What is a group?
A group is a shared space for a club, a team, a league or any circle of bowlers. It has a name, a description, optional rules and a list of members. Members write posts that appear on the group's page — either under their own name or, if the group allows it, on behalf of the group itself.
Every group has one owner and, optionally, admins appointed by the owner. Together they form the group leadership. A group admin is not the same as a BOWLMINE administrator, who looks after the whole platform.
What is the difference between a public and a private group?
Anyone — even without an account — can find a group and see its name, description, rules and number of members. The rest depends on the group's visibility:
- Public group: anyone can read its posts and see its members. Anyone with an account can join right away.
- Private group: only members can read its posts and see the list of members. To join, you send a request, and the group's owner or an admin decides on it. If your request is declined, you can send a new one later.
The owner or an admin can change the visibility at any time in the group's settings. How posts in a group are shown to different people is explained in Who can see your posts.
Who can create a group?
Anyone with an account in good standing who has entered a date of birth and is at least 18 years old. Whoever creates a group becomes its owner.
Creating a group is free. A free group has room for up to 10 members and one admin (the owner counts as that admin), and each person can own one free group. Larger plans with more admins and members are paid — see the pricing page for the current plans and prices.
Right now, a larger plan is requested when the group is created and then confirmed by a BOWLMINE administrator. Until it is confirmed, the group works, but nobody can write on behalf of the group (members can still write under their own names).
How do I join or leave a group?
You need to be logged in and at least 16 years old. On the page of a public group, press the join button and you are a member right away. For a private group you send a request, and you become a member once the owner or an admin approves it. If a group has reached its member limit, nobody new can join until a place is free.
You can leave a group at any time. The only exception is the owner, who cannot leave and can only dissolve the group. After leaving, you can come back — straight away in a public group, by a new request in a private one.
Being removed from a group by its leadership is permanent. For details, see What is the difference between excluding a post and removing a member?
Who may do what in a group?
The table shows what each role can do. A non-member is anyone who is not a member of the group.
| Action | Owner | Admin | Member | Non-member |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| See the name, description, rules and number of members | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Read posts and see the list of members | Yes | Yes | Yes | Public group only |
| Write a post in the group under your own name | Yes | Yes, unless only the owner may | Only if all members may | No |
| Write a post on behalf of the group | Yes | Yes, unless only the owner may | Only if all members may | No |
| Change the name, description, rules and visibility | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Decide who may write posts | Yes | No | No | No |
| Handle join requests (private group) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Exclude a post from the group | Any post except their own | Posts of members only | No | No |
| Remove a member from the group | Anyone except themselves, admins included | Members only | No | No |
| Appoint or dismiss admins | Yes | No | No | No |
| Dissolve the group | Yes | No | No | No |
| Delete other people's posts and comments | No | No | No | No |
| Leave the group | No, can only dissolve the group | Yes | Yes | – |
Only a member who is at least 18 years old and has an account in good standing can be appointed as an admin. The group leadership cannot delete other people's posts or comments — only a BOWLMINE administrator can, as part of moderation.
What are the group's rules?
A group can have its own rules, shown on its page. They are set by the group leadership and apply to what members write in that group. Whenever the rules change, all members are notified, and the history of earlier versions is public on the group's page.
The rules of a group never override the Terms of Service. If they conflict, the Terms of Service apply.
What is the difference between writing on behalf of the group and in the group?
- In the group: an ordinary post under your own name that is shown on the group's page.
- On behalf of the group: an official post from the group as a whole. The group appears as the author, and the person who wrote it is not shown publicly.
The owner decides who may write each kind of post: all members, only admins (the owner can always write), or only the owner. These are two separate settings. Writing on behalf of the group also requires that the group's plan is confirmed and that the group is not hidden by our moderation.
What is the difference between excluding a post and removing a member?
- Excluding a post hides one post from the group. The post is not deleted: its author and the group leadership still see it, with a note, while everyone else no longer sees it in the group. An excluded post cannot be liked, commented on or shared. The group leadership can reverse the exclusion at any time, and the author is notified. An owner can exclude any post except their own; an admin only posts by ordinary members.
- Removing a member takes a person out of the group for good. They are notified and cannot join again; the only way back is to contact BOWLMINE support. In a public group, a removed person still sees its public content like anyone else. An owner can remove anyone, admins included; an admin can remove only ordinary members. The owner cannot be removed.
What can I do if I disagree with a decision?
The group leadership may exclude posts and remove members, but it does not moderate: moderation is done only by BOWLMINE. If you disagree with a decision of the group leadership — for example, you were removed from a group or a post of yours was excluded — contact BOWLMINE support. Whether and how a removed member can return is explained in What is the difference between excluding a post and removing a member?
If you see something that breaks the rules — a group or a post — use the Report button. Reports are reviewed by BOWLMINE independently of the group leadership: after several reports the content is temporarily hidden until we decide, and content that may be a crime is hidden immediately. See Content moderation for how this works.
What happens to a group when its owner deletes their account?
If the group has an admin who meets the requirements (at least 18 years old, account in good standing), the longest-serving such admin becomes the new owner and is notified. Writing on behalf of the group may then be paused until the plan is confirmed for the new owner. If there is no such admin, the group is dissolved and its members are notified.
What happens when a group is dissolved?
The owner can dissolve the group at any time, and its members are notified. Posts written on behalf of the group are deleted. Posts that members wrote in the group under their own names disappear from it and stay visible only to their authors. A dissolved group can be restored only by a BOWLMINE administrator — contact us if it was a mistake. Posts written on behalf of the group are not restored.