What is the difference between a group and a VKontakte community - which is better?

Let's talk about the differences between a group and a public page. What is the difference between a group, a public page, a public page, a community, a meeting, a personal page and what type is needed for what. At the end of the article, we will conclude which type of community is best suited for promotion.

I’ll immediately clarify the terms in order to answer the question “what is the difference between a group and a VKontakte community.”

A group, a public page (public) and a meeting are all different types of communities.

VKontakte community diagram

When they say “community,” they may mean a group or a public page, or less often a meeting.

Communities are a union of people based on interests: professional, commercial, entertainment.

A public page and a public page are one and the same thing.

A meeting and an event are one and the same.

What is a VKontakte group

This is a type of community that unites users by interests . Here they can freely exchange information on a pre-selected topic. A group page is made by:

• open;
• closed;
• private.

The owner of the service is able to customize it to suit his own needs, as well as the needs of the audience.

How to transfer a group to a public page on VK?

You can change the community format using a button that is visible only to the person who created it. It is located under the group (public) avatar and is included in the main menu.

You need to do the following:

• Click on the three dots next to “Write messages”, open the “Actions” option and select “translate to page” at the bottom of the list.
• Once in front of the “Transfer group to page” list, select the type of public, for example, “Place or small company.”
• Click the “Translate to page” button, after which we get the desired result.

Mobile devices do not have this feature. It is only available on laptops and computers. For the successful implementation of the procedure, it is necessary to take into account all possible consequences. To transfer a group to public, its creator selects the format (type) of the page. And also agrees to a number of the above conditions.

The concept of the VKontakte community

The VKontakte community is also called a public . This is the official page used to disseminate information about:

• product;
• service;
• personalities;
• companies, etc.

The public is also dedicated to a specific topic, but the source of information is exclusively the administrator.

The public cannot be made private, but it is possible to comment on published posts.

Facebook

If you want to find clients or simply interesting people from other countries, you just need to use Facebook and decide for yourself the question of what is better: a group or a page on Facebook.

Like VKontakte, the social network Facebook provides the ability to create groups. But is it worth it? Maybe it would be better to limit it to a page? Let's figure it out. As in the case of VK, we will deal with it step by step.

What's happened?

Facebook group - it's simple!

Like VKontakte, they are created solely for communication. People with specific interests share their experiences, impressions and thoughts.

A Facebook page is a public, open space. It contains information about a specific person, team or company. It is on the page that it is most convenient to post information about the brand.

Creation and use

Group

The group has a number of additional functions that the page lacks.

For example, with a Facebook group, you can send out letters and invitations to events en masse, but not more than 5,000 participants. This limitation makes it impossible for groups with large numbers of subscribers to use the feature.

And if your goal is several tens of thousands of people, then this function is unlikely to seem tempting to you.

The group cannot use applications, which is a significant disadvantage.

However, as a group administrator, you will be able to control its members.

A group can be: open, closed and secret. You yourself will decide who exactly will become a member of your community.

Page

The huge advantage of a page over a group is the ability to use applications. They will make a huge number of opportunities available to you. But, unfortunately, you won’t be able to invite someone to participate in a specific event from the page.

But, as the owner of the page, you will have the opportunity to use advertising widgets; groups cannot do this. All information presented on the page is available to absolutely all Internet users.

What to choose?

And again we return to the question of your goal. Do you want many, many clients? Then create a page. Otherwise, a group will suit you.

Comparison - what is the difference between a group and a community

There are several differences between the two services, they are presented in the table.

What is a community, what are its features, and how does it differ from a public?

Before considering the question of what is better to create on VKontakte - a public or a group - let's consider the features of each of the pages.

A group is a page that brings together users based on their interests and hobbies. It allows participants to conduct discussions, exchange information, communicate and create interesting topics for discussion, add materials, etc.

On a note. Many users are interested in what is the difference between the group and the VKontakte community. In fact, there are no differences - they are the same thing. But public is something completely different.

Thus, a community is best created when a person wants to establish close contact with the target audience. Private or any other VKontakte group - what is it? This is a multifunctional platform where you can:

1. Create and promote your virtual store and sell various products. The main criterion for how a VKontakte group differs from a public page is its wider functionality. Thanks to numerous tools, the community founder can develop a menu that will be convenient for each client. This explains the fact that most sellers give preference to communities rather than public ones.
2. Do what you love and share your achievements with others. When asked what is better – a group or a public page for highlighting your hobbies and interests, the answer will be unequivocal: of course, a group. Here you get the opportunity not only to share the little joys of your life, but also to find like-minded people.
3. Earn money from affiliate programs. By mentioning the necessary services in your posts, you, as the owner of the group, can earn additional income. This is another answer to the question of how a group differs from a public page - public. In the second case, this method of earning extra money is impossible, and next we will look at why.
4. Offer your services as a specialist in a certain field of activity. Of course, in this case, it wouldn’t hurt an enterprising user to know what a VKontakte public page is. After all, it is he who is more suitable for promoting his own business. But since we are talking about independent employment and self-promotion, the group is quite suitable for a budding master.

How you can earn money on VKontakte, read the link

Types of communities in VK

There are 3 types:

1. Open. Any user of a social network can join such groups - there are no restrictions.
2. Closed. Before joining the community, you must submit an application. At the same time, the user must be prepared for the fact that the community administration may first ask him a few questions. The application is accepted or rejected by the administration. Therefore, the user is accepted or not accepted into the group.
3. Private. You can join such groups only by personal invitation from the administrator.

One more question - what is a preposition in VK? The offer is nothing more than the “Suggest news” button. It is available to users of a specific community, which is also one of the answers to the question of how a group differs from a public page. In the second case, users do not receive such an opportunity from the developers of the social network.

In other words, being in groups, users have the opportunity to add interesting information - text, media files, interesting articles, etc. This is much more interesting than just browsing the news feed of the selected community.

In groups, people are more involved in the creative process and can realize their potential. It’s also more interesting here from the point of view that users can find new friends with the same interests and outlook on life.

Thus, unlike a public page, a community on VKontakte or any other social network is more suitable for communication, discussion, creativity, commenting and dating. Although running a private business through a group is also quite possible.

What then is a public page on VK, and what opportunities does it open up for users? There are significant differences between a group and a public page, which we will explore in detail below.

Advantages and disadvantages

In addition to their differences, groups and publics also have advantages and disadvantages . Based on these indicators, you can subsequently make a choice in favor of a particular option.

Among the pros and cons of a public page are noted:

• content is available to every user. You won't be able to hide a community even if you want to. It will be displayed on the participant’s page;
• posting posts, changing public information, limiting or deleting comments. Only the owner or administrator can do this . Subscribers can suggest news , as well as comment on posts on the wall, if the function is available;
• Convenient location of photos and videos. They can be found on the right side of the screen;
• unhindered creation of events within the public page;
• lack of a section with the latest news. This is already a disadvantage. But resource owners can add a page where news will be posted;
• inability to forward an invitation to join a public page to a friend.

Our choice

In one of our projects on teaching thinking tools and working with beliefs, it’s time to work with the VKontakte audience. And the question “What is better to create – a group or a page?” stood in front of us. The target audience is fans of self-development who have hit their income limit and cannot break through it; or they achieve growth, but roll back, losing their hard-won heights.

Goals:

• more than 10,000 group members in 6 months;
• reaching sales in excess of 100,000 rubles per month in 6 months;
• receive more than 10 reviews from course/training participants per week;
• increase the number of clicks through affiliate links by 500+ people per month.

To achieve our goals, we decided to create a group. At the same time, check again in practice which techniques and tools work and which don’t.

The next article in the series is choosing a group name. In it, we count the frequency of keywords, analyze competitors, generate a list of options and accept one of them for work.

What is better: group or community?

It is believed that group resources have become obsolete . Communities are becoming more popular and in demand. They are easy to manage, attractive, and open to VK users. Most social network participants often subscribe to public pages , not wanting to become a member of a group service.

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Classmates

In addition to VKontakte, another social network is particularly popular in Russia. This is Odnoklassniki. You can also advertise your business there.

Many people ask the question: what is better, a group or a page on Odnoklassniki?

Unfortunately, this social network only allows you to create your own group. And a page on Odnoklassniki is, first of all, a personal account. Like VKontakte, it is intended for personal use and for posting personal information.

The group on this social network is divided into two subgroups: for business and for hobby.

It is in groups that people find important information for themselves, share ideas and thoughts, or choose goods/services.

How to promote?

Page

You can promote your Odnoklassniki page in different ways. For example, you can increase the number of friends and classes manually. Add strangers as friends on your own and hope that they will like your posts.

Of course, you can cheat them, but in this case your “success” will be very shaky and empty. After all, “non-living” people who definitely won’t buy anything from you are being scammed.

You can also use various applications for promotion. For example, assign many classes to different users and expect them to go to your page.

By the way, one of the main advantages of Odnoklassniki is a class that combines the usual like and repost.

VK profile

A personal VKontakte profile is intended for communication on a social network in accordance with the rules of VK. In addition, the profile should be opened only with reliable information. In case of some problems, the VK administration may require scans of your passport. If you cannot confirm your profile with the necessary documents, it will be permanently banned.

But you’ve probably seen more than once that fake profiles are often created on VK. For example, on behalf of Brownie Kuzi or Vasilisa the Wise. This is quite dangerous for the above reason.

And if a community is open through this profile, in case of complaints, this group will be banned along with the profile!

Restrictions on working through the Profile:

• You cannot set up an advertising platform on your VKontakte Personal Profile.
• The number of messages to strangers is limited (no more than 25 messages).

Why a Profile can be banned:

• For sending SPAM - advertising mailings in messages, invitations to a group of strangers
• For using cheating services.

However, if you do not violate the rules of VK, you can build a business through your personal profile, for example, photographers, trainers, nutritionists, etc.

Nobody forbids you to publish useful and interesting information on the wall for your friends.

Additional Tabs

In addition to the “Settings” item, there are several more lines that you need to pay attention to. The second one is “Participants”. Here will be the pages of users whose applications have been confirmed. As the creator, you have the right to remove users or appoint them to a management position.

Next comes “Leaders.” By giving one of the users advanced capabilities, you can take them away or increase the range of influence. Additionally, you remove administrators from their positions.

Then came the “Black List”. As you might guess from the name, this includes users who have violated the rules of the public. After a while, they can be renewed and returned to the ranks of regular participants.

At this point, the creation of the group can be considered complete. All that remains is to prepare the very same avatar that will directly correspond to the given topic and start receiving requests to join from other users.

Finally, it is necessary to note the constant transformations in the points for creating groups, because VKontakte developers are adding new and interesting functions, for example, the ability to send money or offer your news on the wall.

Install applications and receive orders

Apps add new features to the community and help users complete a targeted action. For example, subscribe to the newsletter, book a table or leave a request.

Select the desired application from the list and click the “Add” button, it will appear on the community page. Then the application needs to be configured. For example, indicate which fields the user fills in, which administrator receives applications. I'll tell you what you can do using applications.

Read how to make a newsletter on VKontakte

Make newsletters. They help communicate with current and potential clients: send subscribers useful content, information about promotions, discounts and competitions. VKontakte has several applications for mailings; VLICHKU, Senler, Message Mailings, Gamayun and ArtSend are suitable.

The Gamayun application sends messages

Accept applications. Using applications for accepting applications, clients sign up for manicures, reserve tables in cafes and restaurants, and place orders. Registration forms are added through the Applications, Application Collection Form and DIKIDI Online applications.

You can accept applications through DIKIDI Online

Find out how to create an online store on VKontakte

Sell ​​goods. To trade on VKontakte, it is not necessary to create a website, connect a domain and pay for hosting; the “Goods Store” application is enough. With its help, users order directly from the community, and you accept and process applications in the built-in CRM system.

For organizers of joint purchases there is a separate application “SP Store”. And all sellers will benefit from the Order Status application. With it, customers automatically receive notifications when an order has been processed or shipped. As a result, users know what’s wrong with their order and don’t write to you in a personal message.

Using the “Goods Store” application, you sell directly on VKontakte.

That's it, you've created a community, now you need to publish posts and attract potential clients. In order not to spend a lot of time on VKontakte and pay more attention to business, connect the Amplifier. He publishes posts on social networks and tells what posts his subscribers like.

You can create surveys directly in Amplipher and track their results, tag users and pages. You can also connect integration with Google Analytics to know how many clients each post brought.

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In what cases is a group preferable, and in what cases is a public page preferable?

Given the differences between the two types of communities, both formats can be used. To achieve the creator's goals, they are equal in effectiveness. Publics are easier to manage, so at first they are chosen by the majority. If you want to hide the content of a community and limit access to it, you should choose a group that can be closed to those who are not its members.

It will not be possible to remove subscribers from a public page, but you can remove them from a group. If a different format is required, the previous one can be canceled. The more important thing is how to make sure that the community develops and is filled with interesting content.

Some more useful information

In the initial stages of business promotion (I think this option is the most popular), it is not so easy to immediately decide what is best for you.

And, if you created an excellent group, promoted it, and suddenly realized that a public page is closer and more necessary for you, then there is no reason for frustration, you don’t have to delete it. Everything can be easily fixed with one (or almost one) click of a button. It is possible to transfer it to community status.

The same changes can be made in reverse order. Just keep in mind that at least 30 days must pass before the change. And in the case of a large number of subscribers (10,000 or more), the VK administration has the right to consider your case personally.