MANILA, Philippines – Users of Google+ have a new way of organizing get-togethers among like-minded folks:

The Google blog has announced the arrival of Communities, a new functionality to Google+ which the company calls “a gathering place for your passions.”

Communities allow for the creation of pages for various general interests, such as knitting and gardening, or specific products and services, such as Star Wars.

Communities can be made public or private, and users can start Google Hangouts or plan events with community members.

Google+ users can also share your community through the use of +1 buttons.

As part of the Google ecosystem, Google+ is a social network that focuses on creating real-world interactions among its users.

With 235 million active across Google and 135 million active on Google+, the community function should have a healthy mass of users at the onset. – Rappler.com