Options for Your Group's Web Presence
A new student group has many options to choose from when it comes to creating an online presence for their group. Below are listed several options that can be used with pros and cons for each one. Depending on what kind of options you want for your group online will help you decide which kind of web presence to create.
Sites such as Facebook and Twitter limit how many characters can go into their information blocks. For advice on what to put in your group's info block, click here.
Facebook Page
A Facebook page is our most recommended web presence. It is easy to create, maintain, and add to. It now allows for the creation of events and a larger amount of customization. Please consider using a page over a group at this point.
Facebook is always a great option for your group to choose. A FB page has plenty of space to post information about your group. However, a page cannot be set to private so if your group needs that feature then this may not be the option for you. A page on Facebook is easy to create as well as to manage and you can tap into the very large and extensive Facebook network to make your group easy to find for potential new members. You can create events on the page which will notify everyone in the group; although there is no way to message all fans of the page. If you choose this option, we recommend that you list ways to contact your group and your group's officers in the information section.
Pros: Large info section, easy to create and manage, can create events, lots of people use facebook
Cons: No way to message everyone, no privacy controls
Facebook Group (New Style)
Facebook has recently changed how groups work and act. Unfortunately to the detriment of some aspects our groups have found useful. A Facebook Page retains most of the functionality of the old group style, so if you are looking for that then I would recommend a page. However, groups do have some features that pages do not. FB Groups can be set to private or secret, which is great for some groups in certain circumstances. There is no longer group messaging, but groups now are offered their own email address which can be useful to many student organizations. The events function still exists here as it does on FB pages. The information space is much more limited here than on a page though, and that is something to consider if you intend to use Facebook as the landing site for potential or interested members.
Pros: Easy to create and manage, can create events, lots of people use facebook, privacy controls, email address
Cons: No way to message everyone, small info section
To create a Group, Click here and the option is on the left-hand side of the page.
GroupSpaces
GroupSpaces is a relatively new service that combines the functionality of old Facebook groups, mailing lists, and Google Docs. It is a great service but takes a bit more getting used to than a Facebook group does. The page is entirely customizable, similar to the customization available on a blog service. You can post unlimited amounts of information, so you are able to avoid the restrictions on Facebook and Twitter. It has group events functionality, similar to Facebook events; it even allows you to post events automatically on Facebook as Facebook events. It contains a mailing list that can hold up to 1,000 contacts for free. The original creator of the page needs to have an account on the site, though to be a member of the group it is not necessary to have a GroupSpaces account. Members of the group also have the ability to upload files and documents to the group, similar to Google Docs.
Pros: Fairly easy to use, includes a mailing list and email address, privacy options, event creation, plenty of space for group information, had functionality similar to Google Docs, not as public as Facebook.
Cons: Still a new service so it is somewhat unknown, not as easy to use as Facebook.
We have set up a handy page on how great this service is. Click here to find it.
To create an account click here or to create a group once you have an account, click here.
Twitter is a good option to consider, although its uses are limited. Your group's Twitter account can be set up as a private account where any followers will need to be approved or it can be open to anyone. The space given for information is very limited. If this is your only web presence, we very much recommend posting contact info and officer info before anything else. Twitter is a popular service, although not quite as big as Facebook, and that is important for people to be able to find your group's page. You cannot send a mass private message to all followers or anything along those lines; there is also no way to set up events such as on Facebook. Tweets are limited in amount of characters, so it may sometimes be hard to get your message across.
Pros: Easy to create and manage, large user base on the service, privacy options
Cons: No group messaging, small info section, no events function, limited "Tweet" size
To create an account, click here
Blogs
Blogs have a large set of advantages for making your group visible to the public, but the trade off is that they ultimately fail as a means to organize your members. An oft-updated blog will produce high search results in google, ensuring that your site is viewed by a comparatively large number of people. They are also easy to update and to maintain, with a lot of versatility in terms of content. For instance, facebook pages/groups have a certain set of options and that's what you have to work with. With a blog, your side bar can have any number of links, all customizable. If you don't like it on the side, it can easily be made into a header/footer. It really depends on what you want. You can even use widgets to augment the functionality of your blog.
Blogs are also a good fit no matter what your level of technical expertise. Someone with a minimal amount of experience with online writing can make solid use of a blog, while someone with a tremendous amount of experience will be able to find ways to really put those talents to use.
Sadly, there is no mass-messaging aspect to a blog. Also, making a blog private can be a lot of work which will alienate a lot of your members if you demand that level of privacy. A listserv should be operated alongside a blog to enable your group to contact its membership.
Pros: High traffic/visibility, versatility, ease of use.
Cons: Lousy as a means to organize members.
Websites
A website is a large responsibility to take on. It takes expertise that is usually only held by a couple members of a group, if any. If you create a web page for your group, then you will need to make sure there is someone who is able to manage the site after the site's creator has moved on. Privacy options can vary and there is any amount of space you want for information about your group. It looks professional to those who seek you out. However, you cannot message all your readers or send them event notifications. A listserv should be operated alongside a website to enable your group to contact its membership.
Pros: unlimited space for group info, somewhat more professional looking than other options
Cons: No way to contact membership, no event notification, takes a certain level of expertise to manage
Atheist Nexus (atheistnexus.com)
Atheist Nexus is a social network exclusively for non-believers. It operates a lot like Facebook with one exception; all profiles and groups must be approved first by the site administration. This can be a great place for your group's page, as long as you realize that only those active as atheists, agnostics, etc. will be active on the site. If you are looking to reach a larger audience in the same type of medium, Facebook may be a better alternative for you. Your group on Atheist Nexus can be set to private but the information section is limited. It is pretty easy to create and administer a group on it and you can message all members of the group although there is no event creation option.
Pros: Privacy settings, easy to create and manage, can message all members
Cons: Limited audience, no event notifications, limited info space
Google Groups
Google Groups is a service gaining popularity. You can create an account for your group and one of the perks is that it also comes with an email address you can use to communicate within those in the group and without. A group can be set to private but there is limited space for an information section. It is relatively easy to create and there is group messaging, though there is no way to set up events other than through group messages. It is not a good thing to have as your only online presence but it may go well if used in conjunction with another type of web presence.
Pros: Privacy settings, easy to create and manage. group messages, group email address
Cons: not hugely popular yet, no event creation, should not be used independently, limited info space
To create a group, click here
Submitted by nick.stancato on Fri, 11/26/2010 - 23:23
