Facebook is taking a new step to wriggle its way into your daily life, becoming more insidiously entwined with you than ever. The social network has launched Facebook For Work, a step that might have your company actually encouraging you to Facebook during work hours.
Basically, it is an inter-department memo/email system gone social. Your company can create a network based specifically around your place of employment, so it can be used by employees only.
It will have a different look to the usual Facebook, so you can tell the difference immediately. Users can access it through a web based version, or a mobile app for Android or iOS.
You can link up your other profiles, so you are running both professional and personal accounts from a single dashboard. Which is a better option than having a coworkers list that are limited in what they see.
Which brings up the main benefit (in my opinion) of FB@Work. Now, you can have coworkers on your Facebook account, without actually having to have them on your Facebook account.
I do not have anyone I work with in any capacity on my Facebook. Instead, I have a professional Twitter. If this takes off and offers an option for freelancers to create a network, I am so jumping on it. I’m tired of clients and collaborators sending me requests that I have to give awkward reasons for not accepting.
At the same time, I can see how this could be an utter disaster. Nothing you post on your profile will be private; the whole company can see it, automatically. You have no control over your “friends” list.
When it comes to private messages, all access is given to the management. You won’t be able to get on there and complain to Carol about what a jerk your supervisor is being, or make jokes about the CEO and his lush of a wife. Because it is 100% guaranteed that they will be seen.
If you think about it, that isn’t much different then how things are now. Does anyone really expect privacy from anyone, anymore?
In other Facebook news, they are cracking down on violent content that is posted on feeds. While not getting rid of it entirely, they are posting a warning that you have to click through in order to see it.
In addition, they are attempting to prohibit violent content to anyone under 18. So unless you have lied about your age, like everyone under 18 inevitably has on that social network, you won’t be exposed to animal abuse, death videos, or other horrible things.
Source: TechCrunch, BBC
