new Clotho's Handspinners Facebook group

[Mary K. Larson]

If you happen to still follow our Clotho's Handspinners Google group, and are not aware, we now have a Facebook group which will likely be more active and better managed, maintained and updated.   Here's a little more information about it:

========================================

Clotho’s now has a Facebook group!   If interested, go here to join:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/ClothosHandspinners/ 

What does that mean, exactly?

A Facebook group is a place for group communication, to discuss topics, post photos and share related content around a common interest.

What’s the difference between our new Facebook group and our existing Facebook page?

Think of our Facebook page (which we’ve had for a few years and which can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/ClothosHandspinners/) like a webpage inside of Facebook.  It is a public profile for our guild, where anyone can find out more about us while they’re on Facebook.  This is where anyone, including non-guild members, can find out about our meeting locations and times and information on our other public events (Sheep-to-Shawl, Silent Auction, etc.). 

Our Facebook group, which is linked to our Facebook page, is a Closed group, meaning, it will appear in search results, but membership is moderator-approved, and no one outside of the group can see who is a member nor what has been posted inside the group.  It’s a place where guild members who are on Facebook can easily interact with one another without the entire world (and our non-spinning Facebook friends) being privy to the discussion.

Who can be a member of the Facebook group?

All guild members are welcome to join the group and will be immediately approved upon request.   Currently, on a case-by-case basis, we’re also approving non-member friends of the guild who are interested in joining the Facebook group, as long they’re relatively local, share an interest in the fiber arts, and remain well-behaved.   If there are concerns about this, we might want to discuss at an upcoming guild meeting and formalize a policy around membership.

Who are the moderators?

Currently, the group moderators are: our president Susan Maida Palmer, our communications officer Debbie Doran, and guild member Mary Larson

Why a Facebook page if we already have a website?

More than a billion people are on Facebook - it is the #1 social media platform in the world.   We are likely to get many more eyes on our Facebook page than on our website (http://www.clothos.org/), which can only help us attract more membership. That being said, our Facebook page is not a replacement for our website, and in fact, has a link to our webpage in the “About” section.   They both have value, yet serve different purposes.

Why a Facebook group if we already have a Google group?

Our Google group has not seen much activity in quite a while, likely because there are far fewer folks active on Google social media than on Facebook.  It is also arguably less intuitive to use than a Facebook group.

What if I have no desire to join or use Facebook or the Facebook group?

There is absolutely no obligation to join Facebook or the Clotho’s Facebook group.   Neither will replace our current forms of communication such as this newsletter nor our existing webpage.   The Facebook features described above are just a supplemental way for guild members to better connect with one another while on Facebook.

==========================================