Making a Whatsapp Group Manageable

An open WhatsApp group can be a great way to get information out to a large group of people and to make it easier to communicate, engage and share information. The big “but” however, is that open WhatsApp groups need good management, politeness and discipline to make them effective. Sticking to some rules and practising more “pause before posting” will help lower “noise” on the group, ensure that people stay tuned in, are not overwhelmed and the important messages do get shared. 

1. Set out ground rules for engagement. State clearly the aims and purpose of the WhatsApp group. State clearly what the group chat is NOT intended for. Also say what will not be tolerated. Encourage people to stick to the topic and not to share without thinking. This helps to set up boundaries and you can pin this post or repost it every few months as a reminder, if needed.

2. Delete posts that break your ground rules. Absolute no-nos would include bullying, hate speech, sharing unverified information, spreading fear, and ranting. 

3. Remember that an open WhatsApp group should respect the purpose of the group and should be about contributing positively to the community. 

4. Watch for agenda hijackers who might use the group to self-promote for their own cause. If needed, ask that person privately to stop posting irrelevant content to the group.

5. Enlist a few people to be admin on the group. This means that there isn’t just one of two people watching the group activities, and the task of responding to queries and questions timeously can be divided between three or four people. 

6. Match the number of admins to the size of your WhatsApp group and the group activity. 

7. Do not overwhelm the group – only post if there is something relevant and important that needs to be communicated to the group as a whole. 

8. If a post or message is only intended for a few people in the WhatsApp group, consider messaging those people directly.

9. If messages between group members start to be one-on-one conversations, ask them to switch to private messaging. 

10. Before posting photos of people make sure you have consent. Also check that you have permission to post or repost other people’s photographs and credit accordingly.

11. Open WhatsApp groups are a very helpful way for people to communicate, but do not take it personally if things get heated. The group’s admin needs to step in if things get out of hand!