Every week I hold online office hours and answer questions from folks like you. This week we look at the difference between a Facebook fan page and a Facebook group. Plus, I share a little bit of my past and give you a peek at my best Ron Burgundy impression! Take a look and be sure to join me every Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. CDT for online office hours!
I started a group on Facebook for our church (I’m on staff as communication director), and then fan pages evolved. We now have both, and I feel like I’m wasting my time maintaining each of them. I think I know the pros and cons of each, but what’s your take on them?
My answer: For a church, you need to be on a fan page. Bottom line. Ditch the group and divert all the traffic to the fan page.
If you want the nitty-gritty details, AllFacebook.com did a detailed, feature-by-feature comparison of pages vs groups last year. It includes a handy chart for quick reference. However, Facebook has since revamped groups and some of those features have changed.
Did you ever think 10 years ago you would be doing what you are today and what are the major steps you took that solidified your decision to be a social media ninja?
My answer: Never.
10 years ago, I was a, shall we say, much different person than I am today. Believe it or not, I wanted to be a newscaster :) Don’t believe me? Just check this video out:
What solidified the decision? God’s providence and getting jumped. Seriously. Long story, suffice it to say I began questioning my life decisions after getting my teeth knocked out at a house party fight :)
Thanks for the great questions everybody! Maybe you look at me a little differently now? Either way, there’s power in your personal story! See you next time.
Mickey
August 17, 2011
I agree that the primary presence for a church on Facebook should be a Page, no doubt. However, there is room for some groups in there as well.
There’s the obvious ones, such as Bible study groups and small groups, but there are others. Our church does “disciple now” each year, and it requires dozens of volunteers. They start group each year for the volunteers as a way to keep everyone informed and on the same page. Groups can be quite useful for a church.
Dave
August 18, 2011
Loved the video. Napster, personal web portals, and Afro-Americans…..fond memories. Do you still have the suspenders?
Justin Wise
August 29, 2011
Dave – ha! Can you believe that video? Who WROTE that stuff? Good grief.
I don’t have the suspenders anymore. A relic of my college years I’d rather soon forget!
Mike (Become The Movement)
August 23, 2011
Don’t forget that fanpages have apps that you can add – it’s relatively simple to find apps that allow people to download sermons, notes, pdfs of bulletins, etc..
+1 for fanpages!