Is it possible to start a Group or is it only the canned Groups that are provided?

When you go to the section called groups there is a choice for create new group.

Did you even look?

Rick, You cannot see the "new group" option if you access it from the default Community page or from the menu on the right on that page (which only allows you to browse existing groups). You have to click on the Community menu on the top and then a sub-menu (darker blue menu underneath it) that lets you pick the options of Message Boards, Groups, etc. After you select "groups" on this sub-menu, you will see the option to create a new group.

No problem. This site is sometimes challenging as it is often not intuitive and the buttons for things like notifications and bookmarks tend to disappear or randomly stop (and then start) working. However, you usually get what you pay for, so for the price, I am willing to accept the bugs.