Participation in a group comes in many forms. You can ask a question, post a discussion, add a document, comment or reply to content item, answer a poll, create an event.
Choose the group you want to participate in and 'Join Group'
There are several types of groups in the Canvas Community which determine access. If it's an open group, you don't need to join to participate. If it's a members-only group or private group, you'll have to join before you can participate. Joining a group has the added benefit of receiving notifications of all activities created and posted in the group.
The group differences are described below.
Open Group
Membership is open and non-members can view content and participate. I Heart Pandas is an example of an open group. You can still join an open group for notification purposes.
Members-Only Group
Membership is open and non-members can view content, but must join to participate. Most groups in the community are members-only.
Private Group
Membership is by approval/invitation and only members can view content and participate.
Create or reply to content
You can participate in a group by contributing to existing content (i.e., replying to a discussion, answering a question, participating in a poll, adding a comment) or creating new content (i.e., upload a document, create a new discussion or question, create a poll, write a blog post, etc.)
How does one start a group? I see the option to "Suggest" one, but am not sure how to actually "start" one. Help?