Facebook opens monetisation funnel for group admins

Are you part of a Facebook group, that you like visiting too often for its free offerings? If yes, then cherish it because the next time you might want to access the group, it won't be available for free.

Facebook is now piloting a feature called Subscription Group, that will let group admins charge you monthly for exclusive access.

"We hear from group admins that they’re looking for ways to help them earn money to deepen engagement with their members and continue to support their communities," said Alex Deve, Product Director, Groups at Facebook, in a blog post.

The feature is being tested to make it easier for admins to provide these experiences with built-in tools. It will also save them time, so they can focus on offering members-only content.

The idea of implementing subscriptions for groups originally came from the admins, Deve added.

At present, the subscription pilot is being tested within a small number of groups. Initially, private groups featuring cooking, parenting, and home cleaning will be able to access the new feature.

Facebook didn't share how much groups admins will charge monthly. However, reports suggested it will be between $5-$30 a month.

Free groups will continue to exist, but soon they will have the option to launch premium sub-groups. The Facebook app for iOS and Android will allow members to sign-up and manage their subscriptions.

Members and admins of groups are yet to react to the development.

Facebook has a user base which is around 2.2 billion. Thus, this feature of the world’s largest social network will be a global product. In India, Facebook has about 250 million active users.

The social media giant in the last few months has been busy developing new products to serve its users. Among other things, Facebook has also been working on a B2C model and a dating product meant for finding a meaningful relationship.