Community, Messages, and Notifications on BookGroup
Can I send a direct message to any BookGroup user?
Not exactly. BookGroup's "Messages" are organized into two tabs — "Support" (your conversations with the BookGroup team) and "Groups" (notices and messages tied to your reading groups) — and there's no button on these screens to start a new conversation with just anyone on the platform. A direct conversation with another member is only started by the owner of a group you share, from that group's management area (see "How does a group owner send a private message to a specific member?"); once created, you can view and reply to it normally from the "Groups" tab in Messages.
What shows up in the conversation list under Messages on BookGroup?
Each conversation shows an icon based on its type (support, group notice, or regular conversation), the title, a preview of the last message, the relative time, and an unread-message counter (showing "99+" once it goes past that number). Inside a conversation, messages are text-only — there's no support for sending images, files, or audio.
How do I know if a message was read or if the other person is typing on BookGroup?
BookGroup doesn't show a read receipt for individual messages (no "delivered" or "read" marks), nor a "typing..." indicator. What exists is an unread-message count per conversation, which automatically clears when you open the conversation.
How does a group owner send a notice to all members on BookGroup?
On the group's messages screen (only accessible to the owner), tap "New notice". Write the notice's title and text and tap "Send notice" — every member of the group receives that message. Unlike a regular conversation, this kind of notice is read-only: recipients can read it but can't reply within that conversation.
How does a group owner send a private message to a specific member on BookGroup?
Still on the group's messages screen, tap "Message a member", pick the person from the group's member list, and write your message. This opens a private conversation between the owner and that member — unlike the general notice, this conversation allows normal replies from both sides. This group message management screen is exclusive to the owner; regular members don't have access to it, but they can view and reply to conversations the owner starts with them through their own Messages screen.
What types of notifications exist on BookGroup, and how do I mark them as read?
Notifications are organized into five categories: "Pending actions" (subgroup invites, group invites, debate requests), "Delegations", "Discussions" (replies, team messages), "Library" (EPUB processing completed or failed), and "Groups" (everything else). Each notification has a "Mark as read" button; at the top of each category with unread items, a "Mark all" option appears, and there's also a general "Mark all as read" button on the page. A "Show read" / "Hide read" toggle controls whether already-read notifications stay visible.
What happens when I tap a notification on BookGroup?
It depends on the type. Notifications that require an action (like a subgroup invite or an access request) only respond to their specific buttons — such as "Accept", "Decline", or "Review request" — tapping the rest of the notification does nothing. Informative notifications take you straight to the related context: a group invite opens that group's requests page, a library notification takes you to the library, and so on; if BookGroup can't determine where to go, it opens the notification's details in a window instead.
How do I change which notifications I receive on BookGroup?
From the Notifications screen itself, there's a shortcut to "Notifications" in your profile settings, where you can adjust push, email, and in-app notifications, plus choose by type — mentions, replies, group activity, reminders, and reading milestones.
How do I start a conversation with BookGroup support?
In the Communication center, tap "New conversation". You can give it an optional title (for example, "Question about EPUB import") and write your message in the required field, then tap "Start conversation". The conversation you create shows up organized by date (Today, This week, This month, Earlier), and you can search your previous conversations by title.
Can my conversations with BookGroup support be deleted?
Not by the user. BookGroup states this clearly: "Your conversations are kept" — support conversations cannot be deleted and are used to improve the platform; they are only removed when you request full deletion of your data.
What shows up on another user's public profile on BookGroup?
Someone's public profile shows, in separate tabs: the information that person marked as public (like their bio, if they have one — otherwise BookGroup notes that the user hasn't added a public bio yet), their visible groups, and the groups you both have in common. If you reach the profile from a specific group, a fourth tab shows that person's activities and messages just within that group.
Can I follow, block, or send a direct message from another user's profile on BookGroup?
No. The public profile page has no follow, block, report, or direct-message button for that person. The only information available there is what's described above (bio, groups, common groups, and, if applicable, activity within a specific group).