Facebook Testing Audio Channels for Groups and the New Sidebar

Being the biggest social media phenomenon, Facebook yet offers smaller, more convenient private spaces for its users – that is, groups. The two updates it now prepares are both group-related. And while one of them is meant to enhance the experience of finding and joining groups, the other will expand the possibilities to communicate within them.

The new group-oriented sidebar Facebook is now testing will help users easier access the groups they are parts of. On the sidebar, you will see the posts in your groups that you have missed, as well as any announcements and even fresh comments. Right from the same sidebar, you will be able to pin some groups you visit the most frequently, search for new groups by your interests, or even quickly create your own.

The other new feature is, in fact, a quality leap that makes Facebook groups richer in terms of communication means. First of all, admins now can create voice channels that any member of the group can enter or leave whenever they want. It’s similar to how it’s done on Discord, where channels are constantly active, and people can join or quit at any time. This experience will make groups a more comfortable place to communicate.

Along with it, there will be community feed channels that are meant to be devoted to certain topics. This will make group communication more logical and meaningful, as you can jump right to the channel that interests you. The list of channels will be available in the group menu. Community chat channels will also create the possibility to discuss different topics separately, so the dialog gets less chaotic.

Do you participate in groups on Facebook? Are you just a reader or an active contributor in these? What do you expect from communities organized like this, with feed channels, voice channels, and separate chats? Share your opinion with us in the comments, please!