How Do I Set Up a Group and Why Would I Want to?

Setting up a group is very easy. Simply go to the "Groups" tab and click "Create a Group". You can then choose various settings for your group such as who can join, whether you want a forum and/or comment wall and so on.

What might be less obvious is why you would want to start a group ... Group e-mail. You can choose to restrict access for emailing all group members to just yourself and other chosen group admins .. or you can quickly create a group mailing list by enabling all members to be able to message your group's members. This is great for organizations and special interest groups.

A group simply links people together - people who have the same special interest for example, or people who live in the same area. For example, you might want to start a group for people that are interested in screen printing. You can then set up your own forum to discuss that topic.

Staring a Group for Your Fire Department or Organization

Did you know your firehouse, fire department or organization can start a FREE group on FirefighterNation.com?

With a group for your department you can have your own member/personnel forum for your department, a box to post announcements and other widgets and the ability to easily contact all of your members at once using the 'Send Message to Members' tool. This is great for important department announcements and informational messages, essentially a free mailing list.

It's easy to set up a group:

1. Go to http://www.FirefighterNation.com/groups
2. Click the 'Create a New Group' link on the left side or go directly to http://www.firefighternation.com/groups/group/new.
3. Enter your group's name (such as 'XYZ Fire Department'), a short description, a custom logo/avatar, choose a custom address (such as www.firefighternation.com/group/myfiredepartmentname), and then you can also add a link to your department under 'External Website'
4. Select your Privacy Setting. You can enable your group to be open to all users OR ONLY to those members you invite, thus ensuring only approved users can participate. You can also control who can invite other members and how.

That's It! You are done!

Use the 'Invite More Friends' link on your group page to start inviting members to join. New members will have to fill out a basic free Firefighter Nation profile but have total control over what information they provide beyond a login name.

Have other ideas for groups for your region, interest or hobby?

There are more than 500 members groups on Firefighter Nation, covering just about every aspect and interest a firefighter, EMS or rescue hero might have. So check them out now and join some at http://www.FirefighterNation.com/groups