In computing, “groups” generally refer to a concept related to user account management and permissions within operating systems and networks. A group is a collection of user accounts or other groups that share common access rights or permissions to system resources. These resources can include files, directories, applications, or other services on a computer or within a network.
Discussion forums one can participate in, share ideas with, and form community. Most are free and some are open to new members. Yahoo Groups and Google Groups are both popular. Google Groups includes the former Usenet Newsgroups. Blogs are replacing some of the need for this type of community sharing and information exchange.