That’s the question of the day.  What's the difference between a Page and a Group?  Before Facebook’s most recent makeover, I would have said: Not a heck of a lot.  It took me a while to get used to the “new” Facebook but, being me, I jumped right in to figure it out.

I now find the differences between Groups and Pages to be enough to  warrant putting some thought into your choice.

Facebook Group

I will liken a Group to a club.  It can represent anything: business, person, movie, sorority, your baby, lavender bath soap, the color white, lizards…you get the picture.

The Group creator decides who can join: everyone on Facebook, networks, only those invited, etc. 

Group members, depending on how the creator set it up, can post links, comments, images and/or videos.  The Group creator and administrators are visible and you can also choose “officers,” which you can title yourself.

As long as your group is under 5,000 members you can send out mass private messages to their inbox or selectively choose whom to send messages to.  When someone posts something new to a group, there is no real time notification to the members, although, if your settings allow, you will be notified if someone replies comments on something you posted on the Group.

Whom do I think Groups are good for?

1. Users who want to be able to approve or invite only selected potential members.  Class reunions/classmates, work colleagues, clubs, families and other similar entities.

2. Unofficial place to discuss topics, people of interest, etc.  Politics, religion, beer, travel, Disneyland, baking, Brad Pitt’s movies, etc.

Facebook Pages

Pages are public once they are published and operate nearly identically to a profile page (your personal Facebook account page).  They are meant to represent an organization or industry brand, movie, band, artist, public figure, celebrity, etc. and Facebook users can become “fans” of your Page.  This makes them like a friend on a profile page and they will get real time notifications of your Page activity via their newsfeed.  You cannot privately message all Page fans like you can with Group members.

To create a Page you are supposed to be the official representative for whom you are creating the Page.  I have heard that Facebook has a Page filter with names of a lot of the larger public profiles and will ask if you to prove you are the official representative if you, for example, attempt to create a Page for someone like Brad Pitt, Toyota or The Killers. 

Once you create a Page, you are an administrator and can choose from Page fans or use e-mail addresses to add others as Page administrator.  No one can ever see who administrates a Page.  When an administrator posts information on their Page, it shows as the brand/entity making the post.

Depending on what type of service you are representing, you will be given different options for your page.  Bands are automatically given Page properties supporting music-type services, businesses are given business-type layouts.  More and more app developers are creating apps for Pages, also.

The biggest bling Pages has to offer is their “insights.”  It is Facebook’s own analytics collecting who has been to your Page, who your fans are, basic demographics and if anyone has interacted with information off your Page.

Whom do I think Pages are good for?

1. Those wanting to market their business product or themselves.

2. Those wanting to create a place to interact with their clientele and have their clientele interact with one another.

3. Those wanting to spread a grassroots message to support a cause.

You can read more about Pages and Groups on Facebook.  The most important issue to consider is, do you have someone who can spend the time building a Page or Group on Facebook, which I mean to include being on Facebook, inviting users, responding to comments and questions and posting engaging content to provoke interaction?

Social networking is an amazing resource for marketing.  I say, Get yourself ready and go for it!

Donna Winter
Project Development and Marketing Coordinator
Totera Web Systems

e-mail Donna