Launching ‘Communities’ on WhatsApp to facilitate group interactions
Launching ‘Communities’ on WhatsApp to facilitate group interactions
Communities, a brand-new WhatsApp feature that provides larger, more structured conversation groups and was first tested earlier this year, is now formally accessible.
A lot of additional features are added to the messaging platform by communities with the intention of improving organisation and communication among enterprises, clubs, schools, and other private groups.
Included in these functions are admin controls, surveys, 32-person audio and video conversations, support for sub-groups and announcement groups, greater file sharing, emoji reactions, and admin controls.
Before today’s launch, a number of features designed for Communities had already made their way to WhatsApp, including emoji reactions, large file sharing (up to 2GB), and the ability for administrators to delete messages. The company claims that outside of Communities, WhatsApp will now more generally support polls, 32-person video calls, and greater group sizes.
There may initially be some similarities between the two due to the fact that both the new feature and Facebook Groups provide features like sub-groups, file sharing, admin functionality, and more. Contrary to Facebook Groups, which are typically used by dispersed strangers with a shared interest, WhatsApp Communities are created to be used by individuals who may already be connected in the real world.
Members of these discussion groups already know one another because they may have exchanged phone numbers or, at the very least, shared their numbers with the group administrator because WhatsApp is a phone number-based platform as opposed to Facebook. The rest of the Community won’t be able to see the phone numbers; only admins and people in your sub-group will be able to see them.
This seeks to find a middle ground between users’ desires for privacy and the requirement to facilitate group dialogue. For instance, even if you don’t personally know all of the parents on your child’s sports team, you’re likely feel ease speaking with them in a small group context that might be a part of the larger school community.
