Creating groups

Groups are a collection of items, often related to a specific region, subject, or project, that are created and managed by the group owner. Any portal member can create groups. As a group owner, you decide who can find your groups, if others can request to join, and who can contribute content. You also have control over items shared to the group and can invite others to join, even if your group doesn't accept membership requests.

Tip:

Administrators also use groups to configure their organization's featured content, basemaps, and templates.

Creating a group

To create a group, do the following:

Steps:

1. Verify that you are logged in.
2. Open Groups and click the Create a Group button. A window opens where you can enter a name, summary, description, and tags, and add a thumbnail image.
3. Select the status of your group: private, organization, or public. If you choose organization or public, check or uncheck the apply to join the group box.
4. Select who can contribute content to the group, all members or just you, the group administrator (group owner). If you choose to only allow the group administrator, members can view and access your items but they can't share their own items with the group. This type of group is a good way to share your authoritative maps and data to a targeted audience. You control what items appear in the group and who can view them.
5. To change how the items are sorted on the group page, select a field in the drop-down list next to Sorted by. You can choose to sort by title, owner, ratings, views, or date (default). To change how the items are ordered, check or uncheck the box next to Ascending.
   Tip:

   The sort field and order extends to your group when it is embedded in a website, shared as a gallery application, and used to configure your portal website (such as the basemap gallery). If you change the sort field or order, the item display is updated everywhere the group is used.

6. Click Save to create your group.

Editing a group

To edit a group, follow these steps:

Steps:

1. Verify that you are logged in.
2. Open Groups and click the name of the group you want to edit.

   You can only edit groups you've created.

3. Click the Edit button.
4. Edit your group information. You can update the name, summary, description, and tags, and add a thumbnail image. You can also change the status (private or public).
5. Click Save to update your group.

Adding a thumbnail image

You can add a thumbnail to your group description, or you can update an existing thumbnail. To add or update a thumbnail, do the following:

Steps:

1. Verify that you are logged in.
2. Open Groups and click the name of the group whose thumbnail you want to edit.
3. Click the Edit button.
4. Click in the click here to set a thumbnail image box.
5. Browse to the image on your desktop.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Save to see your new thumbnail.

Tip:

• Add an image that is 65 pixels wide by 65 pixels high. If your image is a different dimension, it is resized to 65 by 65 and may appear warped.
• Use a web file format such as PNG, GIF, and JPEG.
• The maximum file size you can upload is 1 MB.