Facebook groups tend to be places where people can come together and share their mutual interest over something or the other. In a lot of situations Facebook groups can be great places for networking as well, not to mention being incredibly important when there are messages that need to be spread and a centralized space needs to be made where Facebook groups can prove to be immensely useful.
That being said, while Facebook groups are meant to boost the community and make it easier for you to find like minded people, it’s possible that a few bad seeds in the group would harass or bully people. This is something that can really ruin the spirit of the group that you are the admin of, and as a result of this fact trying to prevent such situations from occurring or dealing with them properly whenever they do occur is the kind of thing you would ideally want to be looking into all in all.
Geriann Wiesbrook is a veteran Facebook admin, and as the admin for Military Mama Network, a Facebook group dedicated supporting US troops as well as the various family members they have, has a lot of tips for admins that are struggling to deal with bullying and the like.
For starters, Wiesbrook says that you need to mention the fact that everyone needs to be respectful in the in the group rules. This might seem like a rather basic thing to do but it has a noticeable impact, one that would contribute to a far lower occurrence of bullying on average. Small steps like this can build up until eventually they facilitate a more positive space in the group that everyone would be able to enjoy.
Another thing that Wiesbrook says that you should do is that you should be proactive. You should always be on the lookout for a member being bullied by another member, and whenever you spot something like this you would probably want to jump in right away. An active admin presence can be the key to reducing instances of bullying in your group.
It is also very important that you’re not afraid to take action. One instance of bullying should be met with a warning, but repeat offenders should be banned from the group because they’re not making it useful for anyone else. One good policy that you can have is that you can implement a three strike rule. If anyone is guilty of bullying three times you can remove them immediately. That being said you should have a zero tolerance policy for threats of violence or other serious things. Members guilty of this should be removed without the three strike rule.
Hat Tip: Facebook Admin Education Blog
That being said, while Facebook groups are meant to boost the community and make it easier for you to find like minded people, it’s possible that a few bad seeds in the group would harass or bully people. This is something that can really ruin the spirit of the group that you are the admin of, and as a result of this fact trying to prevent such situations from occurring or dealing with them properly whenever they do occur is the kind of thing you would ideally want to be looking into all in all.
Geriann Wiesbrook is a veteran Facebook admin, and as the admin for Military Mama Network, a Facebook group dedicated supporting US troops as well as the various family members they have, has a lot of tips for admins that are struggling to deal with bullying and the like.
For starters, Wiesbrook says that you need to mention the fact that everyone needs to be respectful in the in the group rules. This might seem like a rather basic thing to do but it has a noticeable impact, one that would contribute to a far lower occurrence of bullying on average. Small steps like this can build up until eventually they facilitate a more positive space in the group that everyone would be able to enjoy.
Another thing that Wiesbrook says that you should do is that you should be proactive. You should always be on the lookout for a member being bullied by another member, and whenever you spot something like this you would probably want to jump in right away. An active admin presence can be the key to reducing instances of bullying in your group.
It is also very important that you’re not afraid to take action. One instance of bullying should be met with a warning, but repeat offenders should be banned from the group because they’re not making it useful for anyone else. One good policy that you can have is that you can implement a three strike rule. If anyone is guilty of bullying three times you can remove them immediately. That being said you should have a zero tolerance policy for threats of violence or other serious things. Members guilty of this should be removed without the three strike rule.
Hat Tip: Facebook Admin Education Blog
