MANAGING YOUR FACEBOOK GROUP
Next let’s cover some tips for you as you go beyond the planning to the implementation phase of your Facebook Group:
Write and Post a Compelling Introduction
You will see that on the right hand side of the group page you have a section titled ‘About’. This is where you will tell and sell the world (if the group is an open or closed group) WHY your group is the best thing since sliced bread.
Add in what the group is about, the kind of experience members can expect, and how they can contribute and make the Group even better as a member. Remember this is your chance to sell the Group, and you have 3000 characters – make them count!
Maybe also add in some other data about the group, as in when it was initiated, who the creator is, who admins are, and any other pertinent information. Add in a short blurb on member admission conditions and expectations you have so that it is clear to prospects on what they are getting into when they join.
Bottom Line: Set the basic focus, tone and expectations of the group in this introduction.
Create a Set of Clear Guidelines for the Group and Pin Them To The Top of Your Group Page…
This is important so that members can quickly access and understand clear the rules for the Group.
I have Groups that I am barely involved in and some where I am a member but I never read anything from the founder/admin folks. These are definitely not effective and growth is lackluster as well.
As the founder/admin, it is your job to lead the group by your example and this means participating and also making the hard decisions, like who to ban or allow into the Group.
You can have only one pinned post, so I would create a Facebook document with more detail and add it into the ‘files’ section of your group.
That saved document will automatically create a post to the group for that document and then you can then pin that at the top of your page. If clicked by a member, they are taken to the document.
Here are some things to consider including in that document:
- Provide a detailed but brief group background
- Add the goals of the group
- Provide the geographical focus if pertinent
- Add a list of the current admins, with contact details of and what level of admin control/intervention these members have
- Lay out what is considered spam and what is allowed within the group and the consequences for violating the rules
- Provide details on resources available to group members and how to access them (i.e. files, group search, images, downloads, etc.)
Choose Good Admins for Your Group
Starting out, you will likely be able to admin the Facebook group alone, but as membership size grows, this will become harder to keep up with. Remember, it is easy to spend an hour or more daily to administer a Facebook group, even while small in membership.
As they grow, more people will contribute and it will take on a life of its own, but then your focus will have to shift to managing the group. That is the latest point when you will likely need additional admin support.
If you set this up at the start, you can watch your group closely see who is active and is contributing lots of valuable content, and select one of those members to be an admin POC.
I would select these admins based on availability, activity level, ones who are level headed, and have some different personality characteristics so you generate a variety of viewpoints and approaches that is covered by the admin team.
Make sure that you back these admins publicly for all members to see, and try to solve disagreements or judgement calls when problems arise privately with internal admin discussion offline from the Group …
When You Create Your Group Also Create A Separate Admin Group
If you start a separate group at the same time you start the main Group, you will have a ready platform for conducting the offline discussions and to reach decisions that affect the main Group. I would set this group to secret and the only members of it will be you and your admin team.
This way, over time when admins are added or leave, there is a record of what has transpired, and how things were handled in the past. New admins can then search for old topics and discussions/decisions to use in the current situations.
In that second group, you can add some further guidelines for what you expect from an admin of the Group. Pin this at the top and prepare it as we spoke of above for your main Group.
When you have this set up, you will have consistency over time of how the Group is run and it will seem fair to all admins and members. This in turn helps build trust, authority, and respect for you, your Group, and the admins.
Be Proactive - Intervene Quickly When Altercations Arise
From time to time you will note a post/thread that has gotten a little out of hand, Words and posts get heated, angry words are exchanged, and generally it can be disruptive to the Group.
When you see this, stop it early. Don't let it drag on and on…As the thread gets more and more angry and loud in content and words, feelings get hurt or worse. Be firm but gentle…Try 'OK, I think we've about covered as much as needed on this subject, let's just put it to bed.'
This is an indirect way to exert your admin authority without putting too much emphasis on your position. You can take additional steps if needed, but most of the time, it will not be needed.
There may be more hints on ways to manage your Facebook Group, but the ones mentioned will get you a good solid start…
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