Including Data from Facebook Groups

Follow the steps below to include data from Facebook groups that either you manage in your official capacity (e.g. on behalf of a department or agency in your city or county) or that a community member manages and has agreed to link to Zencity. These steps apply to both public (open) groups and private (closed) groups. 

If the group is managed by a community member, Zencity first requires that they give explicit consent to sharing data generated in their group. This requirement is part of our commitment to transparency and full disclosure about where we gather data from, and ensuring that groups are knowingly opting-in to including their members’ discussion in the broader analysis of your community’s conversation. For many community-run groups, this can be an asset: by granting access to the data, they can offer a reliable way for community feedback and sentiment to be heard by city or county officials. Wondering how to start that conversation? Get in touch with your Customer Success Manager for guidance and a request template. 

Granting access DOES include the following:

• Linking our Zencity app to your Facebook account
• Telling Facebook it’s okay to share data via this new open channel
• Identifying which groups you want included and which you don’t 
• Giving permission for data to be sent from those groups 

Granting access DOES NOT include any of the following:

• Posting from your account
• Accessing personal data from your account that’s not connected to any of the groups you’ve selected

Integrating data from a Facebook group is a two-part process. 

Part 1: Install the Zencity app to the group on Facebook. 

If you are an admin of the group on Facebook, you can complete this step. If not, this step should be completed by the community member who manages the group (click here for a suggested draft letter to share with the Group Admin)

1. Navigate to the group's Settings page on Facebook.

2. Scroll down to the Apps section at the bottom of the Advanced Settings. 

3. Click on the pencil icon to open up the Apps settings.

4. Click on "Add apps."

5. Use the search bar on the side of the screen to search for "Zencity."

6. Select the Zencity app and click "Add."

Part 2: Grant Zencity access to pull data from the group.

If you are not an admin or member of the group, the representative of the group with whom you are in communication with (generally the admin who installed the app) must click on this link to finalize the access connection. 

If you are an admin or a member of the group on Facebook, please complete these steps:

1. Log into app.zencity.io
2. From the left hand navigation menu, click on your user name
3. Select ‘Social Accounts’ from the options that open
4. On the ‘Social Accounts’ page, find the subsection titled ‘Facebook Groups’
5. Click on ‘Manage Access’
6. If you are not already logged into Facebook, you will first be prompted to log in.
7. If you are already logged into Facebook, a pop up will appear confirming that you want to continue with that account; if it’s not the account that is part of the Facebook group, please select the option to log in with a different account 
8. Once logged in, click ‘Choose what you allow’ on the pop up screen
9. Select the groups which you would like to include (note: if you haven’t added the Zencity app to your group, you will still be able to select the group here; however, no data will be able to be shared until the app is installed as described in Part 1).
10. Click ‘Continue’ to complete the connection 
11. The list of groups you’ve granted access to will now appear in the ‘Facebook Groups’ subsection with status ‘Access pending’
12. Once Facebook registers that you’ve granted access and begins to share data via the Zencity app, the status will update to ‘Including data’ 

FAQs

What if I don’t see a Facebook group I added listed after I follow the steps to grant access?

For Facebook groups, first confirm that you logged in with the account through which have admin privileges within the intended groups and/or that any group which you wish to include has installed the Zencity app. Once you meet those requirements, click ‘Refresh Access’ to update the source list.

What do the different statuses mean that appear for each linked group? 

There are three types of statuses that can appear for any Facebook Page, Instagram account, or Facebook group:

1. Access pending: Displays when you’ve granted permission for Facebook to share data from a particular Page, Instagram account, or group, and Zencity is finalizing the connection on our end 
2. Including data: Displays when Facebook is actively sharing data from selected Pages, Instagram accounts, or group with Zencity
3. Access expired: Displays in one of two situations: either when a given Facebook Page, Instagram account, or group hits its expiration date, as determined by Facebook, or you’ve attempted to connect a Facebook group yet didn’t meet the required admin permissions to complete the connection. In either event, click the ‘Refresh Access’ button in that section. That will either automatically renew the connection, or prompt you to obtain the necessary permissions for that group. 

Why do a bunch of my sources have the status ‘Access pending?’

In the event you selected ‘all’ when granting access to the Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, or Facebook groups to which you have admin privileges, there’s a chance that some sources can appear in there that are not relevant to the organic conversation happening in your community. Zencity will spot and exclude these instances, in order to ensure the data you get when visiting your dashboard reflects as relevant resident feedback as possible. Therefore, because you granted access yet Zencity never incorporated the Page, account, or group as a source, the status will remain as ‘Access pending.’ If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your CSM.  

Why does Zencity need all of the different data permission types listed for Facebook pages?

The permission types are there to help Zencity build as complete a picture as possible of the organic conversation that’s happening on pages that you manage. For example, granting permission to ‘Read content posted on the Page’ or even ‘Manage comments for the Instagram accounts connected to your Page’ lets us understand and share the topics residents are focusing on and the sentiment they hold. Being able to process both the content of posts, as well as the number and type of emoji reactions a post or comment receives, is essential data for generating the most precise takeaways possible.

For any further questions about how we use any of the permission types in generating analysis and insights for your community, please don’t hesitate to contact your Customer Success Manager and they will be happy to provide a more detailed explanation.

How do I remove a group so that it is not listed on my Social Accounts page?

Removing groups is a two part process. First, log into Facebook and access your Business Integrations here. Open up the Zencity Business Integration's settings. Under "Access your authored posts and comments in groups," deselect any of the group names and click "Save." To remove all groups, set the toggle off next to "Access your authored posts and comments in groups." Then click "Save."
Next, take the following steps:

1. Log into app.zencity.io
2. From the left hand navigation menu, click on your user name
3. Select 'Social Accounts’ from the options that open
4. On the ‘Social Accounts’ page, find the subsection titled ‘Facebook Groups’
5. Click on 'Refresh Access'
6. Click 'Not Now'

• Zencity - How to Connect with Facebook Group Admins.docx300 KB