There are so many Facebook Groups for Online Entrepreneurs. When I say Online Entrepreneurs, I mean anyone running an online business, which includes bloggers and online store owners. When I started Fashion and Style Police in 2012, there were only very few Facebook Groups available for online entrepreneurs. Fast forward to 2018, there are now hundreds if not thousands of groups available on Facebook and other social media platforms, which is great because it means there are groups that suit everyone’s needs.
The fact that there are so many Facebook groups available means it can be tricky to decide which ones to join and which to skip. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself before joining a Facebook group.
Will the Facebook Group be Useful?
What may be useful to Blogger A, may be of no use to Blogger B. So only join Facebook Groups that will be useful to your brand/business. There is no point seeing unnecessary information in your notifications box. There are so many groups available for various niches, countries and businesses, so stick to the ones you will find useful in growing your business/blog. For example, there is no point joining a group that is primarily for Travel Bloggers, if you are a Fashion Blogger. You will be bored in no time, and the readership won’t add any value to your blog.
Does the Timezone Work in your Favour?
There are groups set up all over Facebook in various countries and time zones. There is no point having a group that becomes active when you are asleep, except it is just for information purposes. So do consider the countries of majority of the group members to determine if it is the right group for you. Sometimes, I find it difficult to relate with people on a business level when they are in a different country. Their experiences are usually so different from my experiences .
What are the Admins Like?
I have had issues with a few admins in some groups. I am not a trouble maker but sometimes I find that trouble finds me. The first time I had an issue with an admin was about 2 years ago in the first Facebook Group I joined. Before the issue, I was not 100% happy with group. There were a lot of power drunk admins and cliques going on. It felt pretty much like I was back in high school again.
I was not a new blogger (been blogging for over 3 years when I joined the group), so I had an edge since I was not a new to whole blogging game. I saw a lot of wrong information being passed around and there was so much drama going on. My fall out finally happened with one of the power drunk admins, that felt threatened by me. He felt he was a guru in a particular niche and no one else was allowed to have an opinion on the niche, which I didn’t take lightly. A few words were exchanged and he finally kicked me out of the group which was fine by me 😂 . I was sick and tired of the continuous bickering going on there, so it was good to be kicked out.
My advice to anyone thinking of joining a Facebook Group is to find out how the admins are before you join if possible. So you avoid being in the wrong crowd.
Are you happy with the rules?
Check the rules and make sure you are happy with them. You can find most group’s rules pinned to the top. So have a read to make sure you are happy with the rules. And ask questions if you are not clear on any. Some group admins make the rules up as they go, which can be frustrating for many but the easiest way to deal with it is to leave if you are not happy with anything.
These are my golden rules for deciding on which Facebook groups to join. I have joined quite a few in the last year and I liked majority of them.
What do you think of Facebook Groups? Are you a fan of any in particular? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
