X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has introduced a new feature for its private Communities that allows administrators to ask potential members a question before granting them access to the group. This strategy, which is already used by Facebook Groups, assists admins and moderators in evaluating prospective members and protecting their groups from spammers and bots. As moderators evaluate responses to determine if a user qualifies for membership, requiring answers to questions may convey an aura of exclusivity to some Communities.
Understanding the differences between Facebook groups and X communities
Unlike Facebook Groups, which allows administrators to submit several questions and set particular rules for their groups, the new X Communities function is somewhat more limited. Furthermore, only verified users with an X Premium subscription can start X Communities, whereas anyone can start a Facebook Group. Having said that, any X user can join Communities, which has led to large memberships in some situations, akin to Facebook Groups.
Communities have weathered Musk’s ownership transfers
Surprisingly, Elon Musk’s ownership of X has not resulted in the demise of the Communities function. Musk has stopped various products and services since taking over the company, including the Revue newsletter platform, ad-free news article support, third-party client support, and the private Circle feature. Furthermore, TweetDeck (now known as XPro) has been placed behind a paywall, and access to its developer API has become more expensive.
The future of X Communities is unknown
Communities on X now appear to be an underdeveloped feature that does not fit with the platform’s fast-paced timetable. They offer a more peaceful environment for people to debate specific subjects or themes. However, it is unclear what broader aspirations X has for its group features or whether they will ever become a more important element of the platform’s offerings.