Over 2.4 billion people use Facebook as of the summer of 2019.
You already know Facebook is a powerful way to advertise, as well as to keep in touch with friends and family. But you may not know about one of its biggest features: the Facebook group. Groups are a great way to meet like-minded individuals and keep up-to-date on a variety of topics.
But as Facebook changes so often, it can be overwhelming and confusing to figure out what they are exactly.
In this blog post, we’ll go over the Facebook group types, as well as some of the ways you can use them to maximize your time on the site.
Read on for more.
What is the Difference Between a Facebook Group and a Page?
Admittedly, figuring out the difference between these two can be a little bit confusing. Since Facebook rolled out the pages feature almost a decade ago, many have been trying to figure out which is which, or confused if they have “liked” a page or a Facebook group.
You can have groups that are dedicated to an author or a celebrity or specific brand. But most of the time, groups are created by that celebrity, author or brand in order to connect to you, their audience.
When you “like” a page, you get periodic updates about that individual or company. Only they can post updates. You can respond to the updates and posts, but you can’t start completely new discussions and have people respond to you.
A Facebook group allows everyone an equal voice, though there may be moderators who do not allow certain behavior and activity. In a Facebook group, you can start a conversation at any time, and others can respond to you.
A group may be run by an individual, a group of individuals, or a company.
To explain it simply, a page is there to provide a company or person a sales funnel so that you will take action related to their brand. A group is more focused on the community so that everyone can partake equally.
What is a Hidden or Secret Facebook Group?
Have you ever been invited to a Facebook group that denotes itself as secret? Or have you had someone tell you they’ll have to invite you to the specific group because not everyone can join? Or, have you seen a group change from closed to secret?
If so, you may have participated in a secret group.
These groups are invisible to the public, and they cannot find them by searching on Facebook. Often, these are groups that have sensitive information in them, such as support groups or groups in which people do not want their employers to see.
If you join one of these groups, no one but the group members can see what goes on inside of it. No one can see that you’re in the group, either, just by searching the group or your name.
This gives you a little bit of a sense of protection.
However, you should be aware that just because a Facebook group is secret, it doesn’t mean it’s completely protected. There are individuals who may have nefarious intentions who will join these groups to leak information. You also may not know everyone in the group, and despite the rules to the contrary, there may be people who will screenshot posts and share them with others.
While this does give you an added sense of security, you should still be cautious about what you post in these groups, especially if the groups are run by people that you do not know.
What is a Closed Facebook Group?
A closed Facebook group is one that you still must be invited or approved to enter. However, these groups do show up on searches for the specific groups, and depending on your settings, it may show you’re in this group by looking at your profile.
A closed group may still have sensitive information in it, and likely they will have a moderator who will either approve posts or flag when users are out of control.
Anyone can request to join this type of group, but they must be approved by a moderator. They can also be kicked out if the moderator feels they have not obeyed the rules.
What is an Open Facebook Group?
An open Facebook group is one where not only anyone can join, but anyone can read the posts in it. If someone searches for you on Facebook, they will be able to see all the posts you’ve made in this group and/or the threads in the group that you’ve replied to.
In some cases, you may need permission to join an open Facebook group or to interact in it. But you do need to be aware that everything in it is completely public.
Navigating the Facebook Group Types
These are the major Facebook group types that you may wish to join or are asked to join. Facebook groups can be about almost anything, from someone selling items, to a local community exchanging information about their neighborhood, to people interested in the same thing.
But no matter how secure a Facebook group seems, you must remember that what you post on the Internet can still possibly be accessed by people you do not want to see it.
If you have further questions on Facebook groups, don’t hesitate to contact us. We can help with any of your Facebook queries.