A trend has hit the online world lately: Facebook group owners closing their groups. 

It seems like it's the cool thing to do nowadays - make a big announcement about closing your group, then ride off into the sunset.

Personally, I think it's crazy. 

I've heard the arguments for them doing it: their groups became too unwieldy, they lost their "sense of community", they took too much work to moderate, they weren't fun anymore, etc. 

If you've taken (in some cases) years to build up a community, why just throw it away? 

It seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. 

My group's closing in on the 7000 member mark, and should it start to encounter some of the problems that have been mentioned by others, I'll do a purge to get bad apples out and make the necessary changes instead of shutting it all down. 

But to each his/her own - people make what they feel are the best decisions for their businesses, and I wish them the best. 

Here's the cool thing: by killing their groups, they're presenting you with a big opportunity. 

There's now a void left that these large, popular groups once filled. You can slide in and fill that void. 

With Mark Zuckerberg recently announcing that Facebook will be putting a lot of its focus and energy on groups, betting on them seems like a smart strategy. 

So rather than buying into the hype and drama about closing Facebook groups, seize the initiative and start a group (or if you already have a group, push the pedal to the metal). 

Ready to take advantage of these developments? Get everything you need to monetize a successful Facebook group here: 

Marc