Facebook groups
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Facebook is testing Discord-like audio channels in Groups
Facebook is testing audio channels, which will bring Discord-like voice chats to Groups, as well as other new "channels" features for Groups.
Facebook will punish rule breakers by down-ranking their posts in groups
Facebook is taking new steps to crack down on groups users who break its rules, even when they have done so in other parts of the app.
Facebook Groups can now have dedicated topic 'experts'
Facebook is starting to roll out a new “expert” label for group members who have expertise in an area related to the group’s interests.
Facebook removes ‘Stop the Steal’ group after ‘worrying calls for violence’
Facebook has taken down a viral group with hundreds of thousands of members after “worrying calls for violence” and efforts to organize offline events.
Facebook pauses recommendations of political and social issues groups
The company quietly stopped doing so ahead of the presidential election.
Facebook will start surfacing public group posts in News Feeds
Admins will have more ways to manage conversations and monetize groups.
Facebook will no longer recommend health groups
Facebook says that groups dedicated to health-related topics are no longer eligible to appear in recommendations.
Facebook's first ever Super Bowl ad will focus on Groups
Facebook has attempted to overcome a year of PR disasters with some high-profile adverts for its services featuring celebrities, such as Portal commercials starring Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook taking this one step further by airing a Super Bowl ad.
Facebook adds new ways for public figures to make money and stay safe
Facebook wants to make it easier for famous people to engage with their fans on the site. That's why the company is launching new ways for Facebook users to interact with public figures they follow, be it internet creators, authors, athletes or sports teams. As part of these efforts, Facebook has started testing a feature that will let multiple public figure accounts contribute to the same Facebook Story during an event, plus a new tool in News Feed that's going to recommend people public figures they should follow. These suggestions, naturally, will be based on content you've engaged with on Facebook or other famous people you follow already.
Facebook simplifies its Group privacy settings
Facebook wants to make it easier to understand its Group privacy settings. It's doing away with public, closed or secret settings. Instead, Groups will be "private" or "public." Facebook claims this will simplify who can find a Group and see its members and posts.
Facebook was granted a patent to silo group posts
Moderators of Facebook Groups could soon get more leeway in controlling who sees the comments made on their forums. The US Patent Office today granted Facebook a patent for content moderation that would let moderators limit viewership of posts by "problem" users. Gizmodo, which reported the news, described it as a patent for "shadowbanning." The company, along with other social media giants like Twitter and Instagram, have been accused by critics of engaging in the practice of secretly restricting who sees a user's content.
Recommended Reading: Undercover moms battle autism 'cure' on Facebook
Parents are poisoning their children with bleach to 'cure' autism. These moms are trying to stop it. Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News Don't believe everything you read on the internet, especially in 2019. An autism "cure" is currently making the rounds in Facebook groups that advises parents to give children bleach to remedy the condition. This is completely untrue -- there is no cure for autism -- and some moms are going undercover to fight back.
Facebook’s ‘privacy-focused’ plan is another diversion
When Mark Zuckerberg took the stage at F8 2019, he once again outlined the company's new "privacy-focused" vision. It's a message he's been spreading over the past few months, and it will focus on six key principles: encryption, interoperability, ephemerality, safety, secure data storage and private interactions. While Zuckerberg went all in on how Facebook-owned apps will soon work seamlessly together, and how private conversations will play a key role, he seemed unaware the new plan could create problems of its own.
A closer look at the redesigned Facebook app
Out of all the announcements Facebook made at its F8 2019 developers conference, one of the most important was the redesign of its core smartphone app. The new application, which has been updated with what Facebook is calling the "FB5" version, is now cleaner, faster and puts Groups front and center. And, as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "The app isn't even blue anymore." That's the first thing you'll notice when you check out the new app, which is rolling out to users starting today. If you use Messenger, the white-covered design of the FB5 Facebook app will feel quite familiar.
Facebook helps you grow your social circle with ‘Meet New Friends’
Facebook is introducing a feature called "Meet New Friends" at F8 2019, its annual developers conference. The company says that Meet New Friends is designed to help users start friendships with others from their shared communities on Facebook, such as the city you live in, the school you go/went to or the place you work at. Since this may raise privacy concerns, which is the last thing the company needs right now, Facebook is quick to point out that Meet New Friends is an opt-in tool. That means you'll only come across other people who have turned the feature on, and the same goes for you populating on someone else's feed.
Facebook groups for buying and selling credit cards still abound
We might think that stolen credit cards and personal information only get traded on the dark web, but the information is moving in plain sight on Facebook. According to intelligence firm Cisco Talos, there are dozens of groups on the social network that rather explicitly buy and sell credit card numbers and other stolen information. The security firm tracked 74 groups in total that have approximately 385,000 members.
Dropbox teams up with Facebook to let folks share stuff within Groups
You never really know what to expect when two of the bigger names in tech join forces and announce something fresh. In some cases you may see an end result of things like that RAZR i, but when Dropbox and Facebook are involved, you can surely bet it has to do with sharing something with your pals -- and such is the case today. Dropbox announced earlier that it's now allowing folks to share files with their friends inside Facebook Groups, giving users the ability to instantly post anything from notes to videos with a couple of simple clicks. Of course, those on the other side will be able to like what you share, leave comments, as well as be updated automatically as soon as an edit has been made. At the moment, not everyone's seeing the changes just yet, though Dropbox has said it shouldn't be too long before most people can spot the new feature.
Facebook launches 'groups for schools,' keeps enrollment tight
It's no secret that Facebook encourages users to spend as much time as possible on the site, doing things like sharing photos, playing games, chatting, and of course, sharing status updates. Now, the company is giving students a reason to visit that's actually related to academics. 'Groups for schools' creates a virtual venue for collegiate collaboration, letting students and faculty members share un-copyrighted files within the groups created for their sports teams, clubs and even individual classes. There is a file limit of 25MB in play, so consider those dreams of sharing videos and zipped up apps crushed -- you'll also need to provide a .edu address that matches the school before Facebook grants you admission. At first, online cliques will be limited to colleges in the US, though global institutions will eventually be permitted to join in on the fun as well. In the meantime, who knows -- perhaps Dropbox will also launch some kind of super-secret, exclusive club in the near future.
Facebook app for Windows Phone gets upgraded, redesigned
Here's some news to brighten up your day: the Facebook client for Windows Phone has just been updated to version 2.3, bringing with it a host of enhanced features. Precise details remain a bit fuzzy at the moment, though in an announcement on its Facebook page, the app maker confirmed that the refresh will bring a redesigned profile and panoramic design, along with "news feed performance improvements," including support for filters. Other "focus areas" include support for Facebook Groups, pages and banner images, which can now be changed directly from a user's handset. The update is supposed to be available today, though at the time of this writing, it has yet to appear on the Marketplace. Once it hits, you'll be able to grab it from the coverage link below.
