Facebook Groups Get New Tools to Reduce Misinformation

Facebook Groups have been around for almost ten years now.

However, this feature has become even more useful due to the pandemic. Since people can’t be physically close due to social distancing, Facebook Groups has become the lifeline of any online communities.

Reports suggest that over 1.8 billion people use Groups every month. The social media platform also boasts tens of millions of active communities where people come together for several reasons.

These include entertainment, making connections, talking about new interests, and learning new things.

With the 10th anniversary of Groups approaching, the social media giant is adding new features. According to Facebook, not only will the update protect communities from harmful content but also misinformation.

In a blog post announcement, Head of Facebook App, Fidji Simo wrote:

“Today, we are hosting the Facebook Communities Summit digitally, sharing product updates and educational resources for community leaders.”

Here are some of the tools and features.

A Breakdown of the New Updates to Facebook Groups

1. New Tools for Admins

Facebook Groups now has three tools for admins. These are Admin Assist, New Topics, and Brand Collabs Manager.

Thanks to the Admin Assist, Group administrators can now set rules to help moderate posts. For example, you can blacklist specific keywords to prevent certain types of posts.

Also, Facebook group admins can now use hashtags to organize content by topics. You’ll also be able to pin a subject to the top of the group for better visibility.

Finally, the Brand Collabs Manager tool allows admins to connect with brands looking to promote their products and services.

2. New Ways to Engage on Facebook Groups

Besides the tools outlined above, Facebook has introduced new features to spark discussions within its communities.

For example, the Chats feature allows users to create and join real-time conversations within a group. Similarly, the Q&A function helps admins to host text-based question-and-answer sessions to boost engagement.

Also, users can now customize the way they appear in different Facebook Groups. Along with setting a custom profile photo, you can now share relevant info that’s unique to each community.

3. Public Group Discussions to News Feed

Facebook is now surfacing relevant group discussions in the news feed to help users fund and join public groups.

When the test begins, the social platform will update the Groups tab to show content from public groups based on user interest. That way, users can quickly find and join relevant groups on the platform.

Group admins can choose whether — or not — their group should be part of the experience. Although a group is public, non-members might not see the group content in their news feed.