The Network is changing the way we use Facebook, hopefully to make it a more helpful experience for our whole community.
Our Facebook group has been our primary presence. This group is now over 6,100 members. We’ve used this group both to communicate Network news and updates to the community, and to encourage conversation, support and sharing of resources.
Our Facebook group is a “public” group, open to anyone (though we do have to approve people joining the group).
Occasionally we get requests to make the group “private,” to allow for conversations that may need more discretion. We have resisted this because we also use the group to make announcements to a broader community (and because when is anything on the internet ever really private?).
Facebook has made changes, however, to their structures that give us the opportunity to make some changes.
We will begin making these changes within the next 24 hours:
- We have already created a new Network Facebook Page. That is where we will make all “official” announcements from the Network about resources, the Extravaganza, new 3TC episodes, etc. (Though for a while, we will make announcements both in our page and in the group, until we complete the transition).
- Our current group will be linked to the new page.
- That means that we need all of you to go to our new Facebook page (www.facebook.com/elcaymnet) and “like” it so our announcements show up in your feed. Go ahead. Do it now. We’ll wait….
- waiting…
- waiting…
- Ok. Thank you.
- The primary function of our group then will really be on engagement and support.
- To encourage this, we will make the group a “private” group, which means the content will not show up in the feed of friends, and will not be visible to “passers-by.” We will not make the group “secret” because we do want people to find the group.
- Please continue to keep in mind, even though the group will now be “private,” that with over 6,100 members, that “privacy” and “confidential” are not the same thing. As with anywhere, please show discretion in your posts.
Social media is always changing, and we need to change in order to make it work “best” for our community. Hopefully this adaptation will make our page and our group work the best for you. In the future, there may be new ways we can use groups to even better serve our community. More to come on that…
And in a year…after Facebook changes its structure again…we’ll probably need to change it again!
By the way, much of the thinking for how we’re revamping our Facebook presence came after listening to a podcast from Carey Neiuwhof, who interviewed Nona Jones, leader of Global Faith-Based Partnerships for Facebook (who knew there was such a thing!). The podcast is about how congregations can make best use of Facebook and it’s a pretty interesting conversation. You can find it here.
Have you “liked” our Facebook page yet?
Thanks, and God bless your ministry!
Networked in Christ,
Todd
Network is a Verb 
Good move. This is exactly why I have a page and group for my church as well!