The updates include subgroups, subscription-based paid subgroups, real-time chat for moderators and other such tools designed to help admins improve user experience of Facebook Groups.
The new tools will allow admins to change colours, fonts, and backgrounds for the Group’s Facebook pages and more. Another key feature is the ability to add a greeting message for new members which shares the group’s rules and norms and the ability to pin posts to a featured column at the top of the group’s page.
Facebook has also announced an upcoming feature of “community awards,” which will allow admins to reward group members for “uplifting,” “insightful,” “informative,” or “relevant” posts for instance.
Facebook has not revealed much of the details, but the changes will allow Groups admins to “use an official voice” when interacting with their community and would help Page admins “build communities in a single place.”
In introducing the new features, Meta (Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg said “building community” is going to be a key part of the metaverse they are building and that the changes being introduced for Facebook Groups were in anticipation of the role they would play in the metaverse.
Zuckerberg said, “Groups and communities on Facebook are going to be an important part of this vision.”
He explained, “Nothing beats being together,” but “when we can’t be together in person, the metaverse will help get us even closer to feeling that sense of an in-person connection.”
He explained how the company are “focused on building bridges from our apps on 2D screens into more immersive virtual experiences.”
“Facebook, and your groups, are going to be central to this,” he added. “That’s why I’m glad to be here to help kick off this celebration of communities.”
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