If you follow my journey, you'll know that I love writing these blog posts. I love knowing that the small tips and tricks that I share with you can be the difference between social media causing you stress and social media getting ticked off your to-do list quickly. This blog is a bit different and I'm writing it at the last minute because, I'll be honest, I'd rather focus on something more exciting. That being said, many of you need to know about this upcoming Facebook update.

Third-party apps in Facebook groups will no longer be available starting on 22 April 2024.

Up to now, you've been able to use third-party apps to make managing your Facebook Groups easier. For example, you might have used a scheduling app like Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule your posts, or you might have used apps like Streamyard or Zoom to go live.

From the 22nd of April 2024, this will no longer be possible.

How to get around it?

There are still a lot of things you can do, directly through Facebook, to help you manage your group.

• Schedule your posts. When you're writing your post on your computer, there's a little calendar icon next to the "Post" button - this allows you to schedule. On your phone, when you're writing a post, you'll see a "Schedule" button at the top, right under your name. Head to "Manage" and then to "Scheduled Posts" to reschedule, edit or delete posts you've scheduled before they go out.
• Create recurring posts through the Admin Assist.
• Add Features to your group. In your Group Settings, you can add features to your group including Community Chats, Events, Guides, Polls and Live Videos. So if going live is a key part of your group strategy, it is still possible! You won't have the advantages of Streamyard to be live in more than one place at the same time, or the advantages of Zoom of having a recording after your Live. You can still download a Facebook Live Video onto your computer though, and you can invite guests to your Live!

The Ace Week - My upcoming Free Event

This update shouldn't put you off from Facebook Groups - they can be such a great way to give a little extra to your most engaged audience. I've got a new Facebook Group launching soon to host the Ace Week, my upcoming seven-day free event to help you refocus your social media strategy and learn some new tricks.

The Facebook Group is opening on the 26th April - come and join in!