Our Shebeen now features social Groups which allows Shebeeners with a particular interest or something else in common to communicate with each other, as well as share photos or other images.




Online communities (facilitated by Web 2.0) such as our Shebeen are becoming important because social networking is about human connections and links between people. Groups can:

• Provide encouragement and support
• Establish identity with others and fulfil the need to feel included
• Provide the outlet for some people to establish their need for recognition, social status, control and/or leadership
• Alternatively, provide the necessary control over aspects of lives for those who don't want to be leaders (e.g. Weight Watchers)
• Help establish friends, relationships and the opportunity to interact with others

The social Groups list page displays all groups that have so far been created. Groups can be listed by the number of members, messages or pictures, the group name, when the group was created or by the date of the most recent message posted. Controls are provided to search for a group.

To join a group, click the group title then click 'Join Group'. When you have joined a group, its name will be shown in your Public Profile, which is another feature you can read more about here. You must be a logged-in, registered member to join groups.

As a registered member, you can create your own public or completely private social group. To do this, go to the Groups page and click 'Create A New Group'. Complete the title and description for your group then select the type.

There are three types of Groups:

• Public - open to everyone. There is no restriction on who can join or who can post messages to it
• Invite Only - require an invitation to be sent to join them. Invitations can only be sent by the group creator or forum moderators and administrators. Invitations are sent by clicking 'Pending & Invited Members' at the bottom of the page for that individual group
• Moderated - open to everyone to join but messages need to be moderated before they will appear. They are moderated by the group creator and the site moderators and administrators

The Groupstool can be particularly useful for clubs or organisations to keep members informed. Joining or creating a social group is a great way to make new friends meet people with similar interests.

So if you are passionate about a particular cause, or have an interesting hobby or skill you would like to share with other like-minded people, you can now do that right here in our Shebeen!