This how-to has a checklist and a step-by-step guide.
Checklist
| # | Task | Done |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Create a Facebook group | □ |
| 2 | Change the group’s website address to a short, logical, and easy name to remember (xr.name) | □ |
| 3 | Ensure the most well-known name for your area is included in your Facebook group name | □ |
| 4 | Write a short description | □ |
| 5 | Set up a sign-up button linked to our national membership database | □ |
| 6 | Create easy to understand rules to help people be kind and stay focused on our purpose | □ |
| 7 | Use questions which confirm peoples commitment to the group | □ |
| 8 | Link your group to the national XR Facebook page | □ |
Step-by-step guide
Facebook groups are an excellent, but unsecure way of engaging with potential supporters and supporters.
The name of your group is set when you create the group. You can also change the name after the group has been created.
We encourage local groups to include Māori place names in their name where appropriate. Unfortunately, not everyone knows the Māori name for their area. If the name of your group isn’t well known, we encourage you to include the most well-known one at the end of your Facebook group’s name. This will increase the number of people who can find your group. They’ll see and learn the correct Māori name once they’ve joined.
We recommend using the following format for your group name:
“Extinction Rebellion [Māori name] [English name]”
For example:
“Extinction Rebellion Tamaki Makaurau Auckland”
Facebook assigns your new group a number when it is created. The number is used for your Facebook group’s website address (url). For example:
https://facebook.com/group/421958202/
We highly recommend you change the address as you will use it to promote the group in street posters, leaflets and image. The best urls are logical, short and easy to remember. We recommend using the format “xr.area”, i.e.:
https://facebook.com/groups/xr.area
“Area” should be the most well-known name for your group’s area. This is usually, but not always, the English name. For example, Extinction Rebellion Kirikiriroa Hamilton address would be:
https://facebook.com/groups/xr.hamilton
On posters, the Facebook short-url would be:
fb.com/groups/xr.hamilton
We would love for everyone to know the correct Māori place name. Sadly, this isn’t the case. “Fb.com.groups/xr.kirikiriroa.hamilton” is long and will be hard to remember for people who know the name and correct spelling. Remember, the more people who get to our facebook page who don’t know the correct name, the more people who will see the correct name in our group.
- How do I change the description on a Facebook group?
Facebook groups are great for discussion and events, but they are a limited form of communication. It will be easier to grow your local XR group if you also get members to sign up to our Extinction Rebellion mailing list. You can create a sign-in button to an external website in your new group.
We highly recommend you create a link to the national sign up page: https://extinctionrebellion.nz/act/join/
Once your group is established you will get your own local mailing list connected to the national one, and your own sign-up form.
- How do I create a sign-up button for our Facebook group?
- How do I get access to the Extinction Rebellion mailing list (Action Network)?
- How do we get our own group and mailing list in Action Network?
You can create rules for your group. Rules set clear expectations when people join the group. It make it easier to moderator the group and empowers supportive members to help you keep the group focused. We recommend you start with our Facebook group rules and look at what similar groups use.
Facebook allows you to set questions people* must answer before an admin accepts them into the group. Questions are used to reinforce a group’s rules, set additional expectations and keep it focused. They make it easier to moderate.
*Unfortunately anyone added to the group won’t see the questions. Ask supporters to share a link to the group in messenger instead.
We recommend you start with our Facebook group question suggestions and what similar groups use.
- How do I add or remove a question in a Facebook?
- What pre-approval questions do you recommend for an XR Facebook group?
Increase the change interested people will find your group. If you link your group to the national Facebook page, it will be shown in a national list.