There are some key differences between members and participants in Facebook groups that determine the level of access and abilities that each role has within the group. Understanding these differences is important for Facebook group administrators who want to manage their groups effectively and for members who want to fully utilize Facebook group features. This article will examine the requirements to become a member or participant, the abilities granted to each role, and the advantages and disadvantages of assigning someone as a member versus a participant.
Becoming a Member
To become a member of a Facebook group, a user must be added to the group by an admin or moderator or must request to join the group if it has been set up as a public or private group that allows users to ask to join. Once added as a member, the user will be able to see all posts made within the group (depending on group privacy settings), comment on posts, post their own content, and utilize other features like polls and events.
Some key things to know about becoming a member:
- User must either be added by an admin/moderator or request to join if group allows
- No approval is required if automatically added by admin/moderator
- User must be approved if requesting to join a private group
- User can be removed or banned from group at any time by admin/moderator
- Once removed, user will no longer be able to access any group content
Overall the requirements to become a member are relatively low. As long as the group is public or the user is given access by an admin, they can easily become a member and begin interacting with group content.
Capabilities of Members
Once a user becomes a member of a Facebook group, they are granted certain capabilities within the group. These include:
- Ability to see all posts made to the group based on privacy settings
- Can react and comment on all posts within the group
- Can create their own new posts with text, images, videos, etc.
- Can share other content to the group like external links and videos
- Can RSVP to group events and view existing RSVPs
- Can add their own events to the group
- Can participate in group chats
- Gets notifications for new posts and comments within the group
- Ability to invite new members to the group
- Can report abusive content to group admins
- Shows up publicly as a member of the group on their profile
As you can see, members have quite extensive capabilities within Facebook groups. They can fully participate by posting their own content, commenting, reacting, and creating events. Members serve as the core of the group, driving conversation and activity.
Becoming a Participant
In contrast to members who can freely join public/open groups, participants in Facebook groups have much more limited access. There are a couple ways user accounts can become participants:
- Admin adds user as a participant specifically (not as full member)
- User is member who has been “restricted” by admin, limiting access
In both cases, the user does not request access and must be intentionally given participant status by a group admin. Participants are typically given access if an admin wants them to have limited interaction with a private group.
Capabilities of Participants
Once designated as a participant, a user has the following abilities within a Facebook group:
- Can see posts shared within the group based on privacy settings
- Can react to posts and media (like, love, etc.)
- Cannot create their own posts or share links/media
- Can comment on posts if admin has enabled the ability
- Can RSVP to events if enabled by admin
- Will not show up as a member of the group on profile
- Cannot invite others or see full member list
- Very limited admin capabilities if granted partial admin access
As you can see, participants have read-only access and cannot actively post or share their own content without admin approval. Participant status gives more limited interaction than full member status.
Key Differences
To summarize, here are some of the key differences between members and participants:
| Members | Participants |
|---|---|
| Can join public/open groups directly | Must be added by admin |
| Can post, share, comment freely | Limited posting abilities |
| Full membercapabilities | Read-only access |
| Show as member on profile | Do not show as member |
Reasons for Different Roles
Facebook groups admins may choose to add certain users as participants rather than full members for a number of reasons:
- Give someone access to view group content without letting them actively participate
- Prevent certain users from posting/commenting within group
- Limit someone’s access who has broken group rules
- Temporarily restrict member who is being moderated
- Allow those with specialized knowledge to provide feedback without accessing all member information
Essentially the participant role enables selective and limited access, while the member role is for broader, more active participation.
Advantages of Members vs Participants
Member Advantages
There are a few key advantages to giving someone full member status:
- Members can fully engage with group content and discussions
- Members help grow group community through posts and comments
- Easier to manage group without manually approving participant access
- Members can invite new users and help expand reach
- Group appears more active and vibrant with member contributions
Members help drive conversation volume, relationship building, and content creation within the group. Broad member access works well for public groups aiming to grow.
Participant Advantages
Making users into participants can also have advantages like:
- Limits outside influencers who could disrupt niche communities
- Prevents spam or low-quality posts from filling the group
- Allows monitoring and evaluating new members before granting full access
- Moderates what posts and information outsiders can see
- Provides flexibility to restrict abusive or rule-breaking members
The selectivity of participant status gives more control for private groups concerned about quality and disruption. But it also creates more work approving content.
Conclusion
Facebook group admins must decide when it makes sense to add users as full members versus limiting their access as group participants. Members have more autonomy and ability to contribute, while participants offer more selectivity and oversight. Striking the right balance depends on the group’s goals and target audience. But in general, broader member access works well for open groups aiming for high engagement and growth, while selective participant access helps maintain control in closed niche communities. Determining optimal user roles and privileges can help ensure your Facebook group achieves the member experience and activity levels you seek.