How to Send a Link to a Specific Group on Facebook
By David Nield
Facebook offers plenty of flexibility when it comes to sharing links -- you can control where the link appears and who is able to view it. If you wish to link to a specific group on the network, then you can identify the group's URL by opening up the main page of posts. Which users can then click through on the link depends on the group's privacy settings.
Linking to a Group
Log in to Facebook and click on any of the groups you're a part of; they're listed under the Groups heading by the News Feed. The URL you see in your Web browser's address bar is the link you can use to guide people to the group from anywhere else on Facebook (or on the Web). Click once in the address bar to highlight the text, then press "Ctrl-C" to copy the URL to the Windows clipboard; "Ctrl-V" then pastes the link wherever you like (in a Facebook wall post for example). Use the search box on the Facebook toolbar to look for groups you're not already a part of.
Sending Links Within a Group
If you're a member of a group, then you can share a link with other members by clicking inside the "Write Post" box and typing or pasting in the URL. A link title, description and thumbnail image will appear by default, but you can hide these elements by clicking on the small cross icon to the right. Add any extra text you wish to include alongside the link you've provided and click "Post" to publish it to the group. Whether or not non-members are able to see your new post depends on the group privacy settings.
Group Privacy Settings
Groups can have three privacy settings, indicated by the icon next to the group name on its front page -- Open (globe icon), Closed (padlock icon) and Secret (padlock inside a circle icon). If the group is open, anyone -- even non-members -- can see the posts within it. In closed and secret groups, only members can see actual posts. In terms of sharing the URL of a group elsewhere on Facebook, anyone can view and click on the link to an open or closed group. If you attempt to share the URL of a secret group, the link is disabled and the description is hidden for anyone who isn't currently a member.
Posting Links to Specific People
When you include a link in a Facebook update, you can set the visibility of the post using the audience selector drop-down menu by the "Post" button. Choose the "Custom" option and you can choose individual friends or lists of friends who can see the update. It's also possible to block particular people or lists of people from seeing the link. If you want to share a link with an informal group of people without creating an actual group on Facebook, this is the most convenient method.
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Writer Bio
An information technology journalist since 2002, David Nield writes about the Web, technology, hardware and software. He is an experienced editor, proofreader and copywriter for online publications such as CNET, TechRadar and Gizmodo. Nield holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and lives in Manchester, England.