Special Interest group - wikipedia Special Interest group This article is about technical or social associations. For other uses, see Interest group ( disambiguation ). `` Special interest group '' redirects here. For political advocacy groups, see Special interests. A Special Interest Group ( SIG ) is a community within a larger organization with a shared interest in advancing a specific area of knowledge, learning or technology where members cooperate to affect or to produce solutions within their particular field, and may communicate, meet, and organize conferences. The term was used in 1961 by the Association for Computing Machinery ( ACM ), an academic and professional computer society. SIG was later popularized on CompuServe, an early online service provider, where SIGs were a section of the service devoted to particular interests. Contents 1 Technical SIGs 2 Non-technical SIGs 3 See also 4 References 5 External links Technical SIGs The ACM includes many SIGs, some starting as smaller `` Special Interest Committees '' ( SICs ) and formed the first group in 1961. ACM supports further subdivision within SIGs for more impromptu informal discussion groups at conferences which are called Birds of a Feather ( BoF ). ACM 's Special Interest Groups ( SIGs ) represent major areas of computing, addressing the interests of technical communities that drive innovation. SIGs offer a wealth of conferences, publications and activities focused on specific computing sub-disciplines. They enable members to share expertise, discovery and best practices. The Mathematical Association of America has 14 SIGs ranging from the Arts to the Web ( for instruction ). Non-technical SIGs Organizations that are not technical may also have Special Interest Groups, which are normally focused on a mutual interest or shared characteristic of a subset of members of the organization. An important example for this are trade unions. For identity - based advocacy groups, see identity politics. The Japan Association for Language Teaching ( JALT ) has several SIGs. Together they organize a Pan-SIG conference each year. See also Birds of a feather ( computing ) Interest versus express advocacy Linux User Group Lobbying Organizational structure References Jump up ^ `` Sig conference community ''. historywiki.acm.org. Jump up ^ CompuServe. Trs-80.org ( 1980 - 07 - 01 ). Retrieved on 2014 - 06 - 16. Jump up ^ SIGs. Gsbrown.org ( 2010 - 04 - 08 ). Retrieved on 2014 - 06 - 16. Jump up ^ Modems - The Secret Guide to Computers. Computercraft.com. Retrieved on 2014 - 06 - 16. Jump up ^ `` Birds - of - a-feather FAQ ''. SC17. 14 October 2016. Jump up ^ `` Special Interest Groups ''. www.acm.org. Jump up ^ `` SIGMAA : Special Interest Groups of the MAA ''. Mathematical Association of America. 2008 - 08 - 22. Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 19. Jump up ^ `` History of SIGMAAs Mathematical Association of America ''. www.maa.org. Jump up ^ The Community Discovered Special Interest Groups, groups for specific interests within an educational organization. Jump up ^ Friends General Conference Summer Gathering Adult Young Friends Program, a young adult - focused SIG in a Quaker organization. External links ACM : Special Interest Groups MAA : Special Interest Groups Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special_Interest_Group&oldid=827920483 '' Categories : Information technology organizations Mathematics organizations Talk Contents About Wikipedia فارسی Français Nederlands 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 27 February 2018, at 14 : 50. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the primary purpose of special interest groups
Answer: advancing a specific area of knowledge, learning or technology where members cooperate to affect or to produce solutions within their particular field, and may communicate, meet, and organize conferences