Well the way MSN is putting it is they aren't closing the groups but merging them with Multiply.com.
I already have 2 groups that have moved. One to Multiply and one to Yuku. Another group right now is deciding which to move to over the next couple of weeks. The big shut down isn't happening until Feb. 2009 but some groups are moving already.
MSN/Windows Live will be opening a new section called Windows Live Groups and apparently sold the MSN groups to Multiply is what I've read in other groups.
So yes friends the management here will have to decide where they want to move to. Both sites mentioned are free, and hold alot more pictures and such than MSN, but are a little more technical with HTML designs than here. There are groups and support to help you with that too.
Please check into this ASAP as it will take some work to move all the files here over to a new site.
Nancy/4thjet