# What can user groups be used for?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-can-user-groups-be-used-for/170280
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [November 16, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-can-user-groups-be-used-for/170280 "2020-11-16T16:09:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@roemer](https://meta.discourse.org/u/roemer)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-can-user-groups-be-used-for/170280/1 "2020-11-16T16:09:10Z")
Hi everyone,
I understand that I can create user groups and configure the visibility and the access of this group. Can these users then have an internal private communication thread?
Is there an overview for which purposes the user groups can be used?
We are looking for a solution to allow users to communicate with the administrator outside our public categories and topics.
Thanks a million 🙂
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### Author:  [@ondrej](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ondrej)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2020, 4:48pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-can-user-groups-be-used-for/170280/2 "2020-11-16T16:48:08Z")
> [@roemer](#):
>
> Can these users then have an internal private communication thread
Hello there @roemer!
Yes they can. You will have to create a category and then select the group to create/reply/see
This is explained by the link below
> [@Understanding groups and category permissions](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-use-category-security-settings-to-create-private-categories/87678):
>
> bookmark This guide explains how to manage category visibility and user permissions using groups in Discourse. person_raising_hand Required user level: Administrator Groups and category permissions are crucial for managing access and content creation within your Discourse community. This guide will help you understand how to use these features effectively. Summary Category permissions control visibility and user actions Permissions are managed through group access lists Different perm…
> [@roemer](#):
>
> overview for which purposes the user groups can be used
Groups can be used for a wide range of things from generally sorting users to to category security levels etc.
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### Author:  [@osioke](https://meta.discourse.org/u/osioke)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-can-user-groups-be-used-for/170280/3 "2020-11-16T16:55:50Z")
Hello @roemer
> [@roemer](#):
>
> Can these users then have an internal private communication thread?
Yes. Either using group messages or private categories only accessible by the group members.
To better understand group messages, see [Allow groups to be mentioned and sent messages](https://meta.discourse.org/t/group-mentions-and-messages/36228)
To set up private categories, see [Understanding groups and category permissions](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-use-category-security-settings-to-create-private-categories/87678)
> [@roemer](#):
>
> Is there an overview for which purposes the user groups can be used?
I will link to 2 topics where these has been discussed.
- [Good use cases for groups (to better understand groups vs categories)](https://meta.discourse.org/t/good-use-cases-for-groups-to-better-understand-groups-vs-categories/62875)
- [Categories vs. Groups?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/categories-vs-groups/69817)
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### Author:  [@roemer](https://meta.discourse.org/u/roemer)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2020, 4:58pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-can-user-groups-be-used-for/170280/4 "2020-11-16T16:58:57Z")
Thank you @ondrej & @osioke, this is SO helpful. I already came accross the private category but somehow I cannot add the user group to a new category. It does not display in the drop down menu. Maybe it is something due to our settings? I may find out once I read through your valuables sources
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### Author:  [@manuel](https://meta.discourse.org/u/manuel)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2020, 11:05pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-can-user-groups-be-used-for/170280/5 "2020-11-19T23:05:02Z")
Often you just need to re-load the page from the browser window. Some changes (like a new group) are not being updated when you navigate within Discourse only.