Yeah I am already part of (co-leader), a small one, but with few members it is struggling. I would have loved to have helped an online coven grow, it is so much more accessible to so many more people than a physical one.
I understand your frustration and agree the points you made. What do you think about making a facebook or kik group with friends you've made here? SoM rules would no longer apply and you have free reign to make the group what you want. I know this isn't what you asked for, but it's something to consider.
True it is, but without easy access to the forums/articles, with no where to add articles that could easily be found (no sorting system) and with people having to use their real names for facebook while most people, like myself choose not to. It all gets a little complex.
Some people create Facebook accounts with alternate names specifically for anonymity. In groups, you can create documents and use key word searches. The only way you'd be able to browse, however, is by having a collection of key words (like Titles or common themes). It actually opens up to allow for more dynamic browsing if you use it that way. The only downside is that if you have a secret or closed group, outsiders will never be able to view them (and if you share links, photos, or videos, the attachments can become unavailable and you've suddenly and randomly lost information that might have been crucial).
I keep several groups where I've added someone and then removed them right away so I have it to myself (save for one group, where I've added other people). What I do is upload photos and links of what is relevant to my studies and I've got tailored collections of information that I can look back on later to validate and cross-reference.
I'm also a fan of using OneDrive for an easy way to sort through collections of links and my comments on them. I find it better than simply sorting bookmarks on a browser as I can access it with any browser and I can make anecdotes that help me remember what I need about a link.
It is fairly simple to maintain a coven outside of the system here, so long as you make sure people are communicating properly (and sometimes, it is easier because we can upload pictures, which we can't do here).
