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BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) groups are a great way to keep a bunch of friends or a number of co-workers connected. Today I’ll be providing an overview of how to manage a BBM group. Click the video above to get started, and then use the steps I’ve provided to fill in the rest. If you are looking for information on the features of BBM groups, check out the post BlackBerry Messenger Groups: Share pictures, lists and chat with several friends at once.
With that being said, let’s get started by creating a group:
1. Open BlackBerry Messenger
2. Under the heading “BBM Groups”, select “New BBM Group”
3. Create a group name and optionally add a description
4. If you would like all group members to have the ability to invite people to the group, choose “Yes” from the drop down to the right of “Allow Non-Admin Members to Invite Others”; otherwise, choose “No”
5. Select “Create Group”.
Now that you have a group, let’s invite some members!
Something to keep in mind before you begin inviting people to your group is that each group has a 30-member capacity. Also, inviting people to your group is similar to inviting someone to your BBM contact list:
1. In BBM, select the group
2. Within the group, press the Menu key and select “Invite to BBM Group”
3. Select one of the following:
- Invite by sending a PIN or email message
- Scan a PIN barcode
- Select from BBM Contacts
Just like adding a BBM contact, the person will have to accept the invitation before they can join the group.
Administering Groups in BlackBerry Messenger
Setting an Administrator Password
Setting an administrator password means that only you can change the group’s settings.
1. Open BBM from the Home screen or from within a folder
2. Select the group to be administered
3. Press the Menu key and select “Administration” and then “Set Administrator Password”
4. Type in the desired password, confirm the password and select “Ok”.
Customizing your BBM Group
1. Open BBM form the Home screen or from within a folder
2. Select the group to be administered.
Tip: When you launch BBM to interact with a group, type the first letter of the group’s name and your contact list will be filtered so you can quickly access the group.
3. Press the Menu key and select “Group Details”
The first options available on this screen allow you to edit the group name and description or choose a new group icon.
If you would like to keep your BBM status visible to people on your contact list only (thus avoiding sharing it with BBM Groups), change the “Share My Status Message” field to “No”.
Group Barcode
Select “Display Group Barcode” to view the barcode for your group. I recommend saving your barcode to the device memory so you can easily share it with others. While displaying the group’s barcode, press the Menu key and select “Save Barcode Image”. If you would like some ideas on how to share your barcode and other social networking tips, check out Ty’s blog post Social Networking Tips for BlackBerry smartphones.
Administration
Choose “Yes” if you want non-administrators to have the ability to invite other BBM users to your group. By choosing “No”, non-administrative members will not have the option to invite people to the group.
Group Options
Under the heading “Group Options” you will find the setting for how your BlackBerry smartphone interacts with the group. To enable the settings “Save Chat History” and “Save Pictures”, your BlackBerry smartphone must have onboard device memory or a Media Card installed; if you don’t have one or both, the option will not be available to select.
Select “Message List Integration settings” to configure how the group works with your message list; this is the Messages app which can be found on your Home screen or within a folder. Select “Some Activities” to choose from individual activities you want displayed on the message list. Activities not viewed in the message list can be viewed from within the BBM group.
Have a question about administrating a BBM Group? Leave your question below!