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  • What Is Facebook for Work?
Technology Articles > Social Networking > Facebook > What Is Facebook for Work?

Facebook is working on a completely new website that will be similar to what LinkedIn offers. Called “Facebook for Work” the site will include ways to chat with your colleagues, add work-related friends, and keep your private Facebook completely separate from your public one. Why bother creating a different Facebook? There’s a good reason for this.

The Justification

A lot of people would like to use Facebook at work, but that isn’t possible in some companies. In order to keep productivity up, most companies keep employees as far away from social networks as possible. But some companies may not have an issue with the new Facebook for Work site, which is completely aimed at work-related networking, and will likely allow colleagues to chat with each user using Facebook. Even if some companies don’t allow Facebook at Work to happen at work, though, this site has another purpose too.

Have you ever been stuck between a rock and a hard place when deciding whether or not to allow your work friends access to your Facebook page? If you’ve ever had the urge to say, “um, that’s what LinkedIn is for!” when someone asks you to connect on Facebook, you’ll probably really like the new Facebook for Work. This way, you can keep your work friends and your personal friends completely separate. It’s a good idea, right?

In Beta Mode

While the news of the Facebook at Work site has really started to spread this morning (based on an original reported printed in The Financial Times), this isn’t the first time that such a rumor has popped up. Quite a while ago, TechCrunch mentioned something about the new Facebook for Work site, but that site seems to be alive and well at the moment. According to various sources, Facebook has started to test the new site with some companies, though the names of those companies are unknown.

Another Good Reason

The other really good reason why Facebook has started to work on a new site is because the company wants to go head to head with LinkedIn. While Facebook’s popularity has started to fade slightly, LinkedIn remains the only tool most people use solely for work purposes. Facebook wants a piece of the work crowd pie, and that may mean competing with LinkedIn directly by developing a Facebook site that’s solely for the workplace.

Whether or not there’s room in the LinkedIn sphere for Facebook remains to be seen. It’s going to be really hard for Facebook to shake its current association with being a complete waste of time, and solely friend-related. Then again, most people will likely sign up for a Facebook Work account and for a Facebook personal account.

The Rollout

Facebook hasn’t made any official announcements yet, but the company will likely be rolling out the new Facebook for Work sometime in the very near future. For Facebook’s sake, hopefully the new Facebook for Work will pay off, or the lack of interest in what Facebook has to offer may continue to decline.