Hells Angels Supporter Club

Confession time yet again. Somewhere inside me lurks a sixteen year old girl who loved the look and sound of motorcycles and when I stumbled across this group, she got excited enough to pull me in. The group offers a truly fascinating view into the world of bikers in general and Hells Angels in particular. A considerable amount of discussion is for instance devoted to the ethics of whether it's okay to park a Japanese bike next to a Harley. Opinions are shared to the exploits of Jay Dobyns who chronicled his infiltration of a Hells Angels chapter, leading to the evalution by one knowledgable group member of several other books on bikers and Hells Angels. There are some of the expected threads such as 'Favourite kind of Bike', 'ANY ADVISE ON THE BEST WAY TO GET A HAWG OF MY OWN? BUILD OR BUY?' and 'A Biker's Prayer' and also various posts on biker and Hells Angels related news items. Some posts are about as gritty and as real and as hardcore as bikers get. I just hope they won't kill or break anything just because I had the gall to include them within the ranks of Facebooks most interesting groups.

What's great about this group: In my opinion the best facebook groups are those that open up a tiny window into a world not normally glimpsed by outsiders.

A word of caution: Do not try to fake your way in. They don't like posers.

Click here to go directly to 'Hells Angels Supporter Club'.

NaNoWriMo

It is said that everyone has at least a book in them. Whether they get to write it, though, is another story, but as November is National Novel Writing Month, enthusiasm is hotting up for this year's stretch. The discussion board of the group is fairly active, with topics ranging from 'What is Your Novel's Title?' and 'How hard is it really to make it to 50,000 words?' to advice on 'Authoring Software' and 'Creation Sheets'. If you are a first-timer to the effort, you might want to check threads such as 'First Timer Reality Check', 'Where is the most inappropriate/unusual place you've NaNoed?' and 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.... How does your NaNoWriMo start?' to see how past NaNoWriMers have fared. There are plenty of threads about connecting with writers in different areas and even one about a 'National Drunken Writing Night 2009'.

What's great about this group: If you are a creative writer, join in the fun and see if you can meet the challenge of producing a novel in one month.

Click here to go directly to 'NaNoWriMo'.

S.A. HORRORFEST

I have in the past mostly avoided featuring groups that exist to promote certain products, groups, events or services. What interested me mainly, was how groups evolve spontaneously and develop a character and identity all of their own. The fact that many organizations and companies now use Facebook groups to promote their activities cannot be avoided, however and today's group might well serve as a good example of how to use a Facebook group to generate enthusiasm for a relatively niche interest event. The purpose of 'S.A. HORRORFEST' is to create awareness for an annual film festival devoted to classic horror movies which takes place in Cape Town, South Africa. The build-up to the festival, which begins two days before Halloween, includes a daily featurette by the organizers. There are links to interviews with participants, line-ups, details about specific films and sponsored prizes.

What's great about this group: It promotes a niche interest in a lively and informative manner.

Click here to go directly to 'S.A. HORRORFEST'.

Black and White Photography

To share beauty through the eyes of another, is always a rare and special thing. In the art of black and white photography, the dramatic effect of light and shadow is often enhanced, creating startling wonder in seemingly ordinary things. A woman's smile. Trees in a forest. An apple, a diamond ring, a mushroom or the underside of a bridge. If you love to feast your eyes regularly, then do afford yourself the time to be inspired by the 19,000 images in the gallery of this group. There are no discussions, but who needs only words to stimulate the mind? The wall features links to some other photographic resources.

What's great about this group: A wealth of thought-provoking images.

Click here to go directly to: 'Black and White Photography'.

Funny Inspirational Pictures that are in poor taste

Would the image of DaVinci's last supper with Jesus and the rest tucking into McDonalds offend you? That is just one example of the very creative, but very irreverent pictures that you will find in the gallery of this group. There are almost 5,000 posters and you might want to make sure you have the time to explore without missing any deadlines or appointments, because once you get started, gags get better the further you go. Nothing - neither religion nor race nor politics nor high profile media personalities - is sacred. The discussion board included threads such as 'How Offensive Is TOO Offensive?', 'Funny, Inspirational Jokes that are in Poor Taste' and, very importantly, if you are thinking of participating, 'Rules for Posting (New People - Read This)'.

What's great about this group: It offers some great visual humor.

A word of caution: To quote the group description 'IF YOU'RE OFFENDED - LEAVE!
DO NOT ruin it for the rest of us.'

Click here to go directly to 'Funny Inspirational Pictures that are in poor taste'.

Hell Kittens

The concept of beauty means different things to different people. This group issues a direct challenge to alternative models to portray themselves at their hell kittenish best. Each week members may upload a photograph and the winner is the one whose picture attracts the most votes. Prize is a week as the group's cover girl and a place on the hall of fame, which includes each winning model dating back from . Photographers of the week's winning photograph also get a mention. It's lots of fun and while there aren't too many discussions, there is plenty of activity. Recently, the group has suffered a bit of a hiccup when format changes in Facebook's group formats forced them make a few hasty rearrangements, but they seem to have weathered the upheavels now.

What's great about this group: Enjoy the weeks images and vote for your favorite.

A word of caution: As the concept is to depict a hell kitten, photographs might be deemed disturbing to some.

Click here to go directly to 'Hell kittens'.

I was gonna do my housework then I ended up on facebook

Where oh where are the days when housewives had only addictions to daily soaps to worry about? Today, there is so much more to get stuck into. Amongst others, of course, there is Facebook. Allegedly, this is a support group for Facebook junkies, but it seems as if the purpose is not so much curing the addiction, as finding ways to cover up. Threads on the discussion board include 'Kids should be taught in school how to cook', 'Pile of ironing versus facebook', 'how long is the longest on facebook??' and 'Big Butt from sitting on it too much....' The gallery features some cartoons depicting the funny side of Facebooking. One wonders, though, whether the moms in this group actually tell their kids off for being on the Internet too long.

What's great about this group: Share your addiction to Facebook with kindred spirits.

Click here to go directly to 'I was gonna do my housework then I ended up on facebook'.