Sharing published content
As you have seen, ArcGIS Online is a great repository of content, including maps and data. However, one of the strongest capabilities ArcGIS Online provides is the ability to share that content with others. Any content you add to ArcGIS Online can be shared so that others can also access and make use of it. That makes the content more dynamic and can greatly increase its value.
If you choose to share your content, you have three options for sharing it. First, you can share it only with yourself. That means you can access it anywhere you have a connection to ArcGIS Online, but no one else can. The next option is to share it with your organization. That allows that anyone with an ArcGIS Online user login from your organization will be able to access your content. Lastly, you can choose to share your content with specific groups. Groups can include specific users from your organization, and possibly those outside if allowed by your organization's ArcGIS Online administrator...