It should be interesting to see how everyone assigns numbers for grouping...

1 - I always group 1 as fighters, and as explained in another fighter strat post, I keep deselecting one by one that are damaged and regroup them again as they come back once in a while.
2 - Now, this is definately emp for me, as it's such a life saver... but i always mix bombers in this slot as well... so i should really put bombers on 0 or something, i sometimes even use 5 for bombers... kinda fluctuating there.
3 - this is usually missiles and nothing else.
4 - this is usually lasers or pulsors. but when i think about pulsors should go 3...but since no one makes gunships to fill both 3 and 4, it doesnt matter.
5 - this is usually for frigs, usually ions, rarely hmf.
6 - this is used for dd, but it doesnt really makse sense as dd doesnt really have use grouping, but can control 3 or 4 at once without group function.
7 - i use for bc, but whats the point...
8 - i use for marines and infils.
9 - i used to use for cc but never for that anymore. but now i use for dff, just to find out where my valuable dff are standing by...
0 - this is supposed to be for bombers... but i somehow always group them 2 mixing up with emp... duh...

[edit : ok, lets not make extra line between numbers... as the page can get long]
[edit : got my 8 and 9 wrong...]

1 - MS
2 - CC or group of CCs
3 - Marines/Infils
4 - Scouts
5 - Fighters
6 - Bombers or Vettes
7 - Flaks or Vettes
8 - Torps or Ions or HMF
9 - DDs
0 - BCs

1 ints
2 vettes
3 other vettes maybe
4 frigs
5 other frigs
6 dds
7 bcs
8 ccs and ms (depending on if i want them to move together)
9 marines
10 emp

1: Scouts/AC
2: AC
3: AC/Lancers
4: M/Laser Vettes
5: Laser/Command Vettes
Everything after this point is rather situational as it is rare in team games that I will be making anything bigger
6: Assault/HMF
7: HMF
8: Infiltrators
9: DD/BC
0: Production Ships

1-in
2-emp -> bombers(if no emp)
3-corv
4-frig
5-dd / (or ms and cc when jumping them about)
6-bc
7-scout -> marines (lucky #7 ) / bombers
8-3rd ru patch
9-2nd ru patch
10-1st ru patch
As you can see i'm quite prepaired to run colls.

Also my keyboard layout is totally customized so that all the keys are on the left side of the keyboard. That way i can just keep my left hand in place instead of floating it about the keyboard.
QWERT
Tactical overlay, Dock bay, Build menu, Res menu, Fleet info
ASDFG
Hype, Select idle coll, Select all, Focus camera, Gaurd
ZXCV
Special attack, Stop, Dock, Harvest
Tab=Dilplomacy
CapsLock=Focus camera on nxt production capable ship
Enter=Chat

Think i spent over an hour last year configuring all the key's till i was happy w/ my set-up.

wow, someone is ace at his key config
binding cols sounds really nice...

Wow didn't know people used that. I just micromange everything by hand. I think it's easier then having to memorize those assignments numbers and such.

hmm, fighter micro wont happen without using this...
i think the only effective use here is for fighters/vette for microing the docking or emp and cols like cloaked does.

others are just handy shortcut to move the stuff at once.

Don't forget about frig micro hid, its nice and easy to select a yellow frig in the bottom menu and then pull it back from the battle.

i usually visually follow it... band box and pull it. i think its better, as u might be pulling some damaged frig thats out of place by just looking at the group...