The SVA Guide to using Virtual Assistant Facebook Groups
The SVA Guide to Using Virtual Assistant Facebook Groups.
Over the last few years, a lot of Virtual Assistant Facebook groups have been set up with the intention of offering peer-to-peer support and advice to VAs. And whilst they can be immensely helpful, there can be some serious pitfalls of joining the wrong group.
The SVA has received many complaints from members over the years after having been given incorrect or misleading advice on Facebook Groups, so before you join one and begin asking questions, here are some top tips to help you find the right ones to join.
Is it UK-based?
This may sound a bit odd because the internet and the VA industry is worldwide, but UK trading laws are very different from other countries. So, whilst joining virtual assistant groups that are admin-ed from other countries can be great for collaboration purposes, never take advice on them about business model set-up, contracts, tax, insurance, data protection, MLR…… The list goes on.
Who admins and moderates the group?
Do the admins and moderators understand the VA industry? It is so important that they do because if they don’t, they cannot correct or moderate incorrect and misleading content. This can have dire consequences (nope, we are not exaggerating here). It is something that the SVA has received a lot of complaints about; one instance was on the subject of a legal requirement that the new VA posting was asking about. The issue came when a comment was made by another group member, who had no ill intent, but equally they were not an expert, and the comment was incorrect. The comment was not removed as the moderators did not understand it themselves. In addition, the VA giving the advice on this, had been in business for no more than one year. The posting VA, as a result, followed the incorrect advice and was later subject to a very large and life-changing fine.
We live in ‘the age of the expert’, with people giving their advice, no matter how much they know on the subject or how much experience they have.
This is just one of many examples that underlines how important it is for the person running the group to have genuine experience within the VA industry, whether that is by working as a VA themselves, having done so previously, or by being actively embedded in the VA community with the right knowledge and contacts to signpost people effectively.
You can check who admins or moderates a group by looking in the Members section, and I recommend you treat it like you are looking for a trainer or coach. Look at who manages it and do your research. What experience have they had in the VA industry? Why are they running this group?
Expertise.
Equally, we would ask, if you are a member of a Virtual Assistant Facebook group, do not give advice unless you really understand the subject area and have the experience and knowledge to back it up. Answering a question incorrectly but with a tone of expertise is incredibly convincing, and we see this a lot (not just in VA groups, but on the internet in general). If you are unsure of the answer but know someone who can help, please feel free to tag that person or signpost to them. If not, just don’t answer.
If you know the answer and can help, do give advice, and also try and back it up with some information that the initial poster can refer back to (but do ensure it’s from a credible source).
Please also be aware that if you give bad advice, and the person you are advising takes legal action against you, your insurance may not cover you, unless you are insured to train or coach.
Who is in the group, and is it private?
Check who sees your posts in this group. Ideally, a Facebook will only contain VAs and maybe some VA suppliers – not potential or existing clients!
Let’s look at why. If you want to ask questions about how to do something, vent about a challenge you are facing, a difficult client experience or discuss what is happening in your business, you do not want potential or existing clients to see that.
Many good virtual assistant groups are private and operate based on some kind of rules, and they will ask you to respond to some questions before you can join. This enables it to be a safe place to ask questions.
Group rules
All good Facebook groups have rules in place, both for your own protection and the admins/ moderators. For example, to respect other members, to keep content relevant to the industry, etc. It goes without saying that you should follow the rules in that group because it makes it a nice experience for everyone in there, but there always seems to be a heated discussion when someone posts something that someone else disagrees with. A particularly contentious issue in VA groups tend to be around pricing – you will often find that subjects like this are heavily moderated to avoid upset.
If you don’t agree with something, stay polite in your comments, don’t be judgmental or critical or you can also report the post to moderators so they can then check if it breaks the rules.
If the moderators and admins are worth their salt, they will check the content to see if it is incorrect, misleading or breaching the rules and take action accordingly.
Get collaborating
To get the most out of a Virtual Assistant Facebook group, don’t just lurk; try and collaborate, start conversations, comment on conversations and get involved.
Don’t be anonymous
Another top tip is not to post anonymously because it doesn’t allow you to build on that collaboration. If you’ve done your research and it’s a good group, you will not be judged or berated for asking questions. I always tell our members, “No question is too silly or small because we all started somewhere, and you only know what you know.”
Virtual Assistant Facebook groups can be really helpful and are a great way to get to know other VAs in the industry, share your experiences and ask questions, but do check them out before you dive in and always ensure you fact-check answers, particularly if the question is of a legal nature.
If you are ever unsure about advice you have been given in a Facebook group, please do feel free to ask us at the SVA because it is better to be safe than sorry, and if we don’t know the answer to something, we will find you someone who does.