I’ve been asked many times recently what the difference is between a Facebook fan page and a Facebook group. It’s a great question and the two are similar enough that it can sometimes be confusing.

Here’s my short answer: if you have a logo and a legal entity, you probably want a fan page. Otherwise, you probably want a group.

Fan pages are more appropriate for businesses, non-profits, organizations, or any entity that has a legal presence and a brand. For example, SpinWeb has a fan page because it’s a company. Many of our non-profit and association clients also have fan pages, such as the AMTA Indiana Chapter. These organizations have legal status and a brand and therefore are appropriate candidates for a fan page.

Groups are designed for decentralized common-interest communities. They are great for clubs, topics, and any community that doesn’t necessarily have a “home office” but needs a place to host a discussion and post information. Groups are frequently used for causes, common interests, and events.

So what’s the difference? Here are some basic technical differences:

Fan pages

• No limit on number of fans (members)
• Can install applications
• Indexed by Google
• No privacy controls
• Announcements are sent as Facebook updates
• Geared toward business

Groups

• Limit of 5,000 members
• Cannot install applications
• Not indexed by Google
• More advanced privacy controls
• Announcements can be sent as Facebook messages
• Geared toward personal

Take these things into account when deciding whether to create a fan page or a group and you will get more out of your Facebook presence. Does anyone else have any creative examples of fan pages or groups? Comments are welcome.