Method and system for enabling the creation and maintenance of proximity-related user groups

A virtual group management apparatus comprising:

• at least one processor;
• one or more non-transitory memories comprising computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the virtual group management apparatus to:
• enable a first entity to establish a virtual group,
• enable the first entity to define configuration information for the virtual group,
• the computer-executable program code instructions configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the location-based virtual group management apparatus to enable the first entity to define the configuration information comprising computer-executable program code instructions, that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the virtual group management apparatus to:
• establish membership criteria for admittance of one or more members to the virtual group;
• establish rules of interaction among the one or more members of that the virtual group;
• wherein the establishment of the rules of interaction comprises:
• enabling a first member of the one or more members to create a unidirectional relationship with a second member, without explicit approval of the second member;
• enabling the first member of the one or more members to receive a broadcasted message from the second member, the message comprising content;
• and
• enabling each of one or more other members of the virtual group to receive the broadcasted message from the second member;
• facilitate, according to the rules of interaction, transmission of the broadcasted message from the second member to the first member of the virtual group and to at least one of the one or more other members of the virtual group.

A virtual group management computer program product, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions for:

• enabling a first entity to establish a virtual group,
• enabling the first entity to define configuration information for the virtual group,
• wherein the program code instructions for the enabling of the first entity to define the configuration information comprising program code instructions for:
• establishing membership criteria for admittance of one or more members to the virtual group;
• establishing rules of interaction among the one or more members of that the virtual group;
• wherein the establishment of the rules of interaction comprises:
• enabling a first member of the one or more members to create a unidirectional relationship with a second member, without explicit approval of the second member;
• enabling the first member of the one or more members of the virtual group to receive a broadcasted message from the second member, the broadcasted message comprising content;
• and
• enabling each of one or more other members of the virtual group to receive the broadcasted message from the second member;
• facilitating, according to the rules of interaction, transmission of the broadcasted message from the second member to the first member of the virtual group and to at least one of the one or more other members of the virtual group.