Zuckerberg, Take the Wheel
I have lost control over a Facebook group intended for community building and informal learning. More aptly, we've lost the tiny bit of control we once had of the group. The closed group was set up after numerous requests from parents (seriously, there was impressive insistence involved) for a parent/student group for those studying abroad in a certain location.
The parents actually set the group up, but invited my team of employees to join and essentially act as facilitators/moderators/content providers. But it's gone off the rail. Because I wasn't the originator of the group, I wasn't totally comfortable with stepping in at the beginning and setting ground rules, but that was a mistake. What we were told was going to be a group for FAQs and general 'what to expect when your student is abroad' has turned into selfie-sharing, million question, angst-ridden mayhem.
No one reads down the group to see if their questions have already been answered, parents are sharing selfies of themselves and portraits of their students that have no relevance, and 'often' would be an understatement in describing the frequency of some members' posts. We're all a little shell-shocked and are brainstorming the best approach to mitigating the situation. We're considering stepping back and letting it be a parent-focused response, as the parents respond to one another more quickly than we can respond anyway, even though questions are addressed to us. Any sage suggestions? (Other than cut and run, which I briefly considered.)
The parents actually set the group up, but invited my team of employees to join and essentially act as facilitators/moderators/content providers. But it's gone off the rail. Because I wasn't the originator of the group, I wasn't totally comfortable with stepping in at the beginning and setting ground rules, but that was a mistake. What we were told was going to be a group for FAQs and general 'what to expect when your student is abroad' has turned into selfie-sharing, million question, angst-ridden mayhem.
No one reads down the group to see if their questions have already been answered, parents are sharing selfies of themselves and portraits of their students that have no relevance, and 'often' would be an understatement in describing the frequency of some members' posts. We're all a little shell-shocked and are brainstorming the best approach to mitigating the situation. We're considering stepping back and letting it be a parent-focused response, as the parents respond to one another more quickly than we can respond anyway, even though questions are addressed to us. Any sage suggestions? (Other than cut and run, which I briefly considered.)
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