The Groups

One of the attributes of the discipline of architecture which makes it so difficult to master, yet so challenging to explore,is its complexity. It spans millennia and incorporates almost every discipline of human activity. Further differentiations may be based one the regional conditions or by the development of the latest technologies. It can be looked at from the perspective of a student of architecture, a professional architect, of a user, you name it.

On Ideon, we have tried to build a tool which would enable us to touch every detail of this vast landscape. It is called the Groups and in the next few lines I would like to introduce it to you in a little more detail.

The Ideon's Groups' application allows us to create our own special interest oriented groups. Groups can be further joined by other members and the resulting sub-communities can cover with unique precision the area of our shared interests. The Groups have the ability to cover not only general topics but at the same time topics which have unique niche characters. Let us then consider some examples and how interesting it might be to join groups such as these:

• Architecture in Bahrain
  
• LEEDs Certificate
  
• Santini's Baroque Gothic Architecture
  
• Marble Flooring
  
• MIT Alumni Association
  
• Czech Cubism in Architecture
  
• Mastering Google SketchUp
  
• as you can see, there are no limits...
  

Whether there is an architecture-related topic you have mastered and would love to share with others and to learn, in turn, from them, you should feel free to create your own Group, invite your friends or contacts, post news and initiate discussions. The Group application will provide you with all the necessary background tools needed. In the paragraphs below, let us take a closer look on some of the most important features.

Let us start on Ideon's main page which is the first area we come into contact with the Groups application.

• Groups Tab - provides us with a quick link to the application from the main page
  
• New Groups block - the block lists the most recently created Groups
  
• My Groups category - after joining your first Group, the Group's discussion will appear at the bottom of the main page for your quick access
  

The Groups main page

The main page of the Groups application provides access to the most important areas of the Groups application and from here you can:

• Create your own Group - by clicking on the Add Group button
  
• Search Groups related to your interests
  
• Browse the Groups Directory
  
• Access the Groups you are subscribed to via the My Groups area
  
• Browse the most recently added groups via the Now Groups area
  
• Be notified on the most popular Groups
  

The Group detail page

Each Group has its own landing page. Its purpose is to provide the information to the Group members as well as to enable authors of the Groups to run their moderation tasks.

Being a member you can:

• Access the Group News
  
• Access the Group Discussions
  
• See the list of the latest members
  
• Share the interesting content via various Social Networks
  
• Follow the Group - by doing this you will get notified, at chosen intervals, about any news from within the Group
  
• Invite other members and friends to join the Group
  

Being a Group author you can further :

• Add News on the Group's Wall
  
• Manage the Group - adjust the appearance, the logo, the description etc.
  
• Mass Contact Group's members
  
• Manage the Staff of the Group, assign moderators
  

While we will introduce further the Group applications in several upcoming topics, we hope you find it useful. Should you have any questions regarding its functionality, please do not hesitate to contact us via the Q&A Forum.