What’s Up With ‘Facebook at Work’?

by Kaitlan Whitteberry on November 25, 2015
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Get ready, Facebook at Work is coming. Social is clearly part of our lives, and increasingly part of our working lives as well. But, what if you’d rather Facebook at work is being released to the public soon  keep some items on your Facebook page to yourself and your friends rather than everyone at your office? You’re in luck, Facebook at Work plans to give you the option to do just that – while also allowing you to communicate internally while at work directly through the platform. Here is everything we have learned so far.

What Is Facebook at Work?

Currently only released in beta to select companies (for the time being), Facebook lists on its website that the new social channel is:

“Facebook at Work is separate from personal Facebook accounts, so information you share using a work account will only be visible to other people at your company”.

It was announced early this year, but a complete roll-out is expected at the end of 2015 or sometime early in 2016. Right now, larger corporations have gained access to a  beta-version of the platform, including the Royal Bank of Scotland, Heineken and Linio. 

Why This Could Change the Way We Use Social

Described as a contained, internal network for business, Facebook at Work has introduced a new way to interact online. It’s a more private way to connect with colleagues in a social way, but allows you to separate your personal and professional life – something many people have concerns about. Facebook itself has been using an internal version of the program for years, and has found their employees use it to communicate more than chat or email. It helps make informal messaging seamless and causal between departments. 

Facebook at work will help companies manage internal communication As many of us know all too well, social media has grown leaps and bounds in the last five years and it’s become so ingrained in our lives it has made it difficult to keep things segregated as we see fit. Much of our lives are posted on social media, parts of our lives we may or may not want to share with those we work with. Facebook at Work may give users a new way to present themselves the way they see appropriate according to their own views and their workplace’s expectations. 

How it Will Work

As of right now, regular Facebook is completely free for users and continues to monetize off of advertising and promoted posts from companies and brands trying to reach the audience. From what Facebook has explained on its website, this version of the platform will be a little different. There will be a “freemium” version available, similar to how LikedIn’s basic version is available to all users but limits actions and availability of certain features. It appears that the paid version will be available for companies who wish to have “administrative controls and integration with other business applications”.

Facebook will also need to convince employers that green-lighting Facebook use among the staff won’t result in a loss of productivity. But as many companies already know, allowing social media use while at the office is actually good for productivity. 

What to Look For

As mentioned before, the application was released to selective companies throughout 2015. There is speculation that it will become available to all companies early in 2016. Keep your eyes peeled! We will write a new post as soon as it becomes widely accessible to the public.

What do you think of ‘Facebook at Work’, will you be looking into it for your facility? Let us know in the comments section below!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kaitlan Whitteberry

Kaitlan Whitteberry is a Magna Cum Laude graduate from the University of Missouri's journalism program, and currently focuses on iOFFICE press releases, software updates and related news.

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