Facebook: Groups, Pages, and Profiles

One of the questions I hear most often about Facebook involves the differences and advantages between profiles, pages, and groups. Facebook is growing and evolving quickly and it can be confusing at times. So, to help your group avoid confusion, here is my short and simple breakdown of who belongs where in the Facebook universe complete with a little example using my favorite North Carolina Senator.

Profiles: These are intended for individuals and their personal relationships, friends, contacts, etc. Everyone who is on Facebook has a profile and profiles are needed to set up all other accounts on Facebook.

Groups: Groups are informal and can be set up by anyone about any topic. These are best for ideas, opposition to certain bills, informal functions, etc.

Pages: Pages work best for public figures, organizations, websites, etc. Pages are more formal than profiles in the sense that they are run by the organization and function much like an extension of the group’s website. These are hands-down the best choice for most formal conservative entities (politicians, GOP groups, Conservative websites, advocacy groups, etc). For more information on pages, see “6 Tips for Building Effective Facebook Pages.”

Here’s an example of how Sen. Richard Burr could use each of the different platforms:

• Profile: Sen. Burr could set up his own profile where he could connect and interact with his friends, family members, staff, etc. Profiles are intended to be personal and work best when they are run by the person they represent.
• Page: This would be for his public presence. Ideally, Sen. Burr’s staff would treat his Facebook page as a media outlet where they could update fans on his voting record, publicize campaign stops, discuss his opposition or support for certain legislation, etc. Successful pages are frequently updated and experience a high level of fan engagement.
• Groups: A group for Sen. Burr would be set up by a staffer, friend, or supporter and would ideally be more specific. Here supporters could talk about a specific goal for Senator Burr (i.e. reelection) or their agreement of his position on a certain bill.

If the difference between Profiles and Pages is still confusing, note the different terms used for connecting with others through the two functions. On a profile, a personal connection is listed as a “friend” whereas a person who is connected to a page is termed a “fan.”  Profiles are personal. Pages are public.

There’s a lot more that goes in to deciding the best approach, but the general rule of thumb is that if you are looking to set up an official Facebook presence for your candidate or group, you need to be setting up a Facebook Page.

If you have more questions about setting up an account on Facebook, leave a comment on this post or e-mail Jessica.