diff --git a/actions/showgroup.php b/actions/showgroup.php
index 9a12bafaf6..8e8ff717c1 100644
--- a/actions/showgroup.php
+++ b/actions/showgroup.php
@@ -298,12 +298,12 @@ class ShowgroupAction extends GroupDesignAction
 
         $this->elementEnd('div');
 
+        $cur = common_current_user();
         $this->elementStart('div', 'entity_actions');
         $this->element('h2', null, _('Group actions'));
         $this->elementStart('ul');
         $this->elementStart('li', 'entity_subscribe');
         if (Event::handle('StartGroupSubscribe', array($this, $this->group))) {
-            $cur = common_current_user();
             if ($cur) {
                 if ($cur->isMember($this->group)) {
                     $lf = new LeaveForm($this, $this->group);
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ class ShowgroupAction extends GroupDesignAction
             Event::handle('EndGroupSubscribe', array($this, $this->group));
         }
         $this->elementEnd('li');
-        if ($cur->hasRight(Right::DELETEGROUP)) {
+        if ($cur && $cur->hasRight(Right::DELETEGROUP)) {
             $this->elementStart('li', 'entity_delete');
             $df = new DeleteGroupForm($this, $this->group);
             $df->show();
diff --git a/classes/User.php b/classes/User.php
index f381ec6070..7345dc7f94 100644
--- a/classes/User.php
+++ b/classes/User.php
@@ -889,13 +889,23 @@ class User extends Memcached_DataObject
     static function singleUser()
     {
         if (common_config('singleuser', 'enabled')) {
+
+            $user = null;
+
             $nickname = common_config('singleuser', 'nickname');
-            if ($nickname) {
+
+            if (!empty($nickname)) {
                 $user = User::staticGet('nickname', $nickname);
-            } else {
+            }
+
+            // if there was no nickname or no user by that nickname,
+            // try the site owner.
+
+            if (empty($user)) {
                 $user = User::siteOwner();
             }
-            if ($user) {
+
+            if (!empty($user)) {
                 return $user;
             } else {
                 // TRANS: Server exception.
diff --git a/lib/ping.php b/lib/ping.php
index be2933ae34..abf1c4048e 100644
--- a/lib/ping.php
+++ b/lib/ping.php
@@ -27,7 +27,14 @@ function ping_broadcast_notice($notice) {
 
 	# Array of servers, URL => type
 	$notify = common_config('ping', 'notify');
-	$profile = $notice->getProfile();
+    try {
+        $profile = $notice->getProfile();
+    } catch (Exception $e) {
+        // @todo: distinguish the 'broken notice/profile' case from more general
+        //        transitory errors.
+        common_log(LOG_ERR, "Exception getting notice profile: " . $e->getMessage());
+        return true;
+    }
 	$tags = ping_notice_tags($notice);
 
 	foreach ($notify as $notify_url => $type) {