Armed Women of America will create and set up your private members Armed Women of America Chapter Facebook Group. The group settings must remain set to “secret” so that people outside of the group cannot see the posts. (The difference between “secret” and “private” is that a secret group will not come up in a general Facebook search but a private group will.) You have the option to create and use a public Facebook page (not group) for marketing purposes.

The Basics

• Adding Group Members – There are two ways to add people to the group. The first is to just add them if they are a Facebook friend. Simply type in their name into the field that says “add member to the group” toward the right side of the page. The second way is to email them the group link. Once they go to the link, they can request to be added which you will need to approve. (So you are not required to “friend” everyone in the group to add them.) It is important that everyone in the group be an official Armed Women of America chapter member. It is also recommended that you edit the group settings so that you – the admin – must approve new group members. (Click the gear icon next to “Notifications” at the top right hand side of the group page. Select “Edit Group Settings.” In the “Membership Approval Section,” select “Any member can add members, but an admin must approve them.” ** Don’t forget that you have the option of creating a business page for your chapter where the ladies that are not paid members can still stay in touch along with the public.
• Group Description – Click on the “About” tab and add a brief group description.
• Events – The “Events” tab will allow you to create members-only events for the group to see. If you have a separate Facebook page, you may want to create your events there so that potential new members can see your outing schedule.
• Photos – This tab is for your chapter photos. Photos of the group shooting outings and chapter members should be kept private in the group and not be shared, unless you get permission from everyone in the photo. Some women may be pursuing firearms training and self-defense due to an abusive ex or a stalker. This isn’t just about privacy, it’s also about the safety of our group members.
• Files – This tab is for uploading documents for the group to see. The first document that you will post is the “Armed Women of America Local Chapter Facebook Group Rules.” Every member needs to read the rules and post a comment that they have read the rules and agree to abide by them. This is also a great place to upload basic safety and self-defense information, shooting drills, etc. for the group to access.

Armed Women of America Local Chapter Facebook Group Rules

It is very important that as the group administrator, that you know the rules inside and out and enforce them. There will be times when group members, knowingly or unknowingly, will violate a rule. It is important that you politely but firmly call the group member’s attention to that particular rule and remind them that they agreed to abide by the rules. If this doesn’t rectify the situation, you will need to discuss this with them one-on-one offline to explain the importance of the rules. If you allow one member to violate rules, you are hurting the other members by ignoring the problem. A constant rule-violator will need to be removed from the group.

Have Fun! – Your Armed Women of America chapter group should be a safe, fun place for your members to discuss firearms and self-defense related topics. Many of the same fun and interesting pictures, links, videos, etc. that you would share on your Facebook page can also be shared and discussed here. (See “Facebook Page Marketing Tips.” on the Chapter PUBLIC Facebook Pages section)