What Are the Types of Groups on Facebook and Which Should You Choose?

Facebook groups are a whole new world in themselves. You can connect with people who share the same interests using Facebook Groups. Last year, Facebook made a few changes to groups. They killed some group types and introduced a few new ones. If you are wondering what the different types of groups are on Facebook and which group type you should choose, you are in the right place.

Facebook groups are of various types. They are categorized according to their functionality/purpose and privacy. We covered the differences between Facebook groups based on their privacy, such as closed, private, and visible. Here we offer you general, trading, business, video games, social learning, etc. We will describe how the various types of groups differ, such as

Let’s check out the different types of Facebook groups and how to change the group type.

How to Change Facebook Group Type on Mobile and Desktop

Group administrators get certain unique functions, and changing the group type is one of them. Only administrators can change the group type. Moderators do not have the privilege to use this option. The administrator can change the group type at any time. Every time you change the group type, it will be posted in the group discussion section to inform everyone about the same.

Open the Facebook group on the Facebook website. Click on Settings from the left panel. In Settings, scroll down and click the edit button next to Group type under the Add extra features section.

Note: When you change the group type, refresh the page to see the new group tools.

To change the group type in Facebook mobile apps, open the group and tap the badge icon. Select Group Settings and then Group type.

You can check the group type in the About section of the group.

What Happens When You Change the Group Type?

When you change the group type, existing posts are not deleted even if they were created as a different group type. You will only lose templates you received in different group types.

Types of Facebook Groups

As of now, Facebook offers seven different types of groups. Each group type adds extra functions and features to meet the creators intent. What are these functions? Let’s check.

1. General

This is the basic group type with the standard toolset. Properties found in the generic group type will apply to all other group types. If you don’t choose a group type, your group will be kept as Public group. In a public group type, admins, moderators, and other group members can only post regular posts in the Discussion section.

You can add GIFs, polls, files, documents, photos and videos to your posts. You can even create events, ask for recommendations, create a room or start a live video. All these features will appear in other group types as well.

note: Rooms in groups can only be created from profiles without using a Facebook page.

2. Buy and Sell

One of the most popular types of Facebook groups is Buy and Sell. As the name suggests, you can buy and sell your products in the group using Facebook’s tools. Alongside the usual Discussion you will get a new section called Buy and sell in this group type.

You can list your items for sale using the existing form that appears by clicking the sell something button. In the form, you will be asked to include photos of the item you are selling, its price, condition, and item description.

Below is an example of buy and sell posts after they are published. As you can see, the price is prominently featured along with a dedicated Message button. Instead of deleting your item, you can mark it as sold.

3. Jobs

The Jobs group also offers a custom template for creating job postings.

The job template includes details such as job title, location, type, description, salary range.

Interested people should click the Apply button to continue.

4. to work

In this group, you get a template for creating work shifts that others can cover. Another interesting thing about the group is that others can contact you on Messenger without being friends. Usually, requests from strangers end up in the Message Request folder on Facebook. This won’t be here as the messages will land in your inbox.

As a post creator you can add details like location, start and end date/time. As a viewer, you can contact the streamer directly using the Message button.

5. Social Learning

Social Learning is a type of group designed for educational purposes. Admin can organize published posts in various units or sections. The order of the posts can be changed in each unit so that the viewer can pass through them in an orderly manner. You can even change the landing page to Units instead of Discussion in this group. Most of these features will work for an administrator when using Facebook on a computer and not via mobile apps.

To create a new volume, go to the Units tab. Create new chapters manually or add posts from group members as chapters in your unit. For the latter, click the three-dot icon next to the posted post and select Add post to unit.

Because the group is interactive, members can click on what I do while interacting with the unit. The group admin or teacher can track members’ progress using group insights.

6. Game

This type allows you to host game tournaments for group members. After switching to the Playgroup type, a new Gaming tab will be added to the group. You can see the available games that can be played with other group members.

Note: The Games tab seems to work fine on mobile rather than PC.

When an admin hosts a group, a post is created in the group. Others can join and play the game.

7. Parenting

Finally, we have the Parenting group. Introduced in June 2020, this group is mainly designed for new parents. The group allows you to establish one-on-one mentorship with members. Group members can also post anonymously using the Anonymous option that appears when creating a post.

In anonymous posts, other members cannot see the name of the person who created the post. However, admins and moderators can still see it.

Another great feature of the band are the badges. Members can choose badges that show their parenting milestones or experience. Even administrators can assign badges. The badge only appears next to their name in the group.

Which one to use

It depends on your usage. As you can see above, each group type offers a host of new features while keeping all the features of the General type. If you cannot find a suitable group type, continue with General.

Search Could Be Better

Although Facebook (FB) offers group search, it lacks filters by group type. All groups get the same filters, which doesn’t help much. It would be interesting to have a specific set of filters depending on the group type. For example, in a Buy and Sell Facebook group, a specific product can be searched in a price range.

Next: Be mindful of your privacy when using Facebook. Check out the 9 privacy settings you need to change for a better experience from the next link.