What is a group?
A fine question. A group on stormsmart.org is, simply, whatever the people in it want it to be. Most of the public groups (more on that in a moment) are built around one of two things:
- A topic (e.g. “community resiliency”)
- An existing organization (e.g. various Gulf of Mexico Alliance committees)
How do I find a group to join?
Couldn’t be easier. Hit the “Groups” button up towards the top of your screen (or you can click here). When you find a group that sounds interesting, simply click on the “Join Group” button if it’s available.
If instead of a “Join Group” button it says “Request Membership,” that means it’s a private group. Let’s talk about those now.
What’s a private group?
There are three different types of groups on StormSmart Connect, each with their own styles.
- Public Groups: These are groups that anybody can view, join, or leave as they wish. This is the way most of the groups are set up on StormSmart.org
- Private Groups: These groups are listed on the groups page, but to see what’s happening in them or participate a person must be part of the group. To become part of a private group, a person must be allowed in by the group administrator. These groups can be very handy for committees and other groups which, while not hiding anything, need to focus on a project without participation of the general public.
- Hidden Groups: These groups aren’t visible on the list, and the only way to get into one is to be invited by somebody in the group. These aren’t used much here, but are available if you want to, for example coordinate an event with a small group of other StormSmart.org members.
What can I do in a group?
Groups on StormSmart.org are a super-easy way to find and share information with other users. If you’re a member of a group, you can share links, ideas, even documents.
The easiest way to share information with a group is to post to the group’s activity feed.
Whatever you type in that box will be added to the group’s feed. Depending on how the group’s members have their notifications set up, they may receive an email message that you’ve posted it, or they might see it next time they’re on the page.
Sound good? Why not head over to the Groups page and see what’s there?
(Or, head back to Getting Started with StormSmart.org)
