As an admin on several Facebook groups, I have learned many things about being an admin that I would like to pass along to anyone who is going to start a Facebook group. Many of the things are simple, but others are important to the integrity of the group.
How to deal with spammers
Facebook groups are a favorite place for spammers to try to get people hooked to their crap in a way that seems safe because, hey, we are part of the same group that is interested in doing good in our community so why would someone use this group to phish for gullible people?
So how do you deal with this? First of all, if you are going to be the only admin, you need to be the only one to control who is added to the group. This can be done in the settings. Allowing anyone to approve adding people to the group gives control away and allows the group to become something you never intended it to be. If you started the group, then you admin the group and only you approve who joins.
What should the settings be?
My rule of thumb is that my settings are as controlled as possible. Depending on what the group is for, you may want to set it to secret - no one can even find the group if you don't tell them about it. I used this for a neighborhood group (more on that later) that was just for people in our neighborhood so we could communicate. There's also a setting that is private that allows anyone to see an entry page for the group, but they have to asked to be added, and the admin is the one who can approve. This is useful for, say, class reunion groups. Then there's the least restrictive setting that is open. This setting allows anyone to see the group, who is in it, what people have posted...and this is the one that needs the control for who is approved for the group. Unless the setting is changed, anyone can add and anyone can approve people in the group. Just decide what the group is for and what the target audience is and you will know what settings are appropriate.
How do I know who not to let into the group?
This is the tricky part.
In an open group, you might want anyone to be able to join without restriction. I admin a group for a youth sports league. I don't want to restrict who can see what is happening with the league, so anything but open is not what I want. I do, however, want to be the only one who is the admin so that if someone slips in that should not be there, I have the option to remove them from the group - this includes spammers.
How do I know they are spammers? If you see that someone has posted something that looks like an ad, and you have no idea why that particular ad would be on the group page, then this is usually a spammer. You can also tell if you go to that person's wall. If this individual has just joined Facebook or doesn't have any friends...or isn't connected to anyone else in the group in any way, then this person is a spammer. Go to the list of members, search for this person, and then block them. You may have to do this over and over, but eventually it will be less and less often.
Now that I have a group, how much control do I actually have?
You have all the control. Facebook links groups you created to your personal page. This makes you responsible for everything posted on that group page. Comments that can be construed as racist or pornographic can come back to you.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: You can delete anything you deem offensive or anything that is not appropriate for the group. I know people will cry censorship, but you have the right to remove any inappropriate comments from any group you admin. Some would say you have an obligation to do so.
I ran into this in the neighborhood group I started. When I created the group, I intended it to be for all of my neighbors...even those with whom I had no desire to be friends. That wasn't part of my intention. I don't have to be friends with everyone to allow them to be part of something that is for a neighborhood. I intended for the homeowners to be able to communicate with each other, and it worked really great at times...like when cars were being broken in to, or when the pool had to be closed for maintenance. But there were times when some people decided to use the page to slander others and this was unacceptable. Posts were deleted, and people cried foul....and it always happened to be the 30-something dead-beat son of a homeowner who was living off mom and dad because he is just a loser (my opinion, deal with it). You have to deal with people like him, but you don't have to be bullied by them. It is your group, your Facebook, and therefore, your right to censor if need be.
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