diff --git a/classes/Notice.php b/classes/Notice.php
index 78786b27de..68602b1f7c 100644
--- a/classes/Notice.php
+++ b/classes/Notice.php
@@ -752,16 +752,16 @@ class Notice extends Memcached_DataObject
 
         foreach (array_unique($match[1]) as $nickname) {
             /* XXX: remote groups. */
-            $group = User_group::staticGet('nickname', $nickname);
+            $group = User_group::getForNickname($nickname);
 
-            if (!$group) {
+            if (empty($group)) {
                 continue;
             }
 
             // we automatically add a tag for every group name, too
 
             $tag = Notice_tag::pkeyGet(array('tag' => common_canonical_tag($nickname),
-                                           'notice_id' => $this->id));
+                                             'notice_id' => $this->id));
 
             if (is_null($tag)) {
                 $this->saveTag($nickname);
diff --git a/classes/User_group.php b/classes/User_group.php
index 0fcfee8c62..1a24124bb1 100644
--- a/classes/User_group.php
+++ b/classes/User_group.php
@@ -225,4 +225,18 @@ class User_group extends Memcached_DataObject
 
         return true;
     }
+
+    static function getForNickname($nickname)
+    {
+        $nickname = common_canonical_nickname($nickname);
+        $group = User_group::staticGet('nickname', $nickname);
+        if (!empty($group)) {
+            return $group;
+        }
+        $alias = Group_alias::staticGet('alias', $nickname);
+        if (!empty($alias)) {
+            return User_group::staticGet('id', $alias->group_id);
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/lib/util.php b/lib/util.php
index b3a94a5a01..49c6ae108e 100644
--- a/lib/util.php
+++ b/lib/util.php
@@ -591,7 +591,7 @@ function common_at_link($sender_id, $nickname)
 function common_group_link($sender_id, $nickname)
 {
     $sender = Profile::staticGet($sender_id);
-    $group = User_group::staticGet('nickname', common_canonical_nickname($nickname));
+    $group = User_group::getForNickname($nickname);
     if ($group && $sender->isMember($group)) {
         $attrs = array('href' => $group->permalink(),
                        'class' => 'url');