diff --git a/include/group.php b/include/group.php
index 862d06818d..fd1c97dfde 100644
--- a/include/group.php
+++ b/include/group.php
@@ -340,3 +340,30 @@ function groups_containing($uid,$c) {
 
 	return $ret;
 }
+/**
+ * @brief count unread group items
+ *
+ * Count unread items of each groups
+ *
+ * @return array
+ *	'id' => group id
+ *	'name' => group name
+ *	'count' => counted unseen group items
+ *
+ */
+function groups_count_unseen() {
+
+	$r = q("SELECT `group`.`id`, `group`.`name`, COUNT(`item`.`id`) AS `count` FROM `group`, `group_member`, `item`
+			WHERE `group`.`uid` = %d
+			AND `item`.`uid` = %d
+			AND `item`.`unseen` AND `item`.`visible`
+			AND NOT `item`.`deleted`
+			AND `item`.`contact-id` = `group_member`.`contact-id`
+			AND `group_member`.`gid` = `group`.`id`
+			GROUP BY `group`.`id` ",
+		intval(local_user()),
+		intval(local_user())
+	);
+
+	return $r;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/mod/ping.php b/mod/ping.php
index 967555881c..57728d3294 100644
--- a/mod/ping.php
+++ b/mod/ping.php
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 require_once("include/datetime.php");
 require_once('include/bbcode.php');
 require_once('include/forums.php');
+require_once('include/group.php');
 require_once("mod/proxy.php");
 
 function ping_init(&$a) {
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ function ping_init(&$a) {
 
 		$home = 0;
 		$network = 0;
-		$network_group = array();
+		$groups_unseen = array();
 		$forums_unseen = array();
 
 		$r = q("SELECT `item`.`id`,`item`.`parent`, `item`.`verb`, `item`.`wall`, `item`.`author-name`,
@@ -88,20 +89,11 @@ function ping_init(&$a) {
 			}
 		}
 
-		if ( $network )
-		{
-			# Find out how unseen network posts are spread across groups
-			$sql = "SELECT g.id, g.name, count(i.id) count " .
-				"FROM `group` g, group_member gm, item i " .
-				"WHERE g.uid = %d " .
-				"AND i.uid = %d " .
-				"AND i.unseen AND i.visible " .
-				"AND NOT i.deleted " .
-				"AND i.`contact-id` = gm.`contact-id` " .
-				"AND gm.gid = g.id GROUP BY g.id";
-			#echo '<SQL id="' . intval(local_user()) . '">' . $sql . '</SQL>';
-			$network_group = q($sql, intval(local_user()), intval(local_user()));
-			#echo '<COUNT R="' . count($network_group) . '"/>';
+		if($network) {
+			if(intval(feature_enabled(local_user(),'groups'))) {
+				// Find out how unseen network posts are spread across groups
+				$groups_unseen = groups_count_unseen();
+			}
 
 			if(intval(feature_enabled(local_user(),'forumlist_widget'))) {
 				$forums_unseen = forums_count_unseen();
@@ -227,9 +219,9 @@ function ping_init(&$a) {
 				<home>$home</home>\r\n";
 		if ($register!=0) echo "<register>$register</register>";
 
-		if ( count($network_group) ) {
+		if ( count($groups_unseen) ) {
 			echo '<groups>';
-			foreach ($network_group as $it) {
+			foreach ($groups_unseen as $it) {
 				echo '<group id="' . $it['id'] . '">' . $it['count'] . "</group>";
 			}
 			echo "</groups>";