Have you recently created a Whatsapp group and totally lost control of the group page? A page which you set up to manage an event, a community group or an old students meetup group which has suddenly evolved into a horrific mass of chain mail, if-you-dont-forward-this-you-wont-get-your-blessings texts and forwards which eat into your data.
This can easily happen to you especially when you aren't conversant with being a super Group admin manager.
These are my top tips for managing a WhatsApp Group like a boss
Set The Ground Rules
Once you have collected the database of phone numbers which you want to add to the group; always and always set rules and regulations which will govern the page. Once you have added all the requisite number of people you need on the page, instantly communicate the purpose of the page and what rules are in place for the group page. Assuming you have to add 10 people to the group page; ensure you have that list first. Once you do, send out the rules to all 10. Don't add 3 people and then the rules, then 4 people then the rules. That will be a drag.
Examples of rules to put in place:
- only relevant content and topics are to be shared here.
- No forwards or spam messages please
- No sharing of pornographic or graphic images
- Please message another member privately if the message isn't for the consumption of this group page. etc
2. Give the Group an Appropriate Name
This is an easy one but very necessary as most people are on two groups or more and being distinct with the group name is key.
3. Create a custom notification
Create a custom notification for the group chat to alert you whenever someone posts to the page. This helps to catch up on messages that must be responded by you or others on the page.
That way it differentiates between the general notifications you may get from friends and family. Also because rules are in place, members will not be posting ‘by heart’ to the page unless it’s necessary and relevant.
4. Save Incoming Media
Is it an events group page? Perhaps a community member is working on a creative for posting to social media and it may need an approval or review by all members, if yes then you need to save incoming media. Turn on this feature in the Group Info page. To save space on your phone, you can back up the old photos to a cloud app like Google Drive and delete them from your phone once done. You would be surprised that members might miss out on creatives posted on the page for review and some would even ask for it to be forwarded again.
5. Use the Reply button
Questions may often get posed on the page to which only you as a group admin can respond to, when this happens use the Reply button toolbar to respond to that particular person. Using the Reply button notifies the person directly even if they have muted the group page. That way they don't have to scroll through the whole conversation looking for a response. Also you should teach group members to use this feature when they want to direct a question to a specific person on the chat.
Get to work on these tips if you haven't put them into place already. It's about time you became a B.O.S.S at your whatsapp group game.
Are you in a group chat, what is the group admin doing right or wrong? Please post your comments below. :D