Thanks for the feedback! We know search on Adobe Groups is still in need of some work and have been working hard on getting that fixed. :) Assuming all goes well in the next dev cycle it won’t be too much longer before we have some new features to make search much better and more precise.

I think an AIR app for finding local user groups is a good idea and one that we could look at doing at some point, but we want to do more than just point users towards discrete groups. Before Adobe Groups launched in November, we did have a web listing where users could see what groups were online and visit their websites. There were two main problems with that approach:

1) It put more burden on the user group manager. Not only did they have to run their user group, but they also had to build and maintain the group website. Not everyone had the time, money, or skills to do that. We’ve seen a big increase in the number of new user groups forming since the launch of Adobe Groups, and the fact that you don’t have to go out and build your own website to start a group is part of the reason why.

2) It fragmented the community. For example, if you wanted to know what meetings were happening at more than one group, you’d have to go to multiple sites to check in. With a more centralized resource like the Community Calendars, finding out what’s going on becomes much easier.

I’m really glad that you’re taking the time to blog about more ways to help the community. We want to build a site that everyone in the community is happy with, and we need feedback to keep us on the right track.

Again, thank you. Please keep the ideas and suggestions for improving coming!
Rachel