Angela Crocker

Write. Teach. Organize.

Delete Unused Facebook Groups

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Digital Cleanse Day 18:

Delete Unused Facebook Groups

Do you know how to delete unused Facebook groups? Its a handy skill if you, like me, have some old groups lingering on your profile.

Facebook groups are a great tool for connecting with people with common interests. There are three kinds of groups public, private and secret. Public groups are visible to anyone on Facebook including the posts and member list. In private groups, the member list is visible to all Facebook users but the posts with the group are for group members only.  Both public and private groups turn up in search. Secret groups are hidden. Only members can see the membership list and posts. Secret groups do not show up in search.

You’ve Been Added to a Group

Many people are frustrated because any Facebook friend can add you to a group. This is fine if you’re interested in the topic. Unfortunately, a lot of “added to group” moments feel like a full case of spam just arrived on your doorstep.

Groups You’re In

If you are a member of a group that no longer interests you, you can leave the group. To leave, do this:

  1. Go to the home page for the group.
  2. Hover over the “Joined” button.
  3. Click “Leave Group” from the drop-down menu.
    Hover over Joined then click leave group
  4. A pop-up will ask you if you want to leave the group.
  5. If you are sure, click “Leave Group”

Pop up - do you want to leave group?

That’s it. You’re outta there! Phew!

Groups You Manage

If you are a group admin, leaving is a slightly more complicated process. To leave, do this:

  1. Go to the home page for the group.
  2. Hover over the “Joined” button.
  3. Click “Leave Group” from the drop-down menu.
  4.  A pop-up will ask you if you want to give up your admin privileges and leave the group.
    TIP: You have the option to assign another admin before you leave the group. See below.
  5. If you are sure, click “Leave Group”

Pop-up - give up admin and leave group?

To Assign a New Admin

In a Facebook group, you can assign a new admin for a group:

  1. Go to the members list.
  2. Find the member(s) you wish to make admin.
  3. Click the gear icon.
  4. Click “Make Admin” on the drop-down menu.
    Make admin
  5. A pop-up will ask for confirmation.
  6. If you are sure, click “Make Admin”.
    Pop-up Add group admin

To Close a Facebook Group

If you are the admin for a Facebook group, you can delete the group. Follow these steps:

  1. Go to the member list.
  2. Click on the gear icon for one member.
  3. Click “Remove from Group”.
    Day 18 remove from group
  4. A pop-up will appear asking if you are sure. Click “Confirm”.
    Day 18 remove from group2
  5. Repeat steps 2 – 4 for each group member.
  6. When only the admin (that’s you) remains, go to the group’s home page.
  7. Hover over “Joined”.
  8. Click “Leave Group” from the drop-down menu.
  9. A pop-up appears to confirm you want to leave and delete the group.
    Day 18 last admin leaves and deletes the group
  10. If you’re sure, click “leave and delete”.
    Note: All group posts will also be deleted.

Done and Done

That’s it you’re done. Lather, rinse and repeat for each surplus group you belong to or admin. And enjoy a little less clutter when you next log-in to Facebook.

More on the 30 day #digitalcleanse tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

(If you missed yesterday’s installment, take a couple extra minutes to explore Don’t Walk and Text. For links to the complete Digital Cleanse series, click here.)

 

Don’t Walk and Text

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Digital Cleanse Day 17:

Don’t Walk and Text

Do you walk and text? Distracted walkers are a hazard to themselves and to others. Just yesterday, I had to stop my car in the road and honk at a texting pedestrian walking into oncoming traffic.  Pedestrian and vehicle accidents are on the rise and the pedestrians are partially to blame. [Update: New Jersey is contemplating fines and jail time for texting pedestrians colliding with vehicles.] Walk and text time has terrible side effects:

  • It slows your pace,
  • impairs your judgement,
  • increases your response time and
  • distracts you from your surroundings.

It’s like drinking and driving without the car.

Time to go for a walk.

A little exercise is a great addition to your digital cleanse. If we all need to take 10,000 steps a day, let’s try not to get injured by texting at the same time. Stand tall. Shoulders back. Breathe. Stretch. See what’s around you. Make eye contact with drivers. Smile at passersby. Notice the clouds. And text some other time.

More on the 30 day #digitalcleanse tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

(If you missed yesterday’s installment, take a couple extra minutes to explore Establish Your Response Time. For links to the complete Digital Cleanse series, click here.)

Establish Your Response Time

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Digital Cleanse Day 16:

Establish Your Response TimeQuote tile white circle on grey background. Text reads: establishing your response time is key to a sane digital life.

Establishing your response time is key to a sane digital life. As you’re reading a post in my digital cleanse series, I think it’s safe to assume you want more calm than chaos.

Let’s say you have four active social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. In addition to posting your own content, you’ll need to reply and follow up with your friends, fans, and followers. In order to do that effectively, you need to have a system for monitoring mentions and replies as well as a firm grasp on your response time.

Monitoring social media mentions and replies

Everyone has their own preferences for monitoring social accounts. Some keep four active tabs open in a browser, one for each social network. Others use a social media dashboard such as AgoraPulse or Hootsuite. Still others prefer to have mobile apps on their home screens and notifications turned on. (Those folks should read my earlier digital cleanse post – turn off notifications.) Whatever your preference, be consistent about monitoring social media. Schedule time in your calendar if that helps you.

 

Response time: How fast is fast enough?

How fast you reply may depend on whether you are dealing with a personal interaction or a business response. Personal interactions can happen in your leisure time or during your bus commute. Friends and family understand that you may be at work and unavailable much of the day. Business responses are different. In some cases, the client expects an instant reply. In other cases, you’ve got a bit of time but how fast is fast enough?

If you respond instantly, you must have a workflow that can tolerate constant interruptions. Is your topic time sensitive? Flight delays and traffic updates are only useful in real time.

If you respond within a few hours, this may be perfectly reasonable to your clients. They know you’re busy working for them (or other clients) and they want you to be focused and doing a great job.

If you respond within a day, I think that’s the outside limit for an acceptable response for business purposes. Respond within one business day, if that makes sense for your business.

If you respond within a week, your client may be glad to hear from you but they won’t feel particularly special or important.  Is that the kind of relationship you want to cultivate?

If you only respond when you remember to check, when you have time, or when you feel like it, I suggest you need to rethink being in business. Looking after your customers has to be a priority.

Worst of all is no response at all. How does that make your clients feel? Will they want to do business with you? Of course not. You are at risk of losing a customer to a competitor.

What’s your response time going to be?

I encourage you to make a decision on your response time and be consistent with it. Fans and followers will grow accustomed to hearing from you at certain intervals. In my own work, I choose to respond within a few hours. Each weekday, I schedule social media time for early morning, just after lunch and evening. At minimum, I’ll respond three times a day. Admittedly, weekend response times are less structured as I integrate my work into family time.

Respond to everything?

One last thing: Social media is about conversation and building relationships. It’s about being present and part of what’s happening. Respond to as many people as you can. And know that it’s okay when the conversation fizzles out. Face-to-face conversations do that, too.

More on the 30-day #digitalcleanse tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

(If you missed yesterday’s installment, take a couple extra minutes to explore Banish Reply All.)

Note: This post was updated May 15, 2020.