Facebook Groups are becoming more like Reddit with recently added support for nicknames. The feature, which allows users to post with a custom username instead of their real name, provides an alternative to anonymous posting. With anonymous posting, users can share without the post being linked to their Facebook profile and real identity, but this approach also prevents other group members from getting to know them or their personality or tracking their updates over time.
Meta says nicknames will allow people to join groups more personally while maintaining privacy, particularly in groups where users want privacy but still want to build a recognizable presence. It could also make Facebook Groups work more like other Internet forums and message boards — like Reddit or Discord, for example — where people post under usernames. This marks a departure from Facebook longstanding “real name” policy; which insisted that people appear on the platform under the name they use in everyday life.
This policy worked when Facebook was largely a social network built on real-life relationships with family and friends, but the addition of Facebook Groups expanded users’ circles of interactions to include online strangers, which required more privacy protections.
After users in a group set their nickname, they can then post, comment, and react with that nickname in groups that support the feature. This allows users to hide their main profile and profile picture from other members, but not from group admins, moderators or Facebook systems.
However, others in the group will be able to see a user’s full post history with their nickname in that group, as well as the comments and reactions made to the group in the last seven days.
Facebook will suggest nicknames for users, but users can change that nickname to one of their choice. The name must comply with Facebook community standards and cannot already be used by another team member. The company will also suggest a profile photo for the nickname, though users can choose their own from the available ones, along with choosing a colored background.
To access the feature, users will find the option next to “Post Anonymously” when creating a post and then select the option to customize a nickname. The option to use a nickname can be turned off at any time, allowing users to post under their real name again.
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While users can change their nickname, they can only do so once every two days. Additionally, changing a nickname does not allow users to distance themselves from previous posts and comments. Instead, when they change, their new nickname will be applied to their previous posts, comments and reactions, although it may take time for it to appear on devices and groups. If users have different nicknames in different groups, the name change will only affect posts, comments, and reactions in the group associated with that nickname.
The company says that users with nicknames cannot use certain features such as Live Video, content sharing or private messaging. Users can also block others by nickname.
The feature is available globally, but requires group admin approval to enable in each group.
