Forum / Groups FAQ

• 
  Jürgen Fauth

  Aug 25, 04:33pm

  We're thrilled to launch Fictionaut Groups, a major update that multiplies the ways in which you can use Fictionaut. Groups are sub-communities dedicated to any topic, genre, place, or style in which members can gather and share stories. Once you join a group, you can add stories to the group pool and participate in the group discussion board. Each group also comes with its own list of recommended stories.

  Browsing Groups

  The new groups tab in the top menu takes you to the groups index (http://www.fictionaut.com/groups/sort?by=newest), where you can see groups sorted by newest, most popular, or alphabetical. You can search groups titles and descriptions, and there's a link to the page that lets you create your own group. There's also a new box on the front page that lists the latest groups, and profile pages list groups a user belongs to.

  Creating Groups
  You can find the "start a new group" button on the groups index linked from the top menu: http://www.fictionaut.com/groups/new

  When you start a new group, you can decide if it should be public, protected, or private:

  * Public groups are visible to anyone, and anybody can join. Public groups are useful for discussion and stories about general subjects like Flash Fiction, Memoir, Previously Published Stories, or geographical locations, like New Orleans.

  * Protected groups are visible to anyone, but only members you invite can join and participate. Protected groups are useful for small groups who wish to focus on a particular theme, but want to maintain control over membership.

  * Private groups don't show up in searches, the groups index, or members' profile pages. Only group members and those who have been invited will be able to view the group page.

  Once you choose the kind of group you're creating, this setting cannot be changed.

  Editing Group Settings

  As the creator or administrator of a group, you can control group settings. Simply hit the "edit group" button underneath the group icon and change group name, description, external URL, accent colors, and the group icon. Please note that only the first three of these options are available when you first create the group. Once the group is created, you can return to the edit group screen to change the others.

  Adding Stories to a Group

  There are two ways to add stories to a group you belong to:

  * From the group page, click "submit a story to the pool" at the bottom of the group pool. You'll be presented with a list of your stories.

  * From a story page, click "group it!" in the action bar on top of your story. You'll be presented with a list of groups you belong to.

  You can add a story to multiple groups. To remove a story from a group, follow the steps above and select "remove."

  Ousting Stories

  As the creator or administrator of a group, you can remove any story from the group pool by clicking the "oust" button next to the title.

  Inviting Group Members

  To invite Fictionaut users to your group, click the "invite someone" link at the bottom of the right column of any groups page. You'll be shown a list of your contacts, from which you can choose people to invite. Members you have invited will receive an email with an option to accept or decline.

  Private Groups, Private Stories

  Along with private groups, we're introducing a new setting that lets you choose whether a story is public or private. You'll find this option at the bottom of the right column on the edit story screen.

  * A public story behaves the way you're used to: it appears on Fictionaut's front page, story listings, profile pages, and searches.

  * A private story does not show up on Fictionaut's front page, on your profile, or in any searches. The only way to share a private story with other members is to add it to a private group. This option lets you post a story to Fictionaut but restrict its audience to the members of the groups you have added it to.

  You can make a public story private and vice versa at any time.

  Let Us Know What You Think!

  We rely on your feedback to make Fictionaut as useful as possible. Please let us know here or via email what works for you, what doesn't, and what we should change. Thank you for being a part of an incredible group of beta testers.

• 
  Stephen Stark

  Aug 26, 01:33pm

  Great stuff, Jurgen.

• 
  Lauren Becker

  Aug 26, 01:54pm

  hi jurgen:

  love this and look forward to utilizing the unique functions of the groups!

  question: i know you can do this with private groups, but can one submit a story to a public group so that it's published only there (i.e. not on the main page?)

  thanks in advance for the clarification!

  lauren

• 
  Gary Percesepe

  Aug 26, 02:34pm

  hi lauren,

  as it happens, i am with jurgen right now at laguardia airport--and his response is no, not currently, that cannot happen. j asks, if this something you would want, really?

  you can respnd directly to him--

  the "miidle man"

  gary

  ps--how ya doin? miss lawyering? got new gig?

  cheers.

  g

• 
  Lauren Becker

  Aug 26, 02:57pm

  thanks jurgen and gary (aka middleman!). i just have an already pub'd story i think would only hold any appeal to the girls/dogs board. i really don't want jurgen or his fabulous technical crew to fix this just for me. no worries!

  (gary, will send you a note re: your other ?s!)

  safe trip, guys! :-)

• 
  Jürgen Fauth

  Aug 26, 04:00pm

  Lauren, I'd say go ahead and post it. We wanted to keep all public stories on the front page because otherwise the community would completely fracture -- but that doesn't mean you can't post a story that's specifically meant for one group. Hope that makes sense...

• 
  Lauren Becker

  Aug 26, 09:23pm

  thanks jurgen -- that makes perfect sense. i will post on the main page.

• 
  Andrea Lawlor

  Sep 22, 05:46pm

  Question: is it possible to delete a group? I made a group protected but now realize it'll be too hard for people I don't know personally to join, so I thought I'd re-do the group as public. Please advise!

• 
  Jürgen Fauth

  Sep 26, 10:00am

  Oh, sorry Andrea, somehow I managed to not see your question. We're on it!

• 
  Ben White

  Sep 26, 02:04pm

  Would it also be possible to add a delete function for discussion topics (and maybe even posts)? I'm thinking it's hard to moderate and clean-up things to look nice and pretty if everything is permanent.

• 
  Jürgen Fauth

  Sep 26, 02:40pm

  Hi Ben. Yeah, the forums could use a few more features, like a way to make posts sticky, edit and delete options, and so forth. It's on the list!

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