Getting Started with Groups

The groups necessary for system operation are either built in or have been custom created so casual users that are not creating new kinds of groups do not have to be cognizant of group mechanics other than that they exist and have the nature described below. Because the mechanism is intended to be end-user articulated, in-context help and agent assistance is provided to make the operation as simple and easy as it can be while retaining the intended flexibility.

Groups may be public or private. Private groups have limited or no visibility in the general internet. Public groups expose some content to the general internet at least in the form of their domain names if these are not in private domain space. Public groups are in sameboat.network and private ones in sameboat.dom and the group determines which same underlying content is visible in the wild.

Groups are supported by system facilities which end users use to structure their group content and activities. Easy end user control of the group mechanism is a major function and primary goal of the system so this help is oriented toward the end user but should also be read first by technical users. From the end user point of view, groups consist of:

• A group member or set with owner or leader role. For system groups this is the system agency (𝔻CP).
• The group structure, i.e. its position in the domain space ontology of groups. The system group is tx-authenticated (AKPERSON) users. DEVELOPER, and OPERATOR are subclasses of it. These are intrinsic groups in domain space and are complementary and orthogonal to User Defined Groups. Groups may have subgroups or be simple unitary groups.
• A group taxonomy. This defines words used in group content and activities in terms of real world conceptual frameworks called ontologies.
• A group administrator. Group role enforcing single AKPERSON operator for the group and clarifying the distinction from the owners/leader role.

Subgroups inherit the taxonomy and administration of the parent group which they may extend. User Defined Groups do not start with a blank slate of just computer function but are created with points of contact with considerable real world knowledge about defined areas like People and Emotions, Geography, etc. which they use in their taxonomies and which is implicitly active with optional adaptations specific groups may choose. This active knowledge component is the principal distinguishing feature of groups in domain space.