Death of the Facebook Group

Several weeks back, Facebook went through yet another massive overhaul of their site. Facebook has been no stranger to change (anyone remember when you had to type in www.thefacebook.com?), but this most recent metamorphosis killed off one of the original features: Groups. Yes, Groups still exist on Facebook’s network, but let’s examine how useless they have become.

1.) I’m looking at my FB landing page right now and see nothing about groups. I see Twitter-like real time status updates from several of my friends. I see pictures they have posted, and even some trivia games they have played, but absolutely nothing about groups. That could be because there has been no activity in the groups I’m in, but that leads me to point #2.

2.) Not only is there nothing about activity from a group I’m a member of, but there isn’t even a link for Groups anymore. The fastest way I’ve found to locate the Anti-Jean Shorts Group I’m a member of is to click Profile>Info, then scroll to the bottom. Not just one click, but two! I know that seems critical, but Facebook would not place something they thought was valuable more than one click away.

3.) Third and most importantly is the evolution of the Fan Page. In it’s inception, Fan Pages were rather boring. You could become a fan of your favorite musician, politician, or movie, but that was where the interaction ended. Today, you have the ability to view Fan Page updates on your main feed and post to the Fan Page’s wall. For someone who owns a Fan Page (this is the part that should make an advertiser salivate), you can view number of page views you’ve had and the demographics of whose viewing your page. On a lighter note, Fan Pages have begun to take on the comical titles that were once reserved for Groups. On my feed today, I see 3 friends have become a fan of “The sound crinkled paper makes when turned in a book.”

For now, it seems the preferred avenue for creating an online presence through Facebook is now the Fan Page, and the Group is dead. So, goodbye Brushing Teeth In Shower=Effective Time Management Group. I hope to see your Fan Page soon.