Everything You Wanted to Know About Facebook Groups

1. 1. Setting Up a New Group

   After you sign in to Facebook, you'll see "Groups" listed in the left-hand column of the homepage. You can click "Add Group" to create a new one. If you have several groups listed already, you may need to click "More."

   Groups seem to automatically rely on your network settings. You have the option to create a group within your school or alma mater's network or outside of it. Creating a group within your school network will help people in that network find the group and join it based on similar interests, rather than having to be friends with them on Facebook. Creating a group outside of your network allows you to broaden the topic and reach.

   

2. 2. Customizing a New Group

   Once you choose a network, you can enter your group name, select an icon, add members and choose your privacy settings. It's required to add members immediately, rather than sending invitations, and Facebook will offer suggestions for whom to add. To add members, you must be friends with them. (They will have the option to leave the group.)

   Privacy settings come in the form of "Open," "Closed" and "Secret." Open groups are public -- members can see the group and who else is in it. If the open group is within your network, users within your network can see what members post in the group. Anyone can see closed groups and who else is in them, but only members can see what is posted. Secret groups are private to members -- only members can see the group, who else is in it and what other members post.

   As an admin, you can change the privacy settings of your group at any time. However, your group must have fewer than 250 members, and those members will receive a notification of the change.

   

3. 3. Editing a New Group

   After you create your group, you will be taken to the group's page. Now you have the option to edit. By clicking the gear icon, you can add a short description, set up a group email address, add a group cover photo and manage members (e.g., add more people, make them admins, etc.).

   

4. 4. Group Email Addresses

   A few years ago, Facebook introduced native email addresses for specific users, and synced them with Timeline in April 2012.

   Group emails differ slightly in that their primary purpose is to help members keep in contact. When a member emails the group address, his or her message is posted to the group and everyone else is notified. If you respond to the email notification, it posts as a comment. Group email addresses cannot be changed, and only members can use them.

   To set up a group email address, click the gear icon to edit the group. Click "Set Up Group Email" and enter your desired address (only letters, numbers and one period are allowed).

   

5. 5. Administrative Basics

   When you create a group, you're automatically an admin -- in all other cases, a group's admin can make you an admin as well. As a group admin, you have the ability to edit a group's settings and description, choose how members can be added and nominate additional admins.

   To make someone else an admin of your group, you must first add him or her as a member. Then, click the "About" tab, click the gear icon next to the member's picture and choose "Make admin." Note that admins have a lot of power in groups, so choose wisely.

   To limit who can be added to your group, select the gear icon at the top of the page, click "Edit Group" and check "Any member can add members, but an admin must approve them."

   Admins can also pin a post to the top of the group and remain there despite newer posts.

   

6. 6. Monitoring Abuse

   As a group admin, you may need to deal with members who post inappropriate or abusive content. Removing posts is simple -- just click the arrow next to the post in question. You can choose "Delete Post," "Delete Post And Remove User" or "Report/Mark as Spam" to get Facebook authorities involved.

   You can remove a member from the group's "About" page at the top of the group. There, you will see a gear icon next to everyone's picture. Click it and select "Remove member." You can also choose to ban a member permanently. Banned members can never return to a group, while removed members can request to join again.

   If you would like to report an entire group for abuse, click the gear icon at the top-right of the page and click "Report Group."

   

7. 7. Joining a Group

   If you'd rather join groups than create them, the process is much easier. You can search for and join open groups and request to join closed groups by clicking "join" at the top-right corner of a group's page. You aren't able to search for secret groups, for obvious reasons.

   Keep in mind that when you join a group, the group activity will appear in your news feed alongside other friend updates.

   If the admin of the group allows members to add others, you can add friends by choosing "+ Add Friends" on the right side of the group.

   

8. 8. Posting and Sharing

   All group members are able to post and comment, add new members (though approval may be required), chat with other members, add photos and videos, create a doc, create an event (in small groups) and ask questions via polls. If an older post is updated, it will move to the top of the group.

   Each post is accompanied by a "Seen by..." link, showing how many people (including their names) have seen the post. It's unclear how this is gauged -- whether it's clicking near the post or scrolling past it -- but it seems pretty accurate.

   

9. 9. Advanced Sharing

   You can chat with everyone or selected members of a group. At the top-right of the group page, below the gear icon, click "Message" and select the members you wish to send a note. The message will appear as a chat window but will also show up in your message inbox.

   Facebook also allows you to search for a specific post within a group. Next to notification settings and the gear icon is a magnifying glass icon. You can search for keywords, member names and more.

   You automatically get notifications for every group activity, which can get annoying. You can "unfollow" posts, just like a regular Facebook post, or change your group notification settings. To change notification settings, go to to the "Notifications" tab and choose "All Posts," "Friends' Posts" or "Off."

   

10. 10. Files and Docs

    An interesting feature of Facebook Groups is the ability to upload and create documents. Creating docs within the social network is similar to making a regular post or Note, but you can upload files from your computer up to 25GB. Members can download or preview them -- for example, a Word document can be previewed via the Microsoft Word web app.

    You can also connect your Dropbox account to a Facebook group and upload files through the app. When you share a Dropbox file, anyone with the link can access it, even if you delete the post.

    

11. 11. Groups for Schools

    Students and faculty with a confirmed school email address of a college or university can join groups for schools. You can search for your school here to see if groups are available. Groups for schools are always either closed or secret.

    The benefit of school groups is that you can message any member of your school community without being friends with him or her first. (Note that existing groups cannot be turned into school groups after the fact.)

    You will know that a particular group is for your school because your school's name is listed next to the group's privacy setting at the top of the page.

    

12. 12. Leaving a Group

    One con of Facebook Groups is that you can't avoid being added to one. Just like being tagged in a photo, any one of your friends can add you to a group (after which you'll get a notification). However, you have the option to leave.

    To leave a group, all you need to do is go to the group page and hit "Leave Group" under the gear icon in the right-hand corner. Once you leave a group, you can't be added by anyone else unless you explicitly request to be re-added.

    If you're the admin of a group and one of your friends leaves, you won't be able to add him or her again. The person will have to request to join the group again.

    

13. 13. Deleting a Group

    Facebook automatically deletes groups when they have no members. If you created the group and you want to delete it, remove all of the members and yourself (refer to slide six).

    If you weren't the first admin or creator of the group, you won't be able remove the creator unless he or she leaves voluntarily. Only then will Facebook delete the group.

    

Once upon a time, Facebook users joined groups to self-identify; groups lived in your About section, next to your favorite books, movies and quotes. (Anyone remember "Grab Your Balls... We're Playin' Tennis?")

But no more. Now, Pages have replaced traditional groups. And today's groups revolve more around communication, sharing and interaction.

Groups help gather with friends around common interests; within groups, you can share updates, photos, documents and more under specific settings of your choosing.

In light of Facebook Pages' popularity, some users may wonder if groups are obsolete. However, Pages are always public, meaning their information and posts are available to all Facebook users, and if they represent a brand or company, they can only be created by official representatives.

Today's groups also enjoy more intuitive privacy settings. There are cons, however — for instance, you can't avoid being added to groups against your will (though you have the option to leave, of course), and the "Seen by" feature adds another creepy consideration.

We walk you through the process of creating, joining and customizing groups in the gallery above. Tell us why you use Facebook groups in the comments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, courtneyk.