Can Facebook replace your work email? Workplace version of social network launches

Features include a separate News Feed, Groups, Messages, and Events
Facebook Live and Messenger can be used for meetings

Published: 12:31 EST, 10 October 2016 | Updated: 13:07 EST, 10 October 2016

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Facebook has launched a separate version aimed at helping you do actual work instead of catching up on baby photos and political chatter.

Called Workplace, the platform is ad-free and isn't connected to existing Facebook accounts.

Instead, employers sign up as an organization, and businesses have to pay - but Facebook is offering it to schools and nonprofits for free.

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Nicola Mendelsohn, Vice President of EMEA at Facebook, revealed the new product 'Workplace'. The firm hopes it will replace intranet, mailbox and other internal communication tools used by businesses worldwide.

WHAT IT WILL COST

Companies will be charged per active users, starting at $3 for up to 1k monthly active users, dropping to $2 for 1,001 - 10k monthly active users and $1 for 10,001+ monthly active users.

Schools and nonprofits will be able to use it for free

Organizations have used Workplace, previously called Facebook at Work, on an invite-only basis for the past 18 months.

Facebook says more than 1,000 places use it, up from 450 six months ago.

'We've brought the best of Facebook to the workplace — whether it's basic infrastructure such as News Feed, or the ability to create and share in Groups or via chat, or useful features such as Live, Reactions, Search and Trending posts,' the site said.

'This means you can chat with a colleague across the world in real time, host a virtual brainstorm in a Group, or follow along with your CEO's presentation on Facebook Live.'

Facebook has been using the system for several

Users can chat with a colleague across the world in real time, host a virtual brainstorm in a Group, or follow along with your CEO's presentation on Facebook Live.'

'At Facebook, we've had an internal version of our app to help run our company for many years,' the firm said.

'We've seen that just as Facebook keeps you connected to friends and family, it can do the same with coworkers.

'We started testing a version of Facebook for the workplace with a few other organizations over a year ago.

'Now, more than 1,000 organizations around the world use Workplace (formerly known as Facebook at Work). '

FACEBOOK WORKLPLACE: WHAT YOU CAN DO

The new Workplace features a News Feed, Groups, Messages and Events, like the original social network.

Users also see Live, Reactions, Search and Trending posts.

This means you can chat with a colleague across the world in real time, host a virtual brainstorm in a Group, or follow along with your CEO's presentation on Facebook Live.

The new Workplace features a News Feed, Groups, Messages and Events, like the original social network.

There are also Workplace-only features that companies can benefit from such as a dashboard with analytics and integrations with single sign-on, in addition to identity providers that allow companies to more easily integrate Workplace with their existing IT systems.

Multi-Company Groups, shared spaces that allow employees from different organizations to work together..

People have created nearly 100,000 groups and the top five countries using Workplace are India, the US, Norway, UK and France, Facebook said.

'Today we're announcing that Workplace will now be available to any company or organization that wants to use it.

Large multinational companies like Danone, Starbucks and Booking.com, international nonprofits such as Oxfam, and regional leaders such as YES Bank in India and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore have all embraced Workplace, Facebooks said.

It hopes it will allows employees on the road to keep in touch more easily.

'The workplace is about more than just communicating between desks within the walls of an office.

'Some people spend their entire workday on the go, on their mobile phone. Others spend all day out in the field, or on the road.

FACEBOOK EXPANDS ITS REACH

Facebook has been looking to expand its services for year.

Recently, it unveiled an app called Room that lets people chat anonymously in virtual 'rooms,' evoking the chat services from the early days of the web.

It is also testing a feature that lets users of the leading social network make purchases by simply pressing an on-screen 'Buy' button.

When the rumours first originated in November, sources said the site would likely launch without adverts. However, this may mean Facebook charges companies to use the app as an alternative way to make money. By launching an enterprise version of the site, Facebook is taking aim at professional network LinkedIn

Meanwhile, Facebook completed its multibillion-dollar deal for mobile messaging application WhatsApp last year.

And in November, it revamped its privacy policy to make it easier to understand, after years of criticism.

It has also introduced tools to help people manage what they share on the site.

The site's security was heightened at the end of last year when it rolled out default encryption, too.

'We've been amazed by the breadth of organizations who've embraced Workplace — from a shipping company that can now connect with their ship crews using Live video, to a bank that now uses Workplace instead of fax machines and newsletters to share updates with its distributed bank branches.'

Workplace will be priced competitively — companies only pay for people who are actively using the product.

A study last year found that more than 54 per cent of offices currently block Facebook on work computers to stop it distracting users.