Facebook groups have become an incredibly popular way for people to connect over shared interests, causes, hobbies, locations and more. With over 1 billion users on Facebook, groups provide a platform for like-minded individuals to come together and build communities. But not all groups are the same. Facebook offers several different types of groups to cater to various needs.
Public Groups
Public groups are open groups that anyone on Facebook can see and join. When you create a public group, it can be found in search and anyone interested can request to become a member. Public groups are best for developing communities around broad interests with a large potential membership base. For example, public groups work well for fans of musicians, TV shows, books, hobbies, causes, professions and more. With public groups, you never know how many members you might reach. Some public groups grow to have hundreds of thousands or even millions of members over time. The key features of public groups include:
- Anyone can find and join the group
- All posts are public
- Great for reaching a large audience
- Build community around shared interests
- Engage with many different people
Public groups have very open membership policies. Anyone who finds the group can request to join. As the admin, you can choose to approve or deny each request. Most public groups approve all requests to maximize reach. However, for very large groups, admins sometimes filter membership using questions upon joining.
Closed Groups
Closed groups are similar to public groups but have an extra layer of privacy. Closed groups allow anyone to find and see the group, but an admin has to approve each person before they can join. Approval is usually required to join closed groups. This allows the group admin to control membership. Closed groups work well for more specialized interests and niche communities where screening members is beneficial. Reasons to make a group closed include:
- Ensure all members share specific interests or characteristics
- Keep group size manageable
- Foster a stronger sense of community
- Prevent spammers and trolls from easily joining
Like public groups, closed groups also allow anyone to find and request to join the group. The difference is an admin must approve each member. This provides oversight into who can access and participate in the community. Closed groups work well for demographic-specific groups, specialized hobbies, local community groups, alumni groups, parenting groups and more.
Secret Groups
Secret groups take privacy on Facebook to the next level. Secret groups are completely hidden from searches and public listings. The only way to join a secret group is by being invited to join by a current member or admin. Some secret groups don’t even show up in a member’s list of groups. Secret groups offer the most exclusivity and privacy for group discussions. Reasons to make a group secret include:
- Discuss sensitive or controversial topics
- Anonymous support groups
- Private forums to share confidential information
- Completely control group membership
Secret groups don’t show up in searches, so people won’t even know they exist. All members must be invited individually. This creates a real barrier against spam, trolls and other bad actors. It also fosters an intimate feeling of safety and community. Members can have open discussions knowing that the conversations stay private within the group.
Workplace Groups
Workplace groups (also called work networks) operate under work accounts rather than personal Facebook accounts. They help coworkers at a company communicate and collaborate. Anyone with a work account through Workplace can access groups created for their organization. Common uses for workplace groups include:
- Individual team or department groups
- Project management and task coordination
- Events planning
- HR announcements
- Sales lead sharing
- Internal knowledge bases
Workplace groups provide a private forum for business communication. The conversations are hidden from personal profiles. Many companies are adopting Workplace by Facebook for internal knowledge sharing and team collaboration. Workplace groups make it easy to segment discussions by department, team or project.
Comparison of Group Types
| Group Type | Who Can See It | Who Can Join | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public | Anyone | Anyone | Shared interests, broad communities |
| Closed | Anyone | Approved members | Niche interests, screened membership |
| Secret | Only members | Invite only | Private discussions, confidential topics |
| Workplace | Coworkers | Coworkers | Internal business collaboration |
Rules and Moderation
All group admins can set specific rules and moderate activity within their groups. When creating a group, the admin establishes guidelines like whether posts need approval before going live. The admin can also hide or delete posts and remove or ban members who don’t follow the rules. Groups allow admins flexibility in how strictly they want to control discussions.
Some best practices for rules and moderation include:
- Outline clear rules of conduct
- Use moderated groups to filter inappropriate content
- Ban members who repeatedly break rules
- Allow members to report concerning posts
- Encourage civil discourse
- Don’t tolerate bullying, hate speech, etc.
The admin ultimately sets the tone and standards for their group. Members who don’t comply can be removed. Rules should be developed that reflect the purpose of the group and expectations for respectful interactions.
Growing and Promoting Groups
Once your group is up and running, focus on growing your membership and keeping members engaged. For public and closed groups especially, growth is important for creating vibrancy within the community. Some tips for expanding your reach include:
- Invite friends who share the interest
- Share your group in relevant Facebook posts and comments
- Promote your group on your other social media accounts
- Engage visitors to join by posting good discussions
- Use SEO strategies to optimize discoverability
- Advertise your group using Facebook’s tools
The more members who join, the more activity your group is likely to have. This in turn helps it show up in searches so even more potential members can find it. Successful Facebook groups generate lots of discussions, photos, links and reactions.
Driving Engagement
Once people join your group, make sure to keep them coming back. Member engagement is crucial for facilitating discussions and building community over time. Ways to engage your members include:
- Post interesting content daily
- Host contests and giveaways
- Allow and encourage photo sharing
- Create polls to spark conversations
- Ask lots of questions
- Highlight and welcome new members
- Send email updates and reminders
Keep members engaged by giving them reasons to check back in. Create new content, pose questions and incentivize participation so your group keeps growing and thriving.
Managing Admin Roles
The person who creates a group on Facebook is automatically granted the admin role. Original admins can appoint additional admins to help manage groups as they grow. Multiple admins allow you to:
- Share moderation responsibilities
- Leverage different skillsets
- Increase availability
- Prevent one person from controlling the group
Admin capabilities include:
- Editing the group name and description
- Changing privacy settings
- Approving/denying member requests
- Inviting new members
- Creating and deleting posts
- Moderating discussions
- Removing members who violate rules
Grant admin powers only to those you truly trust to manage the group responsibly. While admins can be added and removed at any time, choose wisely to prevent issues down the road.
Conclusion
Facebook groups offer diverse options for bringing people together around shared interests, demographics, affiliations and causes. Public, closed and secret groups provide varying levels of privacy, exclusivity and community engagement. Groups can be leveraged for both personal connections and business collaborations. With thoughtful setup, moderation and promotion, group admins can grow thriving online communities within Facebook.