Facebook Groups
Many people are already members of multiple Facebook groups, and with that in mind, the company has decided to release Facebook Groups as a standalone app. This app focuses on one of the most popular features of the social network, giving users a dedicated platform for managing and interacting with their groups.
Bringing People Together
This isn't Facebook's first attempt at creating a standalone app. Similar ventures include Facebook Messenger, which separated its messaging service, and Slingshot, a Snapchat alternative where messages self-destruct after a few minutes. Most recently, Facebook launched Rooms, an app that lets users create and join forums based on specific topics.
While Facebook's previous standalone apps haven't seen massive success, the company is still pushing forward. Facebook Groups allows users to join and manage their groups without the need for the main Facebook app, although a Facebook account is required to sign in.
Features of Facebook Groups
After logging in, users are presented with circular icons for each group, similar to the chat heads in Messenger. You can reorder these groups by dragging them around. The app's menu includes four main tabs: the groups menu, a notification center, a discovery option for finding groups based on your interests, and a settings tab.
When you enter a group, you are presented with the group "wall" where you can post and share photos. If you're an admin, you can edit group settings or change the cover photo. However, the app lacks many features available on the main Facebook app or website. Group admins, in particular, will find that they cannot create events, upload files, ban spammers, or invite people by email. Events, photos, and descriptions are tucked away in a separate menu, which is not intuitive.
What’s Good About Facebook Groups
There are some useful features in Facebook Groups. You can pin your groups to the home screen for quick access, and each group has its own settings that you can customize. The intelligent group suggestions are helpful, and you can specify which groups you’re not interested in to refine the suggestions.
However, the app could benefit from adding features like page management and access to external links. This would make the app more versatile and could turn Facebook Groups into an alternative to services like MeetUp, where people create and join groups based on interests.
Navigation and Design
The app is easy to navigate, especially if you're familiar with the Facebook Messenger interface. The circular group icons are a recognizable part of the Facebook ecosystem, but the suggestions tab can feel a bit cluttered. The small text and buttons make the app slightly less polished compared to Messenger.
Creating and Managing Groups
Creating a group is straightforward. Facebook offers a range of categories to choose from (e.g., family, friends, event planning, travel, etc.) and includes fun animal-themed graphics for each category. Groups can be set as secret, closed, or public. You can also customize settings for each group and disable push notifications to prevent being bombarded with alerts.
Room for Improvement
There is definite potential for Facebook Groups to become a valuable standalone app. As group content often gets lost in the main Facebook news feed or notifications, a separate app could make it easier for users to keep track of their groups. However, Facebook needs to add more features, such as page management and in-app browsing, to make the app truly competitive. For now, Facebook Groups is a work in progress, and much more needs to be done to make it a viable alternative to the main Facebook app.
