Be honest, how much time are you spending wasting on Facebook while you should be working? Well now there is a Facebook made specifically to use at work!
Facebook at Work is prepping to launch October 10th during a special event in London. The business tool entices company executives by boasting, “A connected workplace is a more productive workplace.”
Users will have to create a separate Facebook at Work account, but it will work in similar ways. The collaboration platform could indeed help companies be more productive. For example, the news feed will only have content from colleagues, so friends outside of the company won’t distract you. It will also have the capability to instant message and video chat in order to compete with programs such as Skype.
Employees can create and join groups to collaborate on projects and share status updates. “Events” will also be on the new communication network to arrange meetings and team building events.
Since Facebook at Work won’t have advertising, it will be charging monthly per active user. This pricing model seems more effective than a flat rate for companies with employees who aren’t actively participating in the network. The price has not been announced yet and is currently free to early adopters.
There are over 450 companies using the network already. Testimonials from current users explain they have seen a dramatic decrease in the number of emails exchanged. Manuel Pangilinan, CEO of Smart, says the platform has helped the company with “open communication and stronger collaboration.”
Companies of all sizes could benefit from Facebook at Work, but I see it having the biggest impact on large companies where employees are spread across different office locations. The network could help make employees feel more “in the loop” about everything going on at their company, since users will be able to get notifications on topics they care about. Like the traditional social media network, it can bring people closer together, no matter their location.
Will users become as addicted to Facebook at Work? Only time will tell.