ReneUriegas' Blog

Facebook Pages And Facebook Groups, What Is The Difference?

25 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment

by reneuriegas in Social Media Tags: facebook tools, Social Media, social media groups, social media services, social media tools, social media work

This is the closest thing that I can find about the differences between Facebook pages and Facebook groups. People have been asking me this a lot lately and I just found this post today. I hope this will help to explain things a little better for those of you just getting started in social media and Facebook in general.

Facebook Pages

Like a friend’s profile, Facebook Pages enable public figures, businesses, organizations and other entities to create an authentic and public presence on Facebook. Unlike your profile, Facebook Pages are visible to everyone on the internet by default. You, and every person on Facebook, can connect with these Pages by becoming a fan and then receive their updates in your News Feed and interact with them.

Authenticity is at the core of Facebook. Just as profiles should represent real people and real names, so too should Pages for entities. Only the official representatives of a public figure, business or organization should create a Facebook Page.

For example, I am an avid watcher of the American TV show “Lost” on ABC. By connecting with the official Facebook Page for “Lost”, I can keep up on the latest episodes and other information directly from the people behind it.
The official “Lost” Facebook Page.

We have a team at Facebook that is focused on verifying the authenticity of Pages on the site. If an official representative or user identifies a fake, spammy or abusive Page, we will investigate and determine whether to remove these Pages at their request. Remember that you can always remove yourself as a fan of any Page by clicking the “Remove Me from Fans” link in the bottom left corner of the Page.

Facebook Groups

While Pages were designed to be the official profiles for entities, such as celebrities, brands or businesses, Facebook Groups are the place for small group communication and for people to share their common interests and express their opinion. Groups allow people to come together around a common cause, issue or activity to organize, express objectives, discuss issues, post photos and share related content.

When you create a group, you can decide whether to make it publicly available for anyone to join, require administrator approval for members to join or keep it private and by invitation only. Like with Pages, new posts by a group are included in the News Feeds of its members and members can interact and share with one another from the group.

Groups range widely, from members of a church group or athletic team organizing activities to serious topics on politics and world events or even more lighthearted themes.

Say that you and your friends have a favorite celebrity or cause you want to rally around, but you are not the official representative of either. You can either become a fan of the official Facebook page for the celebrity or cause and show your support there or create your own group on Facebook around the common interest.

For example, just as I’m a fan of the official Page for the show “Lost,” I am also a member of groups created by other fans like myself. The “Lost” groups offer a way to interact with a community of people and discuss the latest theories around what is happening on the show—from what the “smoke monster is” to how it will all end.  To read from this article, click here.

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