Circles Groups and Buddy Groups
Members of FertilityFriend.com can create groups and buddy groups to organize the community. These groups may take either the style of a single topic (linear discussions among a small group of members) or a full forum (multi-topic, fully featured forum).
Single topic buddy groups are intended for smaller, closely knit support groups of people who tend to chat regularly and know each other pretty well. Buddy Groups do not use topic based discussions; instead, they post their messages in the same topic. This format enhances the closeness of the group by creating a more continuous discussion. Buddy Groups are intended to be small groups of less than about 100 participants.
For larger groups or broader interaction, the member forums are a more appropriate choice.
How to create a group/member forum
Before creating any group, please make sure that none of the existing groups are suitable for your discussions. You can search the existing groups title by clicking on the Groups tab:
To create a group, click on the Groups tab and select the style of group you wish to create (Single topic or Forum) before clicking the Create button:
You can then fill the form with your group title and description. Each group is associated with a category which will help classify the type of group you are creating. It will help new members find the appropriate groups quickly:
Group Roll Call
FertilityFriend.com groups have an automated roll call system directly integrated with the charting and pregnancy tracking applications. You are deemed a member of the group if you recently posted in the group. If you have set your profile to have your FertilityFriend.com home page linked to your posts, your nickname in the roll call will be followed by a link to your FertilityFriend.com home page. On the FertilityFriend.com charting side, each group member will have her cycle day, DPO and pregnancy test results displayed on the roll call. On the pregnancy side, the week of pregnancy and the due date will be displayed. In addition, on the fertility charting side, the roll call organizes the charts by cycle phase (Waiting to Ovulate, Waiting to Test, HPT Positive, Chart not updated). Once an HPT positive is recorded, the roll call entry indicates the estimated due date as well as the week of pregnancy.
Group Chat Room
Each group has its own chat room. You can enter the chat room from either the roll
call post or from the chat's list of rooms.
Groups Directory
A directory of all the active groups in the circles is maintained. Click on the
Groups tab to access it or search it.
Single Topic Groups Rotation
Single topic groups are automatically re-generated when the number of posts reaches the size limit (around 45 posts). When the group is regenerated, the old topic is automatically locked and a new topic is created. The first post in the automatically generated topic is the group roll call based on the previous topic. Single topic groups are rotated a maximum of once a day (in the early morning, EST). If you just created your group, the first roll call will be made the next day.
Automatic Deletion
Groups (forums or single topics) that are left unused for a week or so are automatically deleted to prevent cluttering of the list with abandoned groups. You can re-create them as needed.