Groups

In-world groups aren't just virtual social clubs—they can also be used as powerful tools for event management. Learn how to join, create, and manage multiple Breakroom groups.

Overview

The combined People and Groups window.

Both the People and Groups windows can be accessed by clicking the People button located in the bottom toolbar. Under the Groups tab, you will see a list of all of the groups to which you currently belong. You can search for a particular group using the search bar located at the top of the tab.

Clicking on a group name will call up the Group Information window. Here you will see basic information about the group, including its name, description, Group Admins, and permissions. If you own the group, you'll also see an Edit button. Clicking on this button will allow you to make changes to your group.

The text chat window, with the Upward Con VIPs group chat tab activated.

To participate in global text chat with all members of the group, click on the "Chat in the group" button found in the Group Information window. You can toggle the text chat window on and off by clicking the Show/Hide Chat button located in your bottom toolbar, or by pressing Ctrl + T on your keyboard.

Finding and joining existing groups

An example search, returning two groups.

If you know the name of a group you want to join, you can search for it using the top toolbar search field. If you like, you can filter the search results by checking the "Group" option under Refine Search.

Once you've found the right group, click the Detail button to open the Group Information window.

Click the "Apply to join" button. You'll be added immediately if the group is set to Public access. If the group has Contact Only or Approved Only permissions, a Group Owner or Administrator will need to approve your application before you can join.

Creating a group

Highlighted: the Create New Group button.

If you want to create a new group, click the Create New Group button located near the top of the Groups tab. This will open the Groups dialog box.

The Groups dialog box.

Here you can enter a name and description for your group. You can also make your group Public, Contact Only, or Approved Only. When you're done, click the Save button.

Group Access Type	Description
Public	All users can join this group with no approval process.
Contact Only	Contacts listed in the Group Owner's People list and other approved users can join the group. Users can apply to join, and the Owner or a Group Administrator can approve or reject the application. Approved users can also be pre-emptively added to the group.
Approved Only	Only approved users can join the group. Users can apply to join, and the Owner or a Group Administrator can approve or reject the application. Approved users can also be pre-emptively added to the group.

Deleting a group

To delete a group, open the Group Information window for that group and navigate to the Members tab. At the very bottom, you will see a button that says "Delete this group." Click it in order to confirm deletion of the group.

Managing group members

Approving group applicants

An example of an Approved Only group with a pending applicant.

If you are the Owner, Administrator, or Moderator of a group that requires member approval, you will see membership requests appear in the Group Information window under the Members tab. Here you can click the Edit button located beside each individual name in order to approve, block, or delete that user (pictured above).

To approve multiple users at once, check the boxes located to the left of their names and then use the Set Role drop-down menu to assign them all the same role. (For instance, you could select five users and approve them all at once by assigning them "Member" status.)

Adding and removing group members

The "Add new members" dialog box.

To add a known user to your group, follow these steps.

1. Click the People button located in the bottom toolbar, and then click on the Groups tab.

2. Click on the name of the group you want to edit. This will call up the Group Information window.

3. In the Group Information window, click on the Members tab, and then the Add Members button. This will open the "Add new members" dialog box.

4. Use the search field to search for the user's name. Once you find it, click the Add button.

To remove a user from the group entirely, follow these steps.

1. Click the People button located in the bottom toolbar, and then click on the Groups tab.

2. Click on the name of the group you want to edit. This will call up the Group Information window.

3. In the Group Information window, click on the Members tab, and use the search field to search for the user's name.

4. Once you locate the user you want to remove, click the Edit button located to the right of their name. In the action menu that appears, click Delete.

You can remove multiple group members simultaneously by checking the boxes located to the left of their names, clicking the Set Status drop-down menu, and selecting Delete.

Assigning group roles

Within groups, there are several roles that members can be assigned. Some roles confer special powers and privileges, both within the group and when regions are assigned to a particular group using the "Groups Only" region access option.

In brief, these roles are:

Owner

Group Owners have absolute control over the group and its settings. If a group is set to Contact Only permissions, then any contacts on the Group Owner's People list will automatically be granted access to the group.

Owners can:

• Manage and delete the group.

• Manage the group member list and deal with disruptive group members.

• Assign group members advanced permissions.

When a region is set to the "Groups Only" region access option, Group Owners have all the rights and permissions of a Region Owner.

Administrator

Group Administrators can perform many of the same tasks as Group Owners. Administrators can invite users to Contact Only and Approved Only groups, and approve membership requests. They cannot appoint additional Administrators.

Administrators can:

• Manage the group member list and deal with disruptive group members.

• Assign and manage advanced group permissions below the Administrator level.

When a region is set to the "Groups Only" region access option, Group Admins have all the rights and permissions of a Region Admin.

Moderator

Group Moderators have approve membership requests. They can mute, block, and reinstate members. They cannot appoint additional Moderators.

Administrators can:

• Manage the group member list and deal with disruptive group members.

• Assign and manage advanced group permissions below the Moderator level.

When a region is set to the "Groups Only" region access option, Group Moderators have all the rights and permissions of a Region Moderator.

Developer

When a region is set to the "Groups Only" region access option, Group Developers have all the rights and permissions of a Region Developer. Otherwise, they have no special powers.

Member

Group Members have no special privileges, but they will be permitted to enter any region that has been set to "Groups Only" region access for their group.

Guest

Coming soon.

VIP

Designating a user as a VIP gives them no special powers. Currently, this role is only useful for Lua script functionality and presenter seats in regions set to "Groups Only" region access.

To assign a group member a different role, check the box located next to the member's name in the Members tab. Then use the Set Role drop-down menu to select the new role. You can assign users the Member role to revoke advanced permissions at any time.

You can assign multiple users the same role simultaneously by checking the boxes located to the left of their names and then using the Set Role drop-down menu to assign them all the same role.

Muting and banning group members

In order to mute or ban a user, that user must be a current member of your group.

If you would like to preemptively mute a user, or ban them from joining the group altogether, a Region Owner, Administrator, or Moderator will need to add the user to the group members list using the steps outlined above. They can then edit that user's status using the following methods.

Muting users

The location of the Status icons and the Edit button action menu.

To mute a single user on group text chat, follow these steps.

1. Click the People button located in the bottom toolbar, and then click on the Groups tab.

2. Click on the name of the group you want to edit. This will call up the Group Information window.

3. In the Group Information window, click on the Members tab, and use the search field to search for the user's name.

4. Once you locate the user you want to mute, you can either:

   1. Click the Edit button located to the right of the user's name. In the action menu that appears, select Mute Chat.

   2. Toggle the Speech bubble icon located to the right of the user's name. When the blue check mark disappears, the user is muted.

To restore communication to a previously muted user, repeat steps 1-4 above, and either:

1. Click the Edit button located to the right of the user's name. In the action menu that appears, select Unmute Chat.

2. Toggle the Speech bubble icon located to the right of the user's name. When a blue check mark appears, the user can communicate over text chat.

To mute multiple users at once, follow these steps.

1. Click the People button located in the bottom toolbar, and then click on the Groups tab.

2. Click on the name of the group you want to edit. This will call up the Group Information window.

3. In the Group Information window, click on the Members tab, and locate the users you want to mute. Check the box located to the left of each user's name.

4. Click the Set Status drop-down menu, and then click Mute Chat.

To restore communication to multiple muted users, repeat steps 1-3 above. Then, click the Set Status drop-down menu, and click Unmute Chat.

Banning users

The Set Status drop-down menu.

To ban a single user from joining your group, follow these steps.

1. Click the People button located in the bottom toolbar, and then click on the Groups tab.

2. Click on the name of the group you want to edit. This will call up the Group Information window.

3. In the Group Information window, click on the Members tab, and use the search field to search for the user's name.

4. Once you locate the user you want to ban, click the Edit button located to the right of the user's name. In the action menu that appears, click Block.

Blocked members will not be allowed to rejoin or reapply.

To undo a ban, repeat steps 1-3 above. The user will be filed under the Ban List. Click the Edit button located to the right of the user's name. In the action menu that appears, click Unblock.

To ban multiple users at once, follow these steps.

1. Click the People button located in the bottom toolbar, and then click on the Groups tab.

2. Click on the name of the group you want to edit. This will call up the Group Information window.

3. In the Group Information window, click on the Members tab, and locate the users you want to ban. Check the box located to the left of each user's name.

4. Click the Set Status drop-down menu, and then click Block.

To undo a ban for multiple users, repeat steps 1-3 above. Then, click the Set Status drop-down menu, and click Unblock.

Banning a member with Administrator, Moderator, Developer, or VIP permissions will revoke this special role. If you choose to unban such a user and reinstate them in the members list, please take a moment to ensure that they have been assigned the proper role.