Open & Private Groups on Facebook

While Facebook groups enable sharing on a smaller scale than pages, different groups offer more sharing capabilities and privacy options than others. A secret group can be too limiting, while an open group may offer insufficient privacy protection. Depending on group needs and purpose, consider visibility, membership and privacy, all of which differ dramatically between open and secret Facebook groups.

Group Privacy
Open Facebook groups don't offer enhanced privacy settings and are intended for those who wish to share content freely. Anyone can see anything in an open group. Comments, photos and links posted can be seen, liked and shared by anyone. Secret Facebook groups, also referred to as private, are invisible to non-members, making it impossible for anyone to see group content, much less share or like it. Secret groups are ideal for anyone wishing to share content on an extremely limited members-only basis.

Group Membership
Membership for open Facebook groups is virtually unlimited, requiring only a Facebook account. Anyone can join by simply clicking the “Join Group” button on the group’s main page. Membership for secret groups is extended by invitation only from either a group admin or current member. It impossible to request to join a secret group.

Facebook Search
Open groups are visible using the Facebook search feature, which displays open group names. When clicked, an open group name will link to the group’s main page containing the Timeline, information and cover photo. Secret groups are invisible to non-members and don't appear in Facebook search results. Secret groups cannot be detected by non-members using Facebook search.

Alternatives
Closed Facebook groups exist as a happy medium between open and private groups. While membership requires approval, requests to join can be submitted and invitations extended by group admins and current members. Closed groups are visible in Facebook searches, but content visibility is limited to members only. Closed groups offer more privacy than open groups but are not nearly as restrictive as secret groups. Also consider Facebook pages, which enable large scale sharing. Page content is visible to anyone, requiring no membership whatsoever.

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