Facebook is copying Discord and Slack for its Groups feature, and we're all for it
A new sidebar and audio channels are in testing
Meta continues to improve upon parts of Facebook that have been in need of an update for some time, with Groups being given a new sidebar to help users find their favorite groups more easily on iOS and Android.
The days of posting statuses that would begin with 'is' on Facebook are long gone, with a bunch of users seeing the social platform as a way of sharing memes, or keeping in touch with family, or simply being in groups to post and share content.
Meta is keenly aware of this, and recently, has taken steps to make admin rights more powerful to easily decline posts and more.
In this new update that's in testing for a select pool of users, you can take part in audio channels, or channels about certain topics, similar to Slack, which could make managing a group much easier in the future.
Analysis: copying from other apps is nothing new
Some of these features copied from Slack make a lot of sense for Facebook Groups.
We all know that one friend or family member who spends all their time on the social network in certain groups - it could be about the neighborhood or a future event, for example. Yet it's easier than posting a status requesting something, as if you're throwing a net into an ocean, hoping to catch a relevant comment.
These new features look to make it easier for these users, especially if they're part of more than five groups. As things stand right now, when you go onto Facebook and select a group it can be confusing to find the right post or to start the right topic.
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It's another good decision from Meta here in these new features. Hopefully, there are even more coming to this part of Facebook that can give members and admins even more power over what they share, and how they can report abuse as well.
Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he's written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider'. His second book, '50 Years of Boss Fights', came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called 'Springboard'. He's usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that's about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.