Comments (9)
Paula van Dun16
Retired
Thank you all for your comments. I like the idea of shutting down dormant and abandoned groups. A limit is good too.
Muriel & Graham Legg...10
Make your website mobile friendly
No problem with ads in groups so long as they are relevant to the group and not directly in competion. What I hate is the people who use groups to advertise in because they are to lazy to do their own. Blatant spamming in a social network or wherever really gets my goat. If people are really interested in you they will read your profile.You build a following if you are interesting and informative.
LOL - on my bandwagon again. Sorry
Cheryl Baumgartner12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Yes there is a limit on the number you can create and the number you can join. in 2.0 we have a policy on dormant and abandoned groups. Any group fitting the definition of dormant or abandoned was shut down. That is an option but there is no option to prevent them from being created unless they are illegal or against the TOS
Paula van Dun16
Retired
@Cheryl I can't remember if there is a limit on the amount of groups one can start. However I am Dutch. I hate wasting, regardless of if is me or somebody else. Somebody is paying for all the webspace but you are right about the censoring.
Philippe Moisan16
Tutorial videos, sci-fi writer
Paula, thanks for this blog.
I admit I agree on Cheryl's point though. Censorship is a slippy terrain.
Warren Contreras14
Old Retired Guy
Some folks think a group is just an easy way to post an ad. I love reading ads if they explain WHY and not just expect me to do all my own research with no guidance, why would I need them?
Cheryl Baumgartner12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Paula people are allowed to create their own groups about whatever they wish to. If they want to use them for stupidity that is their call and that is why you see a bunch of groups with one member and a copy paste ad. Because they wasted their group on stupidity. however there is no law against stupidity
A commission etc approving groups would be censorship. While I find it annoying that they are there I do not in anyway endorse censorship. As long as it does not break any laws and is not
Paula van Dun16
Retired
I guess it is the same with joining a program. People will join more easy if they start to know you. You can also refer to groups in blogs handling the same subject. Sometimes i refer people to specific groups after reading an ASK Apsense question.
Muriel & Graham Legg...10
Make your website mobile friendly
Just been writing something similar in another program. Discussions are just that - a debate about the subject of the group. Whether you can get somebody to read them is another matter and probably why there is so many out there with just one entry.