Are Facebook Groups Over?

As founders of large scale, community driven Facebook groups, Emmy and Naomi have watched the rise and closure of other groups with great interest. As part of their Conversations About Community series, they discuss the recent closure of several Facebook groups with memberships in the tens of thousands and ask the question “Are Facebook Groups Over?”

Emmy‘s Thoughts

Another week, another large Facebook Group closure. It seems to be the latest trend. Hot on the heels of everyone who is anyone telling you that if you were in business you needed to have a Facebook group so that you could build community comes the new advice to shut it down if it isn’t working for you because Facebook groups are over. Or are they? Maybe we’ve just been looking at them the wrong way.

It’s no wonder we’re confused.

Having run groups for Amsterdam Mamas on Facebook since 2010 it’s been interesting to watch this phenomenon of “build your community on Facebook!” sweep through an industry and especially interesting to observe the reactions to the rise and fall as people learned how to leverage Facebook groups for business.

As big names in the industry now begin to close the groups they started we are observing a range of emotional reactions from the participants of the groups. Some are supportive of the closure…