New Changes to Facebook Groups

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Once again we facing changes from Facebook, this time with groups. But it's not all bad news, I promise. 

Facebook groups... the good, the bad and the ugly...

The Good
Personally, I love the groups I've created and the groups where I hang out. These communities give me encouragement and provide information that helps me out in life. 

The Bad & The Ugly
The Bad comes when someone adds me to a group without asking. I appreciate that someone wants to have me in their group. 

The ugly comes when I look at the several-hundred groups I'm now a part of. It's so bad that there are too many to unsubscribe from. When I view my groups list, I'm overwhelmed. 

The Solution
Facebook has listened to our frustration and is now changing the way groups work. 

• 1. If you were added to a group and have never participated, you now have an INVITATION to join that group, but you are no longer an official part of that group. To see your invitations and the groups you're a part of, click on the Groups tab found on the left side of your newsfeed. (see screenshot below) When you click on that tab, you'll notice that your groups are sorted into several categories
• Groups you own
• Groups you're a member of
• Groups your page (if you have a professional page) is a member of
• Groups you've been invited to join
• NOTE, you may decline an invitation and that group—or the person who invited you—will NOT be notified. Your invitation will just quietly melt away.

• 2. If you own a group, anyone you (or a member of the group) invited to join has been removed from the membership list and is now listed under a tab called INVITED. To see the changes, click on Members and then on Invited. (see screenshot below)

In addition, you will probably have received a notification from Facebook about the changes in your groups. FB is sending out this notification to everyone who owns a group or is a member of the group. This isn't a scam, it's Facebook's way of letting everyone know what's changing. 

What Should We Do Next?

From the Group MEMBER Side:

• First, take a look at your group invitations and decide which groups you really want to be a part of and participate in. Then accept or decline invitations based on that. 
• Next, take a look at the groups you're already a part of. For me, this was a good time to do a little housecleaning in regard to groups I rarely visit.
• Finally, visit the groups that you want to be active in and change your notification settings in each group. 
• Click on NOTIFICATIONS
• Choose ALL POSTS

If you don't choose all posts, you won't see many updates from your group.

From the Group OWNER Side

• Visit your group and click on the INVITED tab. (see the second screenshot in this post)
• Send a reminder to each person individually to join the group. You aren't able to personalize this reminder, FB has a standard reminder that they will send when you click SEND REMINDER under the individual's invitation.
• Post a message in your group about the changes to groups. Remind each person to visit the notifications tab and change their notifications to ALL POSTS. 

NOTE: This isn't the time or place to badger anyone. One additional invitation is fine. After that assume that person isn't interested.

Bottom Line

While I am NOT a person who likes changes, I truly believe this change is a good one. It is certainly helping me manage the avalanche of Facebook groups. 

I'd love to know what you think about these changes, or any questions you have! Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Don't forget to join the conversation,

Blessings,

Edie

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