Today, we’re announcing new ways to connect with and spotlight subject matter experts in Facebook Groups.
There are more than 70 million admins and moderators running active Facebook groups around the world. Many of these groups are home to subject matter experts who love to share their knowledge, from fitness trainers to highly skilled crafters. Now, it’s easier than ever to help experts stand out in groups and offer ways for them to engage with their communities.
Enabling Admins to Designate Group Experts
We’ve launched a new way for admins to recognize knowledgeable members in their group by designating them as group experts. Admins now have the ability to select specific members in their communities who stand out, empowering them to play a more meaningful role.
After accepting this role, group experts will receive a badge next to their names in the group, making it easier for group members to spot informative posts and comments from designated experts. Now available to select groups across desktop and mobile, admins can collaborate with group experts to host Q&As, share perspectives on a topic and respond to questions.
Helping Experts Discover and Nurture Thriving Communities
We’re starting to test giving some people in fitness and gaming the option to identify specific topics they’re knowledgeable about, like yoga or a particular game. Group admins can then search for these specific topics, discover relevant people who are not yet members and invite them to join as group experts.
To make it easier for experts to engage with their followers, we’re introducing automatic invites, which allows them to invite their recently engaged Page followers to join groups they’ve created. As their communities grow, they’ll be able to create more collaborative places for discussion and content sharing.
We began rolling out Streamer Fan Groups, a new type of expert-led community designed specifically with gamers in mind to small subsets of creators. Streamer Fan Groups help increase live streaming distribution and community building, supporting streamers in developing deeper connections with their fans after the livestream ends.
More Ways for Experts and Their Communities to Connect
It’s important for people to have ways to seek and share expertise beyond traditional posts and comments. Here’s how they can do this in their communities:
- Ask Questions: When people write a post that looks like a question in their group, the post will automatically be upgraded to a format that encourages others to share advice, information or perspective.
- Create Live Audio Rooms in Groups: A low-pressure way for subject matter experts and communities to get ideas and inspiration from each other through audio-first conversations. Live Audio Rooms are coming to Groups this summer.
- Host Q&As: A way for people to lead real-time question-and-answer sessions with their communities, in a text-based format. Answered questions are featured in an interactive, swipe-able stack, while all questions may be viewed in the Q&A’s comment section.
You can read more about these updates in our Community Blog.
Join us on Wednesday, July 14 at 9AM PT for our Facebook Live, Community Connect: Tools for Engaging Experts and Tips for Personal Growth.