So I might have found a loophole on the whole groups subject.

It appears there is a unique feature in the new PM system that allows for multiple users to partake in a conversation. This, combined with the alert feature, actually seems to make the old groups seem obsolete. Don't know if anyone else has already thought of this.

There's one thing i'm not sure of. Is there a limit on how many people can be in a conversation at once? That would be the only thing stopping this from being the new groups.