It is no news that Facebook has revolutionized the way people connect with each other, but Georgia Southern University has found a new way to use Facebook to bring its students closer together.

Students who are Facebook members can join Groups at Georgia Southern, a collection of hundreds of groups for students based on everything from their favorite class this term to events and parties. So far over 9,000 students are members of Groups at Georgia Southern.

Once students join, they are prompted to join groups based on the dorm they live in, their major and the year they are expected to graduate. Students can search for groups to join based on interest or organizational involvement and also have the power to create groups within the GSU community.

While some groups are small and exclusive, others are open and growing everyday, such as the Free and For Sale group. The group has over 2,500 members from students graduating and moving, selling used furniture to students looking to clean out closets and make some extra cash

“I think that that the groups are a good thing. They can help people find roommates, textbooks, or furniture. They also can help the person selling the items. They might get better deals on selling their stuff to other student as opposed to what they would get on another site,” Mary Parton, junior middle grades education major, said.

Students have also begun to use the Free and For Sale group to buy and sell textbooks, clickers and access codes amongst each other at the beginning and ending of each semester.

The growing Facebook group community has created a virtual community for students to utilize to save money, provide each other with tips, create connections for jobs and internships and help start new organizations on campus.

“Through the Georgia Southern Facebook groups, I’ve used them to find members for my new organization, Friends of Girl Scouts. I’ve posted information about the organization as well as links to the membership application. I also created a page in which students who are both members and nonmembers can keep up-to-date with everything the organization is and will be doing,” Briana Holmes, junior accounting major, said.

The groups have not only brought students together over the Internet but in-person as well. Earlier in the semester students were rescued from a car crash but didn’t know the name of their rescuers. They posted all over GSU Facebook groups to help find them, and eventually did.

Holmes said “The GS Facebook pages have been a tremendous help when it comes to connecting with other students, both organization-wise and personally. Plus it allows me to get to know peers better.”