Google Groups launches new beta

Google Groups Beta
Hot on the heels of a major overhaul of Google Reader, Google has announced a brand new beta version of Google Groups. The new Google Groups, which is currently living at groups-beta.google.com, is slicker in every way, and also "fits in" a little better with the growing family of Google web apps. In fact, some parts of the interface look a whole lot like Gmail, with rounded borders around each message and a Compose form that's very familiar. On top of the interface changes, however, there are some serious new features. Members of groups can now collaboratively create web pages a la Google Page Creator, group administrators can now customize their group's color scheme and graphics, and now groups have a Files section where users can upload files to share with other group members. For the first time, Google Groups is starting to feel to me like an actual contender to Yahoo! Groups' long-held crown.

Tags: beta, google, googlegroups, groups, overhaul, redesign