Skip to main content

Members can share the same Story with Facebook’s new Group Stories

Facebook

Facebook Stories is expanding to Groups. On Tuesday, December 4, Facebook announced the global availability of Group Stories. The feature allows members of the same Facebook Group to contribute to the Group’s Story.

Recommended Videos

Unlike the Stories coming from individual Facebook users, Group Stories allow multiple members of the same group to share to the same Story. The Story then displays the Group name as well as the individual user creating the post.

To add to a Group Story, Facebook users can navigate to the Group on the Facebook app and tap “add” underneath the option that says “Your Group’s Story.” Users can then select a photo or video from the camera roll, and like with a typical Story, can choose to add stickers, text, doodles, and effects before adding the content. The privacy options also allow users to share that same content to their own Story, as well as creating a post or sending in Messenger.

The expansion of the previously tested tool also launches with reactions inside those Group Stories, which allows members to respond with emoji reactions. The tool, Facebook says, allows users to respond quickly to the Story.

Not all Groups will have the new Stories option. Facebook says Group admin can choose a setting that limits sharing to admin members only, instead of every Group member. Group admins can also use new tools to approve or delete Stories contributions from members before they go live.

Facebook says the new Group Stories is designed to encourage casual sharing among group members. For example, the company says that a Group like Dogspotting can use Stories to allow members to share photos and videos of the different dogs they spot. Facebook envisions cooking groups sharing recipes and dishes on Group Stories, and travel Groups sharing glimpses of member adventures.

Both Stories and Groups have been a focus for several of the latest Facebook updates. Facebook recently added the option to add music to a Story shortly after Instagram gained the feature. Facebook Groups over the past year have gained features like mentors, Watch Party, and a test for paid Group subscriptions. As of August 2018, Facebook said that more than two million users participate in Groups.

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
Bluesky finally adds a feature many had been waiting for
A blue sky with clouds.

Bluesky has been making a lot of progress in recent months by simplifying the process to sign up while at the same time rolling out a steady stream of new features.

As part of those continuing efforts, the social media app has just announced that users can now send direct messages (DMs).

Read more
Reddit just achieved something for the first time in its 20-year history
The Reddit logo.

Reddit’s on a roll. The social media platform has just turned a profit for the first time in its 20-year history, and now boasts a record 97.2 million daily active users, marking a year-over-year increase of 47%. A few times during the quarter, the figure topped 100 million, which Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman said in a letter to shareholders had been a “long-standing milestone” for the site.

The company, which went public in March, announced the news in its third-quarter earnings results on Tuesday.

Read more
Worried about the TikTok ban? This is how it might look on your phone
TikTok splash screen on an Android phone.

The US Supreme Court has decided to uphold a law that would see TikTok banned in the country on January 19. Now, the platform has issued an official statement, confirming that it will indeed shut down unless it gets some emergency relief from the outgoing president.

“Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” said the company soon after the court’s verdict.
So, what does going dark mean?
So, far, there is no official statement on what exactly TikTok means by “going dark.” There is a lot of speculation out there on how exactly the app or website will look once TikTok shutters in the US.

Read more