I get this, but having done this awhile for the RR group as it has grown, it got totally infeasible. When it was just one private conversation for AdvancingCraft, it was fine. As time went on and it grew past that, the burden on me got pretty huge.
And let's face it, this forum format we use right here is pretty antiquated compared to the Facebook & G+ group model, both of which are far more reliable and full of useful features to to a hand run forum. Heck, half the time when I app.y to one of these privately run forums I never get an email confirmation back. I've been waiting on Calclavia.net for months.
That was not a jab at your our your G+ group. I was refuring to this obsesion people have with Facebook that everyone wants to be on it or that every company wants to be the next Facebook.
I have really no large issues with socail media. Just with the obession some people seem to have with it. Hence the internet highschool comment. There seems to be this idea that if your not on Facebook or Linkedin or what ever the hot thing is today that you are some how not being socail or your out of touch with the times. People used to think that about Fido net, BBSes, and My Space. The point is you can be connected to people without these things. And sure they are useful (way I have a G+ in the frist place) but espcialy with Facebook they tend to get blown out of scale. Do people really want just one Socail Meida site to own everything Social on the web? Its like Google do you really want Google to own everything Sreach realted? No in the end you want other options or in some case you just want to opt out.
There is a whole another issue with my views on the depth of 'freinds' one collects via things like Facebook and G+. But no I have no issues with things like G+ groups and actually think G+ does there socail setup much nicer and less intrusive then Facebook does.