Asking for payment for moderating a Facebook group?!

[MotherOfHouseplants]

In today’s fresh hell, a prominent post on a moderately useful Facebook group from the admin, asking users to click on a ‘buy me a coffee’ link and make a contribution towards the ‘running’ of the group.

I am almost impressed by the absolute brass neck. I am generally happy to pay for content but there are no hosting costs and all of the useful content on the group comes from the users.

Is this a thing now? AIBU to think that there are limits to what can be monetised?!

I'm pretty sure I know the page you are talking about. I also think it's very cheeky. You either choose to do
It or not, up to you. But don't ask for payment for it.

Plus the one I am thinking of tell us that the aftercare is part of the price you pay for their goods

I reckon there's probably a bit more to admining a busy FB group than you thinking, especially if they approve posts etc.

It's just a tip mechanism, don't use it if you don't want to

I wouldn’t dare do it but the cost is their time which they are giving for free

Admin for a sizeable FB group is fairly time consuming. At the end of the day it's your choice whether to "buy them a coffee", but I don't begrudge them asking.

There was one for people in need that closed down last year where the admins constantly asked for donations for running the page. Every day there was begging posts on it for money to be sent to them to pay for gal, electricity and food for people as well as for their time. It turned out in the end they had no receipts for anything and literally hundreds of people had donated to them.

Now this is interesting as I don’t think we are talking about the same group - aftercare doesn’t ring a bell. I wonder if this is quite widespread.

I understand that time has value but based on their ‘ad - gifted’ and ‘ad - sponsored’ posts over the last few months the admin is already receiving compensation for access to the group membership.

Having been an admin of a new build development Facebook group, it’s bloody hard work and you end up making enemies with neighbours who think the agreed group rules don’t apply to them. BUT no one is forced to do it and I wouldn’t dream of asking for a coffee as payment (though would have been nice)!!

I haven’t, and I won’t, but I’m interested that the culture of social media is changing to make it an acceptable request. I don’t think it would have been a few years ago.

There are no hosting costs, but moderating a busy Facebook group really can take a lot of time and effort.

Also, you are under absolutely zero obligation to contribute. You're not being 'asked for payment', you're being given the opportunity to tip someone if you want to. It's basically just the online equivalent of a busker having their guitar open for you to chuck a coin into.

It's a hope, not a demand; you can just ignore it.

That’s some semantic splitting of hairs! Requesting a tip is asking for a payment of sorts.

This happens in the Butlins group I was in. They post their table number when they're on site and you can buy them a drink through the app. But they are incredibly knowledgeable and it seems a fun way to show appreciation if they've helped you.

Honestly, I think you just haven't seen it.

People used to have similar links on social/blogging sites like LiveJournal back in the day, pre-Facebook. And I've been seeing links like this on Twitter accounts for about a decade now.

Some people have always been fine with it; some people have always felt like you do about it. But it's not a new phenomenon at all.

Is that anything like the bizarre Wetherspoons group that keeps trying to encroach on my timeline?!

Dunno I've been a member of a forum for years that has a "server fund" which is basically just beer money for the admin, similarly they don't have any real costs because the server is already doing something else

I'm chronically online! I'm familiar with those models to cover hosting costs or to remunerate someone for significant content creation. I gave to a few in the pandemic when many freelancers' incomes suddenly stopped. What I think is new is the idea that moderating or administrating a group on social media is considered significant labour to justify requesting payment.

This keeps coming up on my timeline too! People posting a pic of themselves and asking for drinks, promising to “pay it forward”.

It's really not splitting of hairs at all, because 'asking for payment' suggests that payment is obligatory in return for using a service. Making the group subscribers-only, or having a Patreon whereby people who contribute a fee get exclusive content, would be asking for payment.

Having a Kofi link is akin to having a tip jar on the counter of a sandwich shop or something. No contributions are obligatory, or even expected. You get exactly the same content or use out of the group whether you choose to tip them or not, just like you get the same cup of tea from your sandwich shop whether you chuck them an additional 50p in a jar or not.

There is zero imposition here.

This has come up on a group I use

I’m only still in it because the ranting and raving done by the admin is hilarious.

Constant posts rebuking people for daring to ask a question. Other people chiming in about how awful it is to have had the temerity to ask if you’ve done something wrong as your for sale post hasn’t been approved for 4 weeks.

When she goes on holiday she gets her sister to step in. Rather than accepting any of the numerous offers of help. Apparently she “couldn’t possibly put the stress on them” so does it all herself.

There are also constant requests that people show their appreciation for her work by donating to a random dog charity and major hissy fits if they don’t get enough donations

It’s been hinted numerous times that maybe she should start charging but she’s too nice. Numerous people have sent her money though. More fool them

I moderate on a group with 25k+ folks in. I’m the only moderator. It’s busy and I spend about 2 hours a week interacting, posting and engaging as well as the alerts/checks/reports etc.

I’d love folks to buy me a coffee. ;)

it’s not my group. The owner tried posting some cheap templates people could buy and some folks went mental that she was trying to make money from the group. Despite the free content, live calls, videos etc she did..

wouldn’t dare ask for coffee funds after that.

I do however do free calls to help self employed folks out and do send a follow up message and it has a bit about a testimonial or a coffee fund link. Neither are necessary but a very appreciated Brucey Bonus if I get one.

The absolute brass neck but I kind of admire them for it! 🤣🤣

I've never heard of a 'coffee fund' for admin.

Why don't they just call it what it is, a 'begging bowl'?

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/

After the news this week about HMRC and the 'side hustle tax' on Vinted, Depop etc I'd be interested to know if they have equal scrutiny of buymeacoffee.com, Patreon etc.

Most of the LiveJournallers I'm thinking of didn't have hosting costs and weren't really creating significant content. They were mostly people just chatting about fandoms and things and certainly none of them were professional freelancers or anything like that. Same applies to the people I know on Twitter who've had their Amazon Wishlist or a Kofi link or a GoFundMe in their bio for the last ten years.

I know Facebook groups that need A LOT of moderation and where the admins have a rota so there's always someone online to deal with stuff. It can absolutely be significant labour.

I'm not saying I think this means you have to tip them - I really don't think it does at all! It probably wouldn't tip them myself, either. But I don't really understand why someone simply asking if people would like to tip them is bothering you when there is no obligation and no difference for you in what you get from the group.

Talking about 'brass neck' and complaining about 'monetisation' just seems a really big reaction to me to something that is, in fact, not costing you anything or affecting the content of the group. I mean... 'fresh hell'? Really?

Depends on the group. I'm paid £300 pcm for moderating a massive group. The members are all interested in following a certain on-line training series. I approve members, moderate the conversations and chip in with advice that's in line with the training when needed.

May I introduce you to the works of Dorothy Parker, the memes that have arisen from that particular quotation, and the general concept of light-hearted hyperbole?