If you missed the F8 Conference last week Facebook made a series of announcements about new features and updates. One big update caught my eye which I know will impact churches.
Before I get to the big shift, in other news Facebook is also shifting away from a predominately blue look to a white look with a blue highlight which I quite like. It’s not rolled out here in Australia yet on the desktop, but looks good on the app. Here is what many who are seeing the changes first are seeing on their desktop.
So what is the big news that will impact churches?
It’s Facebook groups. Groups are getting a massive update. Not only that. Zuck said something huge about the change.
Facebook is overhauling its interface to focus more on groups. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said “Groups are now at the heart of the experience just as much as your friends and family are.”
Whoa. Huge shift.
Your timeline feed is no longer the main game. Groups are. That has all kinds of implications.
More than 400 million people belong to a Facebook group, and these online communities often become an important part of their lives, he said. As a result, the redesign is focused on helping users discover new groups and making it easier to participate in them.
Facebook’s recommendation engine will serve up group suggestions; people can report groups that can be against Facebook’s community standards.
“Overall, this is the biggest change we’ve made to the Facebook app in five years,” Zuckerberg said.
Five years. Let that sink in. That’s nearly a quarter life of this platform.
Facebook video. Huge.
Facebook live. Huge.
1st introduction of Facebook Groups. Not so huge.
Pivot of the whole Facebook platform towards groups.
This. Changes. Everything.
So if your church hasn’t got a group yet. Go start one. Because it’s not only where the cool kids already hang out. It’s where the future of the most popular social media platform is moving to.
Now what?
Right now, some of you are in a bit of a state. Relax. Yes its a huge change. But I’ll be here to help you on your Facebook groups for churches journey.
Got questions?
Do you have questions about Facebook groups? Leave a comment below.
