You've probably already heard one of this week's TV anecdotes: Berto Romero , the famous comedian and presenter, recounted on the late-night show La Resistencia how he accidentally created a WhatsApp group with over 100 people, when what he actually meant was a broadcast list . We'll tell you exactly what happened and give you the keys to avoid making a similar mistake with your contacts…
Group chat or broadcast list?
Berto Romero was on the popular show La Resistencia , hosted by David Broncano, a few days ago and told an anecdote about WhatsApp that has quickly become a source of laughter and gone viral on social media.
Apparently, Berto wanted to give away tickets to his new show in Madrid, so he tried to create a broadcast message on WhatsApp to let all his contacts know. However, instead, he created a group chat , which attracted numerous Spanish celebrities (with their phone numbers clearly visible, of course) as well as other completely unknown people from Berto's address book. In total, a whopping 115 people were in the same WhatsApp chat room.
You can see the moment he tells it on the show right below (playback starts directly at 0:24, when he starts telling the story):
“There is the mistake, that I did not give to the broadcast list…”
"And what you did..."
"...it was a group"
Indeed, a mistake in WhatsApp's procedures resulted in the creation of a group with an excessive number of people instead of a broadcast list, leaving their phone numbers exposed to the rest of their contacts—possibly the most serious aspect of this whole affair. A complete disaster.
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How to create a group and a broadcast list in WhatsApp: differences
Obviously, this anecdote we just told you is merely the perfect excuse to talk to you today about the differences between a group and a broadcast list , two tools of the platform, seemingly quite distinct, but which, as we can see, can create some confusion about their use.
What is and how to create a Broadcast List
A broadcast list lets you send messages to multiple contacts at once. You, the user, create a list of recipients (which is saved for later use) to whom you will send a message. These contacts, who must have your number saved in their address book to receive your messages, will receive the message as if it were an individual WhatsApp message, and their replies will not be sent to the other recipients on the list: only you will read them.
To create a broadcast list in WhatsApp, you must do the following:
- Enter the WhatsApp app and on the Chats screen, click on the three buttons in the upper right corner to find the "New broadcast" option. Click on her.
- Select the contacts from your list (you can also search for them in the magnifying glass in the corner) to whom you want to send the message.
- Press the button with the green OK arrow.
- A broadcast room will open, in which your selected contacts are added.
- Write a message and send it as if it were a normal conversation.
If you want to edit it , you can open the broadcast list, enter the menu (the three dots) and tap on "Broadcast list" to edit the list name, add new recipients or delete a contact (in this case, press and hold the name).
If you want to delete it , press and hold the broadcast list you want to delete, tap "Delete broadcast list" and then tap "Delete".
What is and how to create a WhatsApp group
A group, as you probably already know, is a chat room where several contacts gather to share a common conversation . An administrator (you in this case, as the group's creator) also has certain privileges, such as deciding who is part of the group and inviting new members.
To create a group on WhatsApp, follow these steps:
- Open WhatsApp and on the Chats screen, click on the three menu buttons to find the "New group" option - just above New broadcast ". Click on her.
- Select the contacts you want to add to the group.
- Press the button with the green OK arrow.
- Write a subject (it will be the name of the group; you have a 25 character limit), which will be visible to all the participants that are part of the group. You will also have the option, if you want, to add an icon/photo to the group by tapping on the camera icon and using an image from your photo gallery, make a new one or search for it on the internet.
- Hit the green OK button and you're done.
If you want to invite someone else to the group (remember, you need to be an administrator to do this), simply tap on the subject line once you're in the group and select "Add participants" or "Group invitation link." The latter will create a link that anyone with the link can join (you can copy it, share it, and even revoke it later if you want it to expire).
Berto, we sincerely hope this helps you…