Facebook is testing out a couple of new features for Groups. These features include a new easy way to access users’ favourite Facebook Groups, along with the introduction of chat, audio, and feed channels. Facebook group admins will now be able to create channels in the groups that are focused spaces for people to connect in smaller, more casual settings within their communities. Another feature will include Discord-style community audio channels, which will allow admins and group members to casually jump in and out of audio conversations in real-time.
Meta owned Facebook has announced that it is testing a new sidebar that will help users find their favourite groups more quickly on the platform. The sidebar will list the groups and the latest activities like new posts or chats that have been missed in the group. This feature will also allow the users to pin their favourite groups, discover new groups, or even create their own.
As per the announcement, Facebook group admins will be able to create channels within their groups, allowing them to interact in “smaller, more casual settings where they can have deeper discussions on common interests or organise their communities around topics in different formats.”
This feature will also include the audio channels in the Facebook Groups. It will allow the admins and group members to casually jump in and out of audio conversations in real-time. This feature is very similar to the Discord voice chats.
In addition to the chat and audio channels, Facebook Groups will also include community feed channels for the community members to connect more conveniently. Through this feature, “admins can interact and post comments in their communities around topics within the group in their own time.”
As mentioned above, Meta’s new features for the Facebook Groups are currently in the testing phase. We can expect it to reach all the users, probably in the coming months.