Why Use Facebook Groups?

Yesterday Facebook Groups got a little upgrade.  At the top you can now see photos of members, which click through to their personal profile.

I played with Group Cover photos to add a little pop to the group, and I personally think it looks much better and it lets you quickly identify which group you are in.

Facebook groups are useful for people who wish to discuss things outside of the general public’s’ eye.  Say a board of directors who want to brain storm, or for private group coaching.

Groups can be set up as public – but since they are not indexed by Google, they are a bad choice for business.  A Facebook Page / Business profile is far more useful for brand engagement.  A private group is searchable in Facebook, but only the members can see the posts.  This is the best option for most uses.  Then there are secret groups.  They are neither searchable nor can the posts be seen.  Don’t let secret groups give you a false sense of security, my basic philosophy still holds true – what you post online can be shared with or without your knowledge, so use caution.

Facebook Groups have a few fun features:

1) They are searchable:  If you recall a topic or keyword you can search the group for the post.  Since groups list posts in chronological order, some posts may get lost in the chaos of conversation.

2) You can adjust your notification settings.  Click on the notifications button to turn notifications on or off (default is on).  You can leave notifications on and avoid getting emails by clicking on settings and removing the check box next to your email address.

Have you used Facebook groups?  If so, for what purpose?