Should I use a Facebook Group?

05.31.2011 // Explanation, Facebook // jameswburke // 1 Comment

Back in October, Facebook Groups got a face lift. With the new look also came some new functionality:

• More inmate feeling (individually add those who ‘belong’ in the group)
• A prominent location in the side bar; (lists all the groups you belong to)
• Easier than ever to create a new group
• Group Facebook chat (why did this take so long?)

Read more about the update

There has also been some privacy concerns with these groups. Any of your friends now have the ability to add you to their group — without your consent. Suddenly, you’re now a member of “200 million for Sarah Palin”, “Cats are awesome”, and “People Jeff works with”.

How to use Groups (efficiently)

To avoid that, we need to learn how to use groups efficiently. This follow up post on the Facebook Blog gives some good indication of how their users are utilizing groups. Some examples include:

• Family/Friends – Make plans to meetup, share photos, vote on different activities.
• Coworkers – Discuss  new projects, what everyone is working on, and funny pictures of cats.
• Team/Club – Update members on meeting/game times and locations, collaborate on new ideas, network with other people

Should I use a group?

I’ll do a follow up comparison between groups and pages, but the rule of thumb is this;

Are there X number of people who would make sense being in a room together?

If so, use a group.

Facebook Live – Groups

This past week, Facebook asked their fans what feature they’d like to learn more about. In a landslide with over 37,000 people, groups won. The resulting video is on Facebook Live. It’s a bit too talk show style for me, but the information is good.

Groups Image © from lopagof.