This is a learning resource created for the School of Media Technology
Social media has developed in several Internet features. One feature for common use is "Groups". Groups can be facilitated through sites. The sites that facilitate groups have an extended user-base. Microsoft had a large user-base due to its earlier email service ubiquity. Its competitors were also able to develop similar site features.
Groups occur in the software due to database categorizations. If the user-base is creating numerous categories then it follows that the activity of individuals is more limited. The limitations on activity lead to the user experience requiring assistance.
Not all user-base queries will be resolved by the database itself. The users often need the social function of making user requests. By questioning the user-base socially more content can be made available for purpose. The mutual resolution of these categorical queries is called collaboration. Online collaboration has allowed groups to rewrite their requirements for Internet capabilities.
Further reading: w:Social_groups
Groups offer a connection point. People can enjoy the connection point due to its social components. Topics that don't satisfy Wikipedias notary definition have greater opportunities through groups. Groups can therefore become the only online repository for knowledge on some rarely discussed topics.
Some groups (in their category) will require popularity in live discussion to be of any use. Other groups are capable of supplying the required information from rarely accessed archives. The time feature can face severe criticism in commercial (aspect) discussions. The hosts of the user-base must remain popular for the repository/archive to be housed. Some group archives will/can be reused in third-party commercial ventures.
Examples:
See Also: Collaboration, open research and the commons
Twitter, which doesn't have groups, is a platform for a user-base. The user-base developed a (web 2.0) implicit workaround for their groups. The workaround works by using hash-tags to create a user-area for topic listings. The inclusion of the hashtag is found in normal queries through the use of hash (#). #thisisit: is a way to hashtag examples, for example.