Back in the day we could belong to 10 groups. Later that went up to 15, as groups are required in order to sell objects in markets, often, and for other reasons such as collaborating on a project or displaying artwork. The group tools were too simple and some things were lacking such as a way for groupmembers to be contacted when offline and refined group roles. We recently got enhanced group tools and the ability to belong to 25 groups.

I am happy that we can send notices as previously I had to IM all offline groupmembers individually to pass on Photography Studio information. As soon as we went up to 25 groups I got a rush of Join this Group! invitations sent by friends that I accepted without even reading the notice.

The other day, talking to Pirate C (w00t) he sent me an invitation for a DarkLife group and I couldn't join - the banner stretched all the way across my screen and I couldn't read it, but finally I realised I had somehow ALREADY gone all the way up to 25 groups, and dropped one so I could join the (necessary to have a shop) DarkLife groups. As I look at my groups now I see that I have some doubles:
Combat Cards
Combat Cards Dev Team
DarkLife Creative
DarkLife Builders
The Show Must Go On(vaudeville group)
StarLife(play group)

I've already had to drop 2 groups I didn't really want to leave.

Anyway, what's happening now that I didn't predict is that every time I log in there are several group notices waiting for me. I don't really read them - I just click OK. I'm starting to think about quitting groups that send a lot of notices, and I'm thinking twice about sending notices for my own groups. I'm going to think about the number of notices that would be acceptable to me - and keep within that limit if possible. It's great to have the enhanced group tools, but I think to avoid blunting those same tools we need to be careful.

Vlad said:

Hi Osprey. I saw your blog entry about the Group Notices. Did you know that you can elect not to recieve them? there's an option on the Info for each group. a little check box...

I do know I can opt not to receive notices, but the notices are all from groups the point of which is to give notices - like for Elmo B. I would happily have one a week or so, but 2 a day is not happy for me. And Dreams - I like to be notified about their contests but not many times per contest. I think we need restraint. Perhaps it's early days and people will settle down. Part of it is that I log in and get hit in the face with multiple IMs, textures, notecards, invitations, notices :( It's all good - just too much.

It's not a popularity thing. A lot of it is to do with my clothing as in customers or marketplaces or fashion shows, or the photo contests as in IMs or entries or things of that nature. I know a lot of people through a lot of avenues, and I try very hard to be helpful when someone IMs me out of the blue. I know a lot of new residents as I will try to help them when I can, and if I'm tired I can't be bothered to explain why I don't like to do friendship.

The other night, while taking background shots, a very out-of-place new person lost at the Hydes Infohub clung to me even though I was unaware he was there, I think just because I wasn't talking trash like the rest of the people nearby. Once I saw him I showed him how to do things, took him to The Shelter, and was grateful that onionpencil M and others told me they'd help him. What else can we do but help each other? I need it, too. That makes more IMs and things, though.

The other day I saw a young man who reminded me of my old students. He was behaving in a way that made people feel he was just a griefer, but my old students might well behave just the same way in real life: that is, be attracted to aan art event but feel out of place, act defiantly, get rejected, etc. I think it takes a lot of bravery to go to any place you feel you aren't wanted and aren't sure how to behave. In the olden days in real life I dragged my students all over - museums, galleries, print shops, artist studios, etc. just because it was obvious that if they didn't go from school they'd grow up thinking those places were mysteriously off-limits.