Whatsapp Communities | What are they and how do you use them?

Summary

In this video, Megs introduces WhatsApp Communities, explaining their purpose and how they differ from regular groups. She demonstrates creating a community, adding groups, and using features like the announcement group, admin controls, and member management. Megs highlights the new functionalities such as larger group sizes, video calls, emoji reactions, and polls. These features enhance communication and organization within communities, offering flexibility and control. Megs encourages viewers to explore these new tools and shares excitement about the potential they bring to WhatsApp.

Takeaways

• 😀 WhatsApp Communities are a new feature allowing you to group multiple WhatsApp groups under a single community.
• 🤔 The main difference between a WhatsApp Group and a Community is the hierarchy, where communities contain multiple groups.
• 👥 Communities can be used for various purposes like neighborhoods, universities, and schools, with sub-groups for classes, subjects, etc.
• 🎥 The video creator made a test community named 'YouTube test' with a test group under it to demonstrate the feature.
• 🔔 Each community has an announcement group for overarching communication to all groups within the community.
• 👩‍💻 Each group within a community can have its own admins and settings, ensuring better control and management.
• 🔗 Members can join communities via invite links, choosing relevant groups to join within the community.
• 🚀 Communities can hold up to 500 groups, making them scalable for large organizations or events.
• 📊 New WhatsApp functionalities include emoji reactions, admin delete options, and in-app polls for gathering data.
• 💬 A person can leave a specific group but remain in the main community for broader communication.

Q & A

What is a WhatsApp Community?

A WhatsApp Community is a feature that allows you to group multiple WhatsApp groups under one umbrella. This hierarchy helps manage and organize different groups related to a larger community like neighborhoods, universities, or schools.

How does a WhatsApp Community differ from a regular WhatsApp group?

A WhatsApp Community differs from a regular group by allowing you to add groups instead of individual participants. It provides a structure where you can manage various groups within a single community.

Can you explain the hierarchy within a WhatsApp Community?

In a WhatsApp Community, the main community can contain multiple groups. Each group can have its own admins and settings, while the community itself has an announcement group for overarching communication.

How do you create a WhatsApp Community?

You can create a WhatsApp Community by going to the community tab, which is at the top on Android and at the bottom on iOS. From there, you can either create a community from scratch or use existing groups.

What is the purpose of the announcement group in a WhatsApp Community?

The announcement group in a WhatsApp Community is used for sending communications that need to reach all members of the community. Messages in this group are sent to all groups within the community.

How can members join a WhatsApp Community?

Members can join a WhatsApp Community via an invite link. They can be added at either the group level or the community level, allowing them to choose which groups are most relevant to them.

What are some new features that come with WhatsApp Communities?

New features include the ability to have up to 500 groups within a community, up to 1024 people in a group, 32-person video calls, emoji reactions, admin delete functionality, and polls for gathering data.

Can someone leave a group but still be part of the community?

Yes, someone can leave a specific group but still remain part of the overall community. They would still receive communications from the announcement group unless they leave the community entirely.

What is the admin delete functionality in WhatsApp Communities?

The admin delete functionality allows admins to remove inappropriate or unwanted messages, giving them more control over the group's content and ensuring a safe environment.

How do polls work in WhatsApp Communities?

Polls allow you to gather data and opinions from group members directly within WhatsApp, eliminating the need to send them to an external survey link.

Outlines

00:00

📱 Introduction to WhatsApp Communities

This section introduces the concept of WhatsApp Communities. The host, Megs, explains that the video will cover what a WhatsApp Community is, how it works, and its benefits. Megs also mentions that she releases tech tutorials weekly.

🔍 Difference Between WhatsApp Communities and Groups

Megs explains the main difference between WhatsApp Communities and Groups, emphasizing the hierarchical structure. Communities are higher-level entities to which groups are added, making it easier to manage large collections of groups, like those for neighborhoods, universities, or schools.

🚀 Creating and Managing a WhatsApp Community

Megs describes her experience creating a WhatsApp Community, using a dummy community named 'YouTube Test.' She explains the steps to create a community from scratch or with existing groups. The community includes an announcement group and can have up to 500 sub-groups.

👥 Admin Controls and Member Management

The focus is on administrative controls within WhatsApp Communities. Megs outlines how each sub-group within a community can have its own admins and settings, while the community admin acts as a super admin. She also mentions the ability to view members and invite people via link.

💬 Joining and Participating in Communities

Megs explains how members can join communities through links and choose relevant groups to join. She highlights that communities can be very large, with up to 500 groups, making it a versatile tool for various organizational needs.

📈 New Features and Capabilities in WhatsApp

This section covers new features introduced alongside WhatsApp Communities, such as increasing group member limits to 1024, enabling up to 32 people in video calls, and adding emoji reactions, admin delete functionality, and polls.

🔒 Leaving Groups but Staying in Communities

Megs discusses how members can leave specific groups within a community while still being part of the broader community. This flexibility allows users to manage their participation and communication preferences effectively.

❓ Conclusion and Invitation for Feedback

Megs wraps up the video by summarizing the key points about WhatsApp Communities and inviting viewers to leave any additional questions or feedback in the comments. She expresses enthusiasm for the new functionality and looks forward to future interactions.

Keywords

💡WhatsApp Community

A WhatsApp Community is a new feature introduced to organize multiple groups under a single umbrella, creating a hierarchical structure. Unlike traditional groups where individuals are added as participants, Communities allow the addition of multiple groups. For example, in the video, the presenter describes creating a 'YouTube test' community that includes a 'test' group, facilitating easier management and communication within large organizations or neighborhoods.

💡Group

In WhatsApp, a group is a collection of participants who can communicate with each other. Groups can now be nested within Communities, allowing for more organized and structured communication. The video contrasts this by explaining how participants in groups can now be organized into larger Communities, making it easier to manage related but separate discussions, such as different classes or parent-teacher groups within a school.

💡Hierarchy

Hierarchy in the context of WhatsApp Communities refers to the structured layering of groups within a larger Community. This organizational structure allows for clear delineation and management of different groups under a central theme, like schools or neighborhoods. The presenter illustrates this by showing how multiple test groups can be organized under a 'YouTube test' community, simplifying the management of communications.

💡Announcement Group

An Announcement Group is a special type of group within a WhatsApp Community designed for disseminating information to all members of the Community. Messages posted here are automatically shared across all sub-groups. In the video, it is mentioned that every Community includes an Announcement Group by default, ensuring that key communications reach all members without cluttering individual group chats.

💡Admin

An Admin in WhatsApp groups or Communities is a user with special privileges to manage participants, settings, and content. The video discusses how each group within a Community can have its own admins with specific control, while the Community admin has overarching authority, similar to a 'super admin.' This role is crucial for maintaining order and overseeing the Community's structure.

💡Invite Link

An Invite Link is a URL that allows users to join a WhatsApp group or Community without being added manually by an admin. This feature is highlighted in the video as a convenient way for people to join Communities or groups relevant to them, enhancing flexibility and ease of access. For example, users can choose which groups to join within a Community based on their interests or needs.

💡Video Call

WhatsApp now supports video calls with up to 32 participants, expanding the platform's capabilities for large group communication. This new functionality, mentioned in the video, complements the introduction of Communities by allowing more extensive and interactive meetings or discussions within the app, suitable for both personal and professional use.

💡Emoji Reactions

Emoji Reactions allow users to respond to messages with specific emojis, providing a quick and expressive way to communicate feelings or feedback. The video mentions this as part of the new features enhancing WhatsApp's functionality, making interactions within Communities more engaging and efficient, akin to how reactions are used on other social media platforms.

💡Admin Delete Functionality

The Admin Delete Functionality enables admins to remove inappropriate or unnecessary messages from group chats. This control is essential for maintaining the quality and relevance of discussions within groups and Communities. The video underscores this feature as part of WhatsApp's efforts to empower admins in managing the content and dynamics of their groups more effectively.

💡Polls

Polls in WhatsApp allow users to create and participate in surveys directly within the app. This feature, highlighted in the video, facilitates gathering opinions or making decisions without needing external tools. For instance, within a Community, polls can be used to quickly gauge member preferences or feedback on various topics, streamlining community engagement and decision-making processes.

Highlights

Introduction to WhatsApp Communities and their purpose.

Difference between WhatsApp Communities and Groups.

Communities function as hierarchical structures with groups added to them.

Examples of Communities: neighborhoods, universities, schools.

Practical setup example of a YouTube test community.

Communities include an announcement group for broader communication.

Each group within a Community has its own admins and settings.

Super admin role in managing the entire Community.

Members can be invited via a community link.

Communities can contain up to 500 groups.

How to access the community tab on Android and iOS.

New WhatsApp features: up to 1024 people in a group and 32 people on a video call.

Introduction of Emoji reactions, admin delete functionality, and polls.

Members can leave individual groups but stay in the Community.

Final remarks and invitation for viewer feedback and questions.

Transcripts

if you're as excited as I am to try out

WhatsApp communities then you have

definitely come to the right place in

today's video we're going to be chatting

about exactly what a WhatsApp Community

is what it does and how you can use it

if you're new here welcome my name is

Megs and every week I release Tech

tutorials helping you do digital better

[Music]

so how does a WhatsApp Community differ

from a group you may be wondering well

it's all about hierarchy so effectively

a WhatsApp Community is what you're

going to add your groups to so in the

same way with groups that you actually

add participants into your group now

instead of adding participants you're

going to add groups into your

communities so communities would be

things like neighborhoods universities

and schools and the things that would

fall underneath that would be things

like classes subjects maybe it's a

parents group versus a teacher's group

so I actually went ahead and created my

very first community and I'm already

loving it although of course it's

totally a dummy one for YouTube so

basically what you do is you can either

create a community from scratch or you

can create a community with the groups

that you already have so I've created a

community which I simply called YouTube

test and underneath that I put a test

group with just me in it which is also

called test so here you can see this is

what the community group is actually

looking like so there's of course the

name of the community I've called it

YouTube test but then there's that

byline as well I've just said my

community does this so there of course

you would explain exactly what it is

that happens in this community then you

would have your groups underneath that

bear in mind that you always have one

extra group because they consider the

community to have an announcement group

so there'll always be an announcement

Group which means any communication that

goes in that announcement group is going

to go to any of the groups which sit

with in that Community but then you have

those individual Community groups which

can have their own admins and their own

admin settings so if for example you're

worried about people who are non-admins

being able to post of course that is

going to fall away because each of those

groups has their own admins and has

their own admin settings and then the

person who is the admin of the community

I guess would really be like the super

admin and then you'll notice of course

you can also view the members and you

can invite to community via link so in

the same way as people can add

themselves to a group you can now

include people using that link and have

them add themselves to the community so

then they can actually choose which of

the groups are most relevant to them

which is also super handy so I guess

either they're being added at a group

level or at a community level and you

can have up to 500 groups sitting within

a community so these things could get

huge so I just think that this is such a

fun bit of new functionality come to

WhatsApp and I'd love to hear in the

comments what you guys think of it in

order to get started and create your

very own Community you're going to be

able to go to the community tab which is

at the top on Android and at the bottom

if you're on iOS and that's going to

allow you to create the community just

like the one I just showed you on the

same day that WhatsApp announced

communities they also announced the fact

that you can have up to 1024 people in a

group so really they're opening up the

Realms of possibilities you can also

have up to 32 people on a video call

which is simply crazy and then like I

mentioned of course 500 groups within a

community other functionality which is

brand new to Whatsapp is of course

things like Emoji reactions the admin

delete functionality which allows an

admin to take control of the situation

and polls which are so awesome because

it means you can actually get data from

within WhatsApp and not have to send

people to a survey link so that's also

really fun and interesting functionality

which when paired with something like

WhatsApp communities is going to open up

so many doors for us the other thing

that's worth bearing in mind that

someone can leave a group but still be

part of a community which is quite cool

because they would still be in that main

kind of comms group so they'd actually

have to leave the community in order to

stop that communication altogether but

of course it's very tightly managed in

terms of what you want to see and what

you don't so I hope that really rounds

up and sums up any of your questions

that you might have had about

communities if you have any more please

do pop them down below I would be so

stoked to hear from you and I cannot

wait to see you next time so we can keep

on doing digital better

foreign

[Music]