Discussion groups have long been on the Internet, but Yahoo! Groups are friendlier for users and anyone can create or join them. Groups are the equivalent of e-mail sent to all members of the group. Of potential interest are groups found using the keyword "hermit" such as: Powys, Catholic Hermits, and Hermits Parlor. At the same time, groups can be erratic, lie dormant (without messages) for a long time, and may end up being time consuming. Another drawback is that a "public" group will leave messages open to anyone on the Web.