Know the "Other" side on Facebook

One of the best practices that I recommend for educators who are using Facebook with students is to create a group or a page where teachers and parents or students can connect, collaborate, and create. One of the nice things about groups and pages is they allow you to message members without having to be Facebook "friends" with them.  Recently however, a new twist has been put in place that innovative educators should be aware of. 

If you want to message a student with whom you are not friends, it will cost you a dollar for the message to go straight to their inbox as you can see from the below message. 

But not to worry. Here's how to get around the fee.

What this means for educators who plan to message group members is that you need to let students know they should be checking their "other" folder. Let them know they can move a message to their Inbox by replying, or by opening the message and selecting Move to Inbox from the Actions menu.

Here is where you can find the "Other" folder.

A best practice might be to send members a welcome message with information about the group as well as directions on how to move a message from you to their inbox.  Ask them a question that they can reply to so you know they know how to do this.