Facebook recently released it’s new and improved Groups system, improving a stone-age feature into a more robust and advanced system. The premise behind Facebook Groups is that a user can create a group for friends, family, or co-workers, and that can serve as a meeting place on Facebook. Instead of using messages and comments to organize events or discuss certain topics, a group makes it easy for like-minded people to communicate. A Facebook group gives those people a central location, which spurs on more organized conversation.

Just The Facts, Please

The premise and usability of Facebook Groups is pretty basic. Unlike it’s more public counterpart, fan pages, a Facebook group requires little to no maintenance. You simply type in the name of your group, a brief description if necessary, and whether your group will be public, private, or secret. After you create your group, you may change any of these options.

When a group is formed, the creator adds people to the group. Once the creator adds an individual, they are in that group but can opt to leave the group. This can be done at the bottom of the left column, by clicking “Leave Group.” (Image 1) If you are the creator of a group, this option will be at the bottom of the right column. (Image 2)

Image 1

Image 2

A group functions much like a fan page–videos, pictures, and even documents can be added. Unfortunately, Facebook does not allow you to upload your own documents (ex. Word files) but that may come in the future. The documents section of the new Facebook Groups reminds me a lot of Google Wave (R.I.P.) and with later developments, it may get to that point, too.

What About Old Groups?

If you were a member of a group before the revamping of the Facebook Group layout, the group will remain in the older format. Facebook did not migrate formats when they made the most recent improvements. That would have simply taken too much time and resources.

If you’re looking to access your older groups, click on the “See All…” link in the left side navigation pane. (Image 3) Any groups doting the newer format will appear in your navigation pane in their own section and will appear next to the group icon.

Image 3

Other Notes

I like the way the new improvements to Facebook Groups; things are much easier to use and appear less cluttered compared to older formats of the Groups function. I think that Groups have a lot to offer, especially to teams of people and individuals who need to collaborate on documents and don’t want to use a Google account.

I’d like to set the record straight–a group should be created if what you are attempting to do is private or conversational, such as a class reunion page or high school science group project. If you are trying to gather a lot of support for a cause or a silly concept, go with a fan page. This will make your life much easier and will gain you a lot of exposure.

I think that Facebook has made great strides in reorganizing and updating Groups. The updates might make more people aware of the potential of groups and subsequently cut back on a lot of the fan pages that are created for private groups or organizations.

.

Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

Business executives and coaches constantly debate on the one asset that is needed to succeed in the business world. Some individuals say that charisma is essential, others note teamwork as indispensable. Still, a third group states that each individual situation calls for different leadership styles.

Above all else, success in the business world depends on your network. You can have charisma, the ability to lead a team, money, and heart but if you don’t have a network of connections that can help your business, you won’t make it very far.

Developing or growing your network is easy, especially with LinkedIn. Let’s take a look at how you can use LinkedIn Groups to form a helpful and formidable group of allies in your niche.

What are LinkedIn Groups?

LinkedIn Groups are communities of people with one particular interest or quality in common. There are a wide range of LinkedIn Groups, including groups for marketers, musicians, evangelists, and comic book fans. Whatever your niche or interest, there is probably a group. If there isn’t, you have the ability to create a group in order to build a community of like-minded individuals.

How do LinkedIn Groups operate?

LinkedIn Groups operate like message boards. Members can post topics, articles, or interesting facts and other members can comment appropriately. It’s a great way to spur on communication and to build rapport with people who are a similar mindset or interest.

LinkedIn recently revamped their Groups section and now users can “Like” other posts and a most popular posts feed displays when you first enter the group, giving it more of a Facebook-ish feel. Some Groups also have sections for job postings and promoting your work, which only increases the usefulness of the group.

How can I use a group to grow my network?

There are three ways that you can use a LinkedIn Group to grow your network. First, you can post various articles and opinionated questions in order to generate responses from others. Once members have responded, continue the conversation and build rapport. There is no point to post threads if you’re not going to respond to the insight other people have given.

Second, respond to postings that other members started. This will show that you are an outgoing person and that you don’t mind sharing your opinion. Just as if you were starting the thread, be sure to respond when someone else comments on your thoughts. Generating conversation builds trust and influence.

Finally, you can use the Members tab to see the members of the group and you can strike up private conversations with individuals. If you are looking for individuals in the Chicago area to meet and brainstorm marketing ideas, you might go through the members of various marketing groups and ask Chicago-based professionals if they would be interested in attending. If you go this route, make sure that you don’t come across as a spammer. No one likes people who spam and are only looking out for themselves.

Once you have found some interesting people, whether its through conversation or the membership list, send them an invitation to join your network. If they find that you would be a beneficial part of their circle, they’ll accept.

There you have it–growing your network through LinkedIn Groups.

.

Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by tychay

You aren’t alone.  Maintaining a fresh and updated social network is hard, even for people who live and breathe social media.  It’s tough to stay connected with your current friends or followers and still branch out to meet new people.

Even though it’s a tough task to conquer, there are a few ways you can expand your network with little to no effort.  One of the most efficient ways that I have found to branch out to others is through LinkedIn Groups.

LinkedIn Groups have a simple concept – collaboration and networking – and it is easy to join a group and interact with other group members.  There is a LinkedIn Group for nearly every subject or hobby so you won’t need to dig deep to find a group that fits your needs or expertise.  Once you are approved for a group, you have free reign to respond and create various topics and threads.  Easy, huh?

Simple Math

I have always thought that groups on social networking sites were for the birds.  How can they help me connect with others?  What point do they serve?  Well, the math for creating successful networking is simple…

Easy-to-use Platform + Common Interest + Conversation = Consistent Networking

LinkedIn Groups follows this basic line of thinking.

Easy-to-use Platform

Websites such as Facebook and Greenlight Community are great websites.  They serve a purpose and connect people together.  However, they do not have easy-to-use group functionality.  In fact, they are tough to manage and maintain.

On the flip side, LinkedIn Groups is a platform that is designed for efficiency and ease.  As I stated earlier, LinkedIn Groups function through conversations, or threads, which have been started by group members or the group admin.  Group members are not forced to talk about a certain topic or thread.  In fact, you can talk about whatever you’d like in relation to the topic of your group.

Common Interest

There is rarely downtime in a LinkedIn Group.  If a member is not starting a new thread, a current topic is being discussed.  The reason why there is no downtime is because everyone has a shared interest.  Without a shared interest, group members would be fishing for topics of conversation.  However, since each member knows that everyone has a common interest, there is a starting point for conversation.

Conversation

The conversation that takes place on some group websites is forced.  Topics of conversation are decided by the admin, new topics are not posted regularly, and no one thoroughly exhausts a topic.  LinkedIn Groups are different.

In LinkedIn Groups, a user can decide if they’d like to respond to a created topic or they can create their own.  This choice empowers the group member.  With this sense of empowerment, a group member remains dedicated to the conversation and routinely follows up with the other topic participants.

Consistent Networking

All of the components described in this article add up to create consistent networking.  With a platform that is easily managed, a common interest, and limitless conversation topics, LinkedIn Groups is a place that can help you grow and develop your network into more than you hoped.

Remember, when it comes down to the 11^th hour, it isn’t what you know.  Instead, it’s whom you know.  If you regularly manage and create connections via LinkedIn Groups, you will have a network that supports you.  Who doesn’t want that kind of network?

.

Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by Thomas Hawk