Suggestion Box

I believe your co-owner idea is the best fit.

Cloning is an idea of last resort, but it lacks bringing over the history and continuity of the group "dropped". Besides, the rules would have to be strict or else an unscrupulous member could clone someone else's group as a way to promote their own agenda. Getting permission to clone this group may be the only alternative you have.

The other problem with cloning is that other members have "invested" gift points and actions within the group. It is unfair to the other members to lose their investment because without the owner, the group is frozen. If a group has monthly activities, being gone for even a month ties things up to some extent.

Maybe a new rule for groups could be that if a group is unattended, the group members (maybe by level) could be allowed to vote in a temporary leader who would be given the power to run the group as an owner until either the owner shows up or, if by a designated time of no show, the group could be transferred over.

Since a group involves other members as well as the owner, perhaps running a group is a privilege and not a right. In other words, when you create a group which involves others, perhaps the rights of the others need to be taken in consideration. Or, perhaps if an owner doesn't carry out owner responsibilities in a certain amount of time, the members would be allowed to divvy up the assets of the group.

Maybe groups could be put up for auction, to the group members first, if a group is unattended by the owner for say, 6 months, with the understanding that if the owner does return, that owner has the option of taking the reigns back.
I say this because I know people who have had strokes. Sometimes they never fully recover and sometimes they do, but after a year or so.

I often wonder what folks would think if I (shutter - don't want to entertain the thought) was killed in an auto accident or had a heart attack or something. Other members may think that I got mad over something or someone and left.

I would never desert WDC; but suddenly, if I passed away, I would be absent and no one would ever know...

Just saying...

Maybe I could give someone the ability to use my access so that if something ever happened to me, they could come to my notebook or blog and tell everyone of my demise!

Anyway, I believe some means of carry on business within a group needs to be provided for.

Hope this dancing around the bushes helps in some way.

-William