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Facebook Groups for Grownups

I used to think Facebook was for kids.

But I recently learned that Facebook Groups - any Facebook member can create and manage them - offer great opportunities for people to reconnect. Yes, Facebook Groups are even good for grownups - maybe even especially good for grownups.

Sometimes, unfortunately, sad news is the mother of invention.

Jarred by the news of the recent deaths of two prep school classmates, and motivated by the "better late than never" principle, I decided to finally do something remotely related to my former titular role as senior class president - namely, setting up a social networking group so old (and I mean OLD) class chums can share news (maybe even some GOOD news) and reconnect a bit.

Setting up is easy.

It took all of five minutes to create the group and send invitations to the handful of my Facebook Friends who were prep school classmates. People started joining up. Our alumni office sent out an e-mail blast informing classmates of the Facebook Group. Group members invited their Facebook Friends to join.

When you create a Facebook Group, you can make it open, closed, or secret. With closed groups (that's how I set up this one) people become members by invitation from, or approval by, a group administrator. Only members of closed groups can see what's posted on the group's pages. Conveniently, a group creator can make other group members administrators, and I did just that, to share the wealth and burden.

Unique features of Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups offer several of the features of a personal Facebook Profile along with some additional ones.

Members can add photos, videos, links and wall postings. In addition, Facebook Groups offer Discussion Boards and administrative features like "Message All Members".

One of the things I really like about Facebook Groups - and you might, too - is that you don't have to be Facebook Friends with anyone in the group in order to join it, and being a member doesn't MAKE you Facebook Friends with anyone.

That's a great feature, especially if you'd like to reconnect with acquaintances but don't necessarily want them to see all your Facebook business.

My Evolution as a Facebooker

Being a Web designer, I originally joined Facebook just to see wuzzup with it. I Friended Friends and relatives. Then I Friended Friends of Friends, Friends of relatives, relatives of Friends, relatives of relatives.

Then I started seeing WAY more information about my Friends than I needed. (Do I really need to know that Dennis is tired and ready for bed or that Betsy just changed her relationship status or that Marilyn is dreading going to work - again?)

Learning I could unfriend Friends relatively surreptitiously, I did exactly that.

While I haven't unfriended everyone yet, most of my Facebook time these days is spent loitering in the groups I've created or joined.

One of our neighbors created a Neighborhood Homeowners Group, where we discuss Yard Sales and conduct our own online version of Neighborhood Watch.

And I recently created another alumni group, this one for contemporaries of my hometown public school system.

Notwithstanding the current hot debate over the new Facebook interface, I think you might like Facebook Groups. Give them a try.