Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has quietly rolled out a new feature called “Communities” on its Messenger platform [1][2][3]. The feature is designed to help organizations, schools, and other private groups communicate in a more organized and structured way [1][2][3].
“Communities” allows up to 5,000 people to join through shareable invites [2][3]. Inside, participants can engage in group chats and view the Home feed, where admins can share updates and announcements [2][3].
The rollout of “Communities” on Messenger comes after Meta introduced Communities on WhatsApp back in 2022 [2]. The new feature indicates that Meta is looking to expand Messenger’s functionality and differentiate it from other messaging services, like iMessage [2].
According to Meta, “Communities consolidate multiple group chats into one place, and each Community features a dedicated ‘Home’ space where admins can share updates and announcements” [2]. The feature can be used to create a dedicated space for things like organizations, schools, PTAs, and neighborhoods, as well as to connect friends with similar interests [2].
Regarding privacy guidelines, Meta states that Communities on Messenger are designed for more public conversations when compared to Facebook groups [2][3]. For instance, all current and future members of a Community can see chat content [2][3].
The introduction of the “Communities” feature on Messenger is a significant step by Meta to enhance the user experience and provide a platform for more structured and organized communication. As the feature is still rolling out to users globally, it will be interesting to see how it is received and utilized by the Messenger community [2][3].
References: [1] https://news.yahoo.com/meta-quietly-rolls-communities-messenger-191817029.html [2] https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/13/meta-quietly-rolls-out-communities-on-messenger/ [3] https://www.neowin.net/news/meta-begins-rolling-out-communities-feature-on-messenger/