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What rocks and sucks about running Facebook groups?

What rocks and sucks about running facebook groups

Do you run a Facebook group? Have you thought about it? I run the free Small & Supercharged Facebook group and the Small & Supercharged Mastermind group too. The free group started life a few years ago and, since it launched, I have been on a very steep learning curve when it comes to running Facebook groups. So in this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, I talk about what rocks… and what sucks… enjoy!

What rocks and sucks about running Facebook groups?

Here are the show notes for the Small & Supercharged Podcast episode 20 – what rocks and sucks about running Facebook groups. In this episode you’ll hear…

  • Why I started the Small & Supercharged Facebook group and the kind of people you’ll find there (as in, people connected to the equestrian and rural industry).
  • The differences between Small & Supercharged and the Small & Supercharged Mastermind group.
  • What rocks- you get to know people really well when running Facebook groups. You get to see the people who support others and understand what makes people tick too.
  • What sucks – it is hard work. The vast majority of the Small & Supercharged group members are very good, follow the rules and work together. One thing that takes a lot of time is the questions and the requests – particularly when people don’t fill in the questions.
  • What rocks – the engagement. In a group you get much better engagement than on a page. This can work whether you’re the admin or if you’re an active member of the group.
  • What sucks – people breaking the rules. I have really simple rules for the Small & Supercharged group, but these do still get broken. If you are involved with running Facebook groups, rules are really important as they allows everyone to work in the same way. When rules get broken, it does make you feel like the bad guy when you delete posts. That’s not fun.
  • What rocks- groups can be real forces for good. I give a few examples of how Facebook groups can do great things together. Being able to achieve lovely things, as a group, is such a great feeling. Without groups it would a lot more fragmented.
  • What sucks – copycats. I know I’m not the first person to ever have a Facebook group, but copycats in the same area are a bit of a kick (often using very similar wording and sometimes even promoting their groups in yours).
  • What rocks- the support of a community. This can be so, so lovely when people are having a challenging time or having issues. A good group means that you have somewhere to go and share and get support as needed. It can help to break a cycle of frustration and sadness and allow people to kick on.
  • What sucks – not answering the questions. Even if you set questions for your Facebook group, be aware that a LOT of people won’t answer them. I have just under 200 requests at the moment from people who haven’t answered the three simple questions that allow me to make sure they’re a good fit for the group.
  • What rocks – collaborations. I know that because of the Small & Supercharged Facebook group, a lot of collaborations have happened. Without the Facebook group they may not have found each other. And being able to facilitate this is so, so lovely.
  • What sucks- things can escalate really quickly. It can be a little stressful if something gets out of hand and it can get out of hand very quickly.
  • What rocks – people have got to know me. I really like the fact that people have got to know me better. It means that when I meet people at events and shows, we don’t have to go through the awkward first stages of a connection and friendship. It makes networking so much easier and it feels like I’m meeting up with friends at these gatherings, rather than strangers. I might not have met them in person all that much, if at all, but I know them.
  • what sucks – people not using the group properly. This is more disappointing I guess. It’s all about give and take, and some people tend to take a lot and give very little. This isn’t so much against the rules but it doesn’t feel great.
  • What rocks – it allows real life activities to happen. Things like the Small & Supercharged meet ups at Badminton. It’s nice to see people in real life, of course it is, but without the group I wouldn’t necessarily know these people. With the Hiho & Co event, a lot of people from S&S are coming, and I think letting people make these connections before an event is a real biggy.

So, that’s my what rocks and sucks about running Facebook groups podcast. I hope it shed a bit of light on the subject of groups for you, whether you want to run one or just want to get the most out of the ones you’re in!

If you’d like to join the Small & Supercharged Facebook group, you’d be very welcome – just join the Facebook group here.

Are you Small & Supercharged (find out more about the Facebook group)

Behind the Small & Supercharged group

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Behind… my new obsession with Audible… and how I’m using it to upskill

My new obsession with AudibleIf you follow me on Instagram (and if you don’t, I’d love you to follow me here!), then you may have seen my Stories. I take most of them when I’m walking the dog, when my mind ‘idles’ a bit… and usually between me getting myself all organised and ready and listening to my latest audiobook… completely fuelled by Audible.

What’s Audible?

Audible is one way to listen to audiobooks. You can also buy them from places like iTunes, and I did hear of another system the other day that condenses books into audio format… which I need to research. Obviously you could just buy CDs, but I download everything to my iPhone because it barely leaves my side, so it makes the most sense. The reason I went for Audible was, actually, price. Initially I wanted to listen to the Dorie Clark’s Entrepreneurial You because it had been recommended to me. I was going to buy the actual book, but then I saw an Audible free trial and decided that it would be worth giving it a spin… and that was it! I started off with Dorie Clark’s book (which is really good by the way!), then downloaded Denise Duffield-Thomas’s updated ‘Lucky Bitch’, which I will review shortly too. I actually cancelled Audible after the free trial, but quickly reinstated it and paid for the subscription.

Is Audible expensive?

I pay £7.99 a month and that allows me to download one book a month. I thought that was a bit steep when some of the books I was downloading cost less to buy, but it’s actually a very different animal and, in all honestly, I was just being tight. I realised this when I went to look for Denise’s book. The options for me where really Audible, buy it from Audible as a one off or iTunes. And getting a monthly subscription from Amazon was by far the cheapest way. The package I’m on allows me to download one book a month, but I can (and have!) bought extra credits, so when I went to Badminton Horse Trials, I bought three extra credits (I think that was the cheapest way!) and downloaded Carrie Green’s She Means Business (I’ve reviewed She Means Business here) for the car journey to listen to.

Do you download books you’ve already read? Isn’t that weird?

Yes I do. And yes it probably is. I wouldn’t download a book I disliked or a book I read recently. I also own ‘Lucky Bitch’ but this is the updated version. In addition, you’ll often find that the authors ad lib a bit on an audiobook – Gary Vee does this a lot and I love it. Also, it kind on sinks in in a different way when you’re listening, well I think it does, and much like reading a book a second time, you absorb a bit more… and you take different things from it. I know of people who read the same book each year and, each time, they get something else. So while it might be weird, I think you can absorb more the second time around. Well, I find I do.

Audible helps me multitask

I feel like this is a promotion for Audible and it really, really isn’t – it’s more of a way to telling you how amazing audio can be and how it can help you and your learning. Another thing I love about Audible and, actually, any form of audio based learning, is that you can multitask. As I said, you’ll usually see me on Instagram Stories walking the dog, listening to an audiobook or a podcast. The slightly vexing thing is that some books feature exercises that require a pen and paper, and that IS more challenging, but the exercise still sinks in… and you can always rewind. I’m also a big fan of audiobooks in the car. This not only helps me learn, but I’m a chronic channel hopper when I’m listening to the radio, and I don’t channel hop with an audiobook, I mean, that would defeat the object, wouldn’t it?!

So yes, I am a bit obsessed with Audible…

…and I would urge you to give it or audiobooks or podcasts in general a spin. A lot of people state that a lack of time is what stops them from reading or learning as much as they would like. And I get that. I do try and read and do courses too, but it can be like trying to crowbar something else into a bursting schedule. What audio does, for me at least, is allows me to do two things at once. Yes, it might mean I need to replay sections or even listen to the whole audiobook again, but I don’t see that as a bad thing.

If you don’t have the budget for audiobooks, I’d definitely suggest podcasts. These are free, easy to access and some are absolutely superb. I mentioned them in my cheap ways to learn blog too…

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How to learn on a budget

how to learn on a budgetAs you know, I’m a bit of a learning junkie. I love learning don’t just focus solely on business. As I write this, I’ve just finished a book on psychology, have started a book on photography (yep, really!), then I have a book on public speaking (in preparation for my TEDx talk) and then I have Arianna Huffington’s ‘Thrive’, which I started, but then stopped as it was picked as the Small & Supercharged Book Club’s book. As you can see… it’s a diverse mix! In this blog, I’m going to share some ways to learn on a budget. Why? Because I see huge value in upskilling and believe everyone should seek out knowledge. But I also appreciate that not everyone has the budget for some of the methods, hence I’ll be chatting about how to learn on a budget.

Finding the time to learn

Obviously reading books is one way to learn, and I do a lot of it. I know the next sentence makes me sound rather sad, but I rarely watch TV. Although watching something mindless has its place, I just felt it was a waste of my time to be doing it too often. So I diverted to books. So, after the children are in bed, I will read for a bit, and I love it.

It doesn’t all revolve around books!

Of course, learning doesn’t start and end with books. I don’t like to think about the money I spend on books too much (!) but I have to say I have found a way to buy a lot of them for next to no money (and I mean, I have picked some up for 1p plus postage!) but I’ll cover book buying on another blog and share some of my tips. Don’t get me wrong, I do buy a lot of new books too, but if it’s an older book, there are bargains to be had! If you like to learn by reading, there’s a plethora of free material out there. You can learn a HUGE amount on a budget. Actually, you can learn masses for free. I mean, this blog is one example… and there are plenty of other blogs too, obviously. In addition, many people have freebees created to grow their mailing lists, and a lot of these are really useful. If you’re also interested in other ways to learn, there’s lots out there… and lots for free or low cost too.

So free is best?

There’s nothing wrong with paying for learning materials, coaching, courses, etc. Far from it. In fact, I pay for all of them! I also believe that paid content is actually better, but that’s another discussion. My point with this article is that even if you have no money or are on a really tight budget, you can learn amazing things for free. It’s a real ‘how to’ guide for how to learn on a budget.

What’s the difference between free and paid for content?

There are lots of differences between paid for and free content and, in my experience, you have to ‘work harder’ for free content. By this, I mean you’ll need to kiss a few frogs to find the Prince of content. You’ll find it might take you longer to extract what you need… and it might be spaced out over a few blogs/type of content. You might also find that the content is produced in a less logical fashion. For example, if I was doing, say, a course on how to get into magazines, I would create it in such a way that it guided people through the process, gave examples, templates and helped show the possibilities using a range of media. It would all be in one place and flow. You can find out how to get published in magazines online. You can Google it, you can poke around this website, and there’s lots of information there, but you’ll need to read, filter, curate it and come up with a plan.

There’s plenty of ways to learn on a budget… here are a few free/low cost ways to learn on a budget…

Ways to learn on a budget

  • Blogs – yep, the humble blog. Many thought leaders, entrepreneurs and experts have their own blogs – it’s the most basic form on content marketing and helps their SEO as well as their ‘status’, so many have blogs.
  • Groups – there are many free groups (like my Small & Supercharged group on Facebook) that allow business owners to engage, ask questions and learn from each other. These can be so SO useful and I’ve see amazing things happen inside the S&S group in this way.
  • Newsletters – subscribing to newsletters from people you feel can teach you something (hint, hint – I would love it if you’d sign up to mine – you’ll get PR, marketing and social media tips as well as general news from me and my clients… and I promise not to bombard you!), isn’t a bad idea. My advice here would be to pace yourself! If you sign up to too many in one hit you’ll realise that your inbox is full of stuff you won’t ever have the time to read…
  • Podcasts – if you enjoy learning on the go, podcasts are for you! Actually, I often have one on in the background if I’m doing admin or something that is more of a process rather than creative. I also listen to podcasts when I walk the dog. There are some great ones out there – I work with Sam at Haynet on the Haynet Podcast and really enjoy listening to Sam’s (we do alternate episodes!). For more podcast inspiration, hope over to iTunes and select your genre and see what you can find.
  • Books and audiobooks – yes, these are paid for if you want to own them, but the cost varies hugely.
  • Videos – I LOVE YouTube and find the never ending stream of videos a joy. You can find videos about anything on YouTube, you can subscribe to channels you like and people you enjoy, and YouTube will even tell you when they’ve uploaded if you like. Again – shameless plug, but my YouTube Channel is here if you fancy subscribing!

 

I’m not going to include courses, retreats, coaching, masterminds and live events here because although I believe they are all hugely valuable when used correctly, they are an investment. If we’re looking at value, they can deliver a huge ROI, but as we’re looking purely at the pounds, shillings and pence, it would be wrong to include them here.

How do you like to learn? What’s the best way you learn for free? I’d love to know.

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