What are Groups?

Anyone who has used social media for a little while will be aware of the concept of groups, but for those of you who are new to a social network, groups are for people with a particular common interest, whether that is family, an activity, a political perspective, a geographical connection, an artist fan club – basically any common interest that might bring people together, in a mini community within a community.

There are three types of Group – Public, Private, and Hidden, and the type is set when the group is created. Only members with paid plans can create groups, but everyone can join as many groups as they want; if a group is hidden you must be invited by the group admin (normally the creator of the group). Joining a Private Group is done by requesting to join, and then being approved by the group admin. Anyone can join a Public Group.

How To Join Groups

Go to the Groups page and view the available public and private groups; you can tell the difference between them as public groups have a button to click saying ‘Join Group’, whereas with private groups the button says ‘Request Membership’. Click the button of the group you want to join; with public groups that joins you instantly, while with private groups you have to wait to be approved. You will get a bell notification once the group admin has decided whether to approve you joining or not.

Creating Groups

You can create a group from two different places; either on the Groups page by clicking the tab that says ‘Create Group’, or on your Profile > Groups and clicking the tab that says ‘Create Group’. This will open the Create A New Group page, which has five steps;

1. Details – Group Name and Description;
2. Settings – choose Public, Private or Hidden, and who is allowed to invite members;
3. Photo – select an avatar image for the group (optional);
4. Cover Image – select an image for the header of the group (optional);
5. Invite – invite other members to the group

All of these settings can be edited after the group has been created. This can be done from the Group’s home page under the ‘Manage’ tab.

Invitations

If you have been invited to join a group you will be notified via the notifications (and email if you have the option turned on). Click on the notification which will take you to Profile > Groups > Invitations where you have the option to Accept or Reject the invite.

Leaving A Group

You can leave a group any time; just go to Profile > Groups and click on the ‘Leave Group’ button of the group you want to leave. There is no confirmation step so once you click the button you have left the group.