Know Your Group: who is in your chat

In a group of three thousand people you see a dozen regular nicknames, and everyone else is a shadow. Knowing who you are actually talking to is almost impossible in a chat that big. Know Your Group takes on this problem: it is a members directory for any group chat. 👥

The bot opens as a mini app inside Telegram, so you browse the member list in an interface you already know.

Why a directory helps

The regular member list in Telegram shows names and avatars, and that is not much. There is no description, no idea what a person does or who to message about what. For interest communities, professional chats and clubs that is awkward.

A directory fixes exactly this: the group gets its own business card holder, where you can look people up instead of scrolling through thousands of messages.

Where it comes in handy

• Professional chats: find a colleague in your field instead of waiting for a reply in the main feed.
• Clubs and interest communities: meet the people who stay quiet but read everything.
• Neighbor and student chats: work out who lives nearby or studies on your course.
• Events: check who is coming before you meet.

Getting started

1. Open the bot and launch the mini app.
2. Pick your group from the ones you belong to.
3. Fill in your profile with only what you are happy to share with the whole chat.
4. Browse the list and message people you share topics with.

Privacy: think before you fill in

Any directory of people raises a question about boundaries. If the data is visible to group members, do not put a phone number, address or anything you would not show strangers.

If you are an admin, tell members that the chat now has a directory and explain how it works. People dislike surprises when their profile is involved. 🔒

A Telegram profile link already makes a person reachable. Do not add more than an introduction needs.

Writing to new contacts

A good first message briefly says how you know the person, meaning which group, and what you want to share. Do not send identical messages to everyone, which reads as spam.

If someone does not answer, do not push. They may simply not open Telegram every day. 💬

Advice for admins

A directory helps you run a community: you see better who belongs to it and can introduce people to each other. Still, do not make filling in a profile mandatory. Voluntary participation works better and brings fewer complaints.

Keep Telegram's rules in mind too: collecting personal data without people's consent is not acceptable. Every profile should be filled in by the member themselves.

When the group is big and noisy

The more people, the less use the main feed is. A directory moves introductions out of the shared stream: you write to a person directly instead of cluttering the chat with lines like "anyone here from Boston?".

It takes a couple of minutes: open the list, find the right person and send a short message. The group stays clean, and conversation happens where it matters. ✨

Think about your own card too. One short honest line about what you do will attract the right people better than a long text.