Google Groups is a free service that provides a platform for group discussions of common interest topics. Users can participate in discussions through threaded conversations through the web browser or via email. Each group has one or more owners who are able to control access, deciding who may subscribe and allowing, or not, non-member access.

Users are encouraged to start new groups and are able to establish mailing list archives for lists hosted  by other services. Public groups are incorporated into Google Search results, returning relevant posts to the query. Matching groups are displayed at the top along with a link to the Google Groups directory. To prevent spammers from harvesting email addresses of group participants, email addresses are masked when viewing discussions through a browser.

Users are able to create public profiles linked to their posts and are encouraged to rate posts by others. The overall rating of a post is an average of all user ratings, with the rating of an entire thread based on average ratings of all posts contained in the thread. With the rating system, increased relevance and user importance is reflected.

Web pages can be created within groups that can be edited by group managers or members. The pages can be linked to each other in a manner similar to a Wiki where members can view, comment, or contribute. Using this option allows content to be captured for increased accessibility. For example, a group discussion may involve the best books available on a topic. A page can be created to gather that information to feature those books for quick viewing and reviews.

Google provides options to customize group pages. Groups can choose from different styles, colors and pictures for a distinct look. With optional individual profiles, information can be shared and other members can be found using the search option.

Categories: Glossary
Tags: google groups, google web search, social media