LinkedIn groups are an excellent way for professionals in a particular industry or with similar interests to connect, share ideas, post and read relevant content, and grow their networks. LinkedIn groups can range in size from a handful of people to hundreds of thousands of members.
To manage these groups, LinkedIn allows group owners to assign one or more members as admins. The admin role is important, as these individuals are responsible for overseeing the group, managing members and content, and ensuring the group abides by LinkedIn’s terms of service.
A common question that arises is whether a LinkedIn group can have more than one admin at a time. The short answer is yes, LinkedIn groups are able to have multiple admins. However, there are limits in place, and it’s important to understand the details of how multiple admins work for a LinkedIn group.
How Multiple Admins Work
When a LinkedIn group is created, the group owner is assigned as the first admin. The owner can then add up to 50 additional admins to help manage the group. There is no limit on the number of members that can be in a particular LinkedIn group, but the admin count maxes out at 51 total (the owner plus 50 more admins).
All admins in a LinkedIn group have the same permissions and capabilities. There is no hierarchy among the admin role. This means any admin can add or remove other admins, accept or reject member requests, remove members, delete posts or comments, create polls and events, and change the group settings and description.
The only exception is the original group owner cannot be removed as an admin, but they can remove and change all other admins. LinkedIn does this to keep group ownership clear – if the owner needs to step away for any reason, they still maintain control over the group they created.
Benefits of Having Multiple Admins
There are several benefits to having more than one admin for a LinkedIn group:
- Shared Workload – Managing a sizable LinkedIn group can be time consuming. Multiple admins help distribute the work, ensuring member requests, posts, and issues are handled promptly.
- Broader Expertise – Different admins may have expertise in different topics covered by the group. This allows them to better manage relevant discussions in their area.
- Expanded Coverage – Having admins in different time zones or with different schedules ensures someone is monitoring the group discussions at all times.
- Succession Planning – If the original owner steps back from their role, existing admins can continue managing the group seamlessly.
The ability to add multiple admins is especially useful for large LinkedIn groups with thousands of members and high activity. For smaller groups, a single owner-admin is typically sufficient to handle management duties.
How to Add Admins on LinkedIn
As discussed above, only existing admins of a LinkedIn group, including the owner, can add more admins. Here are the steps to follow if you want to add one or more co-admins for your group:
- From your LinkedIn homepage, go to the “Groups” section and click on the group where you want to add an admin.
- On the right side of the group homepage, click “Manage.”
- On the “Manage Members and Subgroups” page, scroll down and click on “Add admins.”
- Search for the member(s) you want to make an admin and select “Add as admin” next to their name.
- The selected members will be notified of their new admin status.
And that’s it! The process is very straightforward. The new admins can immediately start helping to manage the group.
To remove an admin, just go back to the manage page, select “See all admins”, and choose “Remove as admin” next to the person you want taken off the admin list.
Group Admin Best Practices
If you’ve been added as an admin for a LinkedIn group, keep these best practices in mind:
- Check in frequently and help moderate discussions. Look for spam, off-topic posts, controversies and other issues that may require admin attention.
- Welcome new members and engage with the community. Admins set the tone for the group.
- Stay on top of member requests and accept those that meet the group’s criteria.
- Send update announcements when appropriate to inform members of changes or important news related to the group focus.
- Collaborate with other admins to distribute responsibilities and establish processes.
- Add new admins as needed to replace inactive ones or give hardworking members more authority.
Following these tips will help ensure you and your members have a positive group experience. Check with the group owner if you ever have questions about how they want the group managed.
Limits to Prevent Abuse
While LinkedIn allows groups to have multiple admins for added flexibility, the company puts limits in place to prevent abuse of admin powers:
- Group owners can demote or remove any existing admin at any time.
- LinkedIn monitors groups and member complaints about poor admin conduct.
- Members removed by an admin can appeal to LinkedIn customer support.
- LinkedIn restricts spam accounts from becoming group admins.
- Group activity like mass member additions/removals triggers alerts reviewed by LinkedIn.
These checks and balances allow legitimate admins to do their jobs, while restricting bad actors from exploiting admin privileges. Overall the system maintains the integrity of the LinkedIn group experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s review some common questions about having multiple LinkedIn group admins:
Can I pay someone to become a group admin?
No. LinkedIn prohibits members from being paid for admin status, as it can lead to biased management focused on money rather than the good of the community.
What if two admins disagree on something?
The group owner has ultimate authority in these situations. Owners should aim for consensus when possible, but their decisions are final if conflicts arise.
How do I remove an inactive admin?
Admins can remove other admins at any time from the manage page. It’s reasonable to remove admins who are no longer active in the group after a period of months.
Can admins participate in group discussions?
Yes. Admins can engage in discussions and post their own content like regular members. They simply have extra capabilities to manage the group itself.
Does the order of admins matter?
No. All admins have the same permissions, regardless of when they were added. The one exception is the group owner, who cannot be removed.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn does permit having multiple admins for groups to allow added flexibility in managing larger communities. The maximum total is 51 – the owner plus 50 additional admins.
There are many benefits to distributing admin responsibilities, but LinkedIn puts limits in place to prevent abuse. Group owners retain ultimate control over their groups. Following best practices as an admin contributes to a thriving hub for quality discussions and connections.
Key Takeaways:
- LinkedIn groups can have up to 51 total admins – the owner plus 50 others.
- All admins have the same capabilities to manage the group.
- Multiple admins distribute workload and provide broader expertise.
- Owners maintain ultimate control and can remove other admins.
- LinkedIn has limits to prevent admin abuse.
Admin Task | Owner Permission | Co-Admin Permission |
---|---|---|
Add admins | Yes | Yes |
Remove admins | Yes | Yes, but not owner |
Accept/reject members | Yes | Yes |
Remove member | Yes | Yes |
Create/delete posts | Yes | Yes |
Change group settings | Yes | Yes |
In summary, LinkedIn group admins have the same capabilities, with the owner holding additional control. Multiple admins provide shared support for large thriving communities. Careful admin selection and active management keeps LinkedIn groups productive and positive.