New Ways to Spotlight Experts in Communities

July 13, 2021

Make experts stand out and offer new ways to engage.

5 min read

Today, we’re announcing a variety of tools and experiences to support admins, subject matter experts, and communities in building enriching spaces where expertise can be easily shared and discovered.

There are more than 70 million admins and moderators running active Facebook groups around the world. Many of these groups are home to subject matter experts who love to share their knowledge, from fitness trainers to highly skilled crafters. Now, it’s easier than ever to help experts stand out in groups and offer ways for them to engage with their communities.

Designate experts for your group

We’ve launched a new way for admins in select groups to recognize knowledgeable members in their group by designating them as group experts. We know that expertise varies from group to group, so admins have the ability to choose which members in their communities stand out, empowering them to play a more meaningful role. Recipients will receive a Group Expert badge, making it easier for others to spot informative or insightful posts and comments from people the group trusts.

To make a member a group expert, admins can navigate to the member list, search for who they’d like to give the badge to, and select “Make group expert” from the member menu. They may also make someone an expert from the menu of a member’s post.
Members will be able to accept or decline this role.
Admins can remove members as group experts at any time.

“We have celebrity experts in our group, some of whom have more common names,” said Ruth McDonald, an admin for Tropical Fish Keeping UK who has designated group experts for her community. “Prior to this badge, members would remark, 'Isn't interesting, you have the same name as that famous expert!' Now that I’ve identified these experts with this badge, members can see that these members are in fact that famous expert.”

Admins can collaborate with group experts to host Q&As, share perspectives on a topic, or respond to questions in the group.

“The Group Expert badge has been great for members that I want on my team because they have the relevant knowledge and expertise, but may not be interested in the day-to-day running of the group,” McDonald said.

Discover new group experts

We know that some admins often want to invite more people with expertise into their communities, but knowing who to invite is hard.

We’re starting to test giving some people in fitness and gaming the option to identify specific topics they’re knowledgeable about, like yoga or a particular game title. Group admins can then search for these specific topics, discover relevant people who are not yet members, and invite them to join as group experts.

Explore new ways to for subject matter experts and your community to engage

It’s important for people to have ways to seek and share expertise beyond traditional posts and comments. Here’s how they can do this in their communities:

Ask Questions - When people write a post that looks like a question in their group, the post will automatically be upgraded to a format that encourages others to share advice, information or perspective.
Create Live Audio Rooms in Groups - A low-pressure way for subject matter experts and communities to get ideas and inspiration from each other through audio-first conversations, Live Audio Rooms are coming to Groups this summer.
Host Q&As. - A way for people to lead real-time question-and-answer sessions with their communities, in a text-based format. Answered questions are featured in an interactive, swipe-able stack, while all questions may be viewed in the Q&A’s comment section.

We’re excited to share these new experiences with you and we look forward to hearing how you elevate the role subject matter experts play in your community.