Facebook to hold its first ever Communities Summit in Chicago

11 Apr 2017

Crown Fountain in Chicago. Image: Fotoluminate LLC/Shutterstock

Zuckerberg is holding true to his promise to make social media more inclusive and informed.

Facebook is to hold its first ever Communities Summit between 22 and 23 June in Chicago.

The event will be open to a few hundred group admins, and the idea is to share best practice on how to develop these groups.

The action appears to be one of the first tangible outcomes from a recent state of union address of sorts by Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, in which he called for social media to be more inclusive and informed.

Applications to attend the summit are open now, and interested group admins can apply here.

Strengthening communities

Facebook to hold its first-ever Communities Summit in Chicago

Image: Facebook

Facebook Groups product director Alex Deve said the event is an opportunity for group admins to gather, share and connect in real life.

Limited to US participants for now, the event is free and it is understood that Facebook will cover the cost of food and accommodation.

“People use Facebook to discover and connect with communities in meaningful ways,” Deve said.

“One way people are forming and strengthening communities is through Facebook Groups. Whether connecting with other fishermen in your town to share tips, organising a get-together for new parents in your neighbourhood, or finding others dealing with the same medical condition, people use Facebook Groups to connect in personal, practical and powerful ways.

“No matter your interests or personal circumstance, there’s probably a group out there for you. In fact, there are tens of millions of active groups on Facebook, and every one of them exists because of the passion and dedication of the group admins who lead these communities.”

Crown Fountain in Chicago. Image: Fotoluminate LLC/Shutterstock

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com