About working with groups

Groups are a collection of items, usually related to a specific area of interest. Anybody in the organization can create groups as a way to organize their items. As a group owner, you decide who can find the group, 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 who have the same type of account you have—organizational or public, even if your group doesn't accept membership requests. For more information, see Owning groups.

Groups that allow members to contribute items are a useful way to collaborate. For example, you might be a biologist working on an international bird habitat map template. You might search for groups whose members are sharing local bird habitat data that you could use. You could join the group and share your template. Together, your group could create a standardized international habitat map with rich local data layers. For more information, see Joining groups

Groups are also a way to organize high-profile content. Administrators can use groups to feature content on the home page and gallery and build custom galleries for basemaps and web app templates. For more information, see About administering an organization.

You can share any public group that you belong to or find in the website by posting it on a social networking site, e-mailing a link, embedding it in a website or creating a gallery application. For more information, see Sharing groups