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Facebook at Work To Report For Duty Next Month (fortune.com)

The debut of the long-awaited business social network is nigh. Facebook at Work is about to report for duty. The social networking company's long-awaited foray into business applications will formally debut in London on October 10, according to tech site TechCrunch. From a report:The news site further noted this would be Facebook's first major product launch to take place outside the United States. Thus far, Facebook is seen as a fun-and-games site, not something corporate employees use to converse or track each other. But Facebook at Work, a business-minded operation, could help change that image. As has been reported, it will be a separate version of the network that can be accessed only from a company's internal IT systems, and in theory, subject to stricter corporate security and access rules. Personal accounts will be cordoned off.

50 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. No. Not ever. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    I will never, ever, be a part of Facebook. They may have a "shadow profile" on me, but I will never, ever willingly become part of their machine. I dislike the notion of social media for myself. I have nothing, no Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, none of it. I spend time with actual people, in the flesh. Besides, I enjoy time with my children and wife in the flesh, not digitally. I cannot hit the rewind button with my life.

    In my house, the phones and computers are put on hold until the children are asleep, then my wife and I strive to share time together. When my daughter's friends come over, all mobile phones go into a basket in my kitchen. If you're at our house, you spend time with the friends in front of you.

    No social media for me. Ever.

    1. Re:No. Not ever. by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      How naive. You are already part of the network. You cannot put phones and computers "on hold". They are always pinging location back to their masters. And what difference does it make if you wait until the "children are asleep"? Do you think the "machine" stops when your children goes to sleep?

    2. Re:No. Not ever. by asylumx · · Score: 1

      Slashdot IS social media....

    3. Re:No. Not ever. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You're a moron. The point of his rant is that USING DEVICES does not take precedence over human interaction in his house. That you want to argue the point illustrates what a sad, shallow digital life you must lead.

    4. Re:No. Not ever. by cayenne8 · · Score: 3

      Slashdot IS social media....

      Slashdot is about as social as autism....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    5. Re:No. Not ever. by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 1

      More like anti-social media.

      --
      Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
    6. Re:No. Not ever. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The OP is pointing out that he wouldn't use facebook at work, and then emphasizes why with an example from home. You then go completely off topic, and sink to name-calling, then turn around and point the "off-topic" finger at the other guy. BTW, you can absolutely put computers on hold - turn it off.

      Luckily you cannot turn off people (although I'll bet you've been told by many that you are a complete turn-off), because they're a direct part of the Great Happening that we call the universe. Such a wonder this universe, the greatest thing in existence for sure, and we are a part of that huge Happening, each of us. But so many people are sending their praises to these machines that serve such a small purpose in the overall of the universe, and by spending so much of their lives wrapped around one of these little machines, they miss the real show here in the universe, the humans. Such a pitty.

    7. Re:No. Not ever. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Slashdot is about as effective in regards to being social, as autism.

    8. Re:No. Not ever. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I spend time with actual people, in the flesh. Besides, I enjoy time with my children and wife in the flesh, not digitally. I cannot hit the rewind button with my life.

      This sounds great, if ALL the people you wish to interact with live in the same house as you. Some people do not have this luxury. I have family and friends all over the country, and I find that, while I prefer "face to face" interactions with them, those interactions happen far less frequently than I'd like. As a result, Facebook and other similar services give me a way to interact with far-flung family and friends.

      Friends and family who live large distances apart have been writing letters to each other for hundreds of years. Facebook is simply a new way of doing that.

      You can CERTAINLY object to Facebook's data-harvesting activities, and opt not to use them for that reason; but pretending that "face-to-face" interactions have some sort of noble purity of form, and that letter-writing and telephone conversations and the like are somehow impure because they're not in-person is just stupid, luddite bullshit. If you can't interact with someone who you care about in person, you're a goddamned idiot if you don't take advantage of the tools available to you that allow communication at a distance. I feel sad that you've artificially limited your circle of friends and acquaintances to the range of your physical arm span.

    9. Re: No. Not ever. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Gee, if only we had ways of keeping in touch with people at a distance that doesn't involve handing over personal data to a datamining advertising company. One wonders how humans ever did such things. Must be myths and legends.

    10. Re:No. Not ever. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      More like anti-social media.

      Why the heck do you think we come here? Anti-social behaviour is not a defect if used in moderation. I can handle people for about 1 hour a day, then it is back to my cats and dogs.

    11. Re:No. Not ever. by epyT-R · · Score: 1

      Oh look, ad hominem. How's clicking 'like' doing it for ya? Does it fill that empty void that should be filled with real-life friends?

    12. Re:No. Not ever. by epyT-R · · Score: 1

      No it isn't. It's pseudonymous, doesn't encourage the upload of personal life data, isn't embedded in half the web, and while it does track basic relationships between users (friend/foe), that is not its primary purpose. Unlike facebook, lack of real-life data prevents it from triggering that highschool-like insecurity in people to keep them coming back.

    13. Re:No. Not ever. by asylumx · · Score: 1

      Social media, noun, websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

      Users create and share content here. From the front page articles to the comments (which are the real reason any of us are here, let's face it, or else you wouldn't be reading this).

      Twitter is pseudonymous and yet everyone regards it as social media, so I'm not sure where you got your definition.

    14. Re:No. Not ever. by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      When my daughter's friends come over, all mobile phones go into a basket in my kitchen.

      I bet you're constantly mentioning you don't own a television

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  2. End up just like Google+ by DatbeDank · · Score: 2

    No one will use this. Linkedin already has this niche and people are loathe to try new platforms. It will end up just like Google+

    That's leaving off the horrendous privacy and UI issues facebook has gone through year after year. I'll leave my professional and personal life separate, thank you Zuck.

    1. Re:End up just like Google+ by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Facebook at work is nothing like LinkedIn. Its more like Yammer and equally as useless.

    2. Re:End up just like Google+ by I4ko · · Score: 1

      What is Yammer? Never heard of it, and I have no incentive to look it up.

    3. Re:End up just like Google+ by 110010001000 · · Score: 2

      Its like Facebook at Work. But equally as useless.

    4. Re:End up just like Google+ by Malc · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why do senior managers keep thinking that we want social networks at the office? My previous company tried to foist Jive on us, and other than an initial token gesture by senior management, they didn't use it... and guess what? It's them who already needed to improve their communication with the rest of the company. I really don't give a shit about whatever banal thing somebody's doing today, right this moment. It's just noise. I will socialise in the pub after work, or even at lunch time, where I can speak my mind if I wish. Otherwise these overpriced toys don't help me get anything done.

    5. Re:End up just like Google+ by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      One of our VPs uses Yammer, and so it is nice to poke him there since the intervening demigods all leap out of their chairs to address whatever is brought up whereas otherwise it would be lost in the noise. But, yes, if the senior management don't use it then it is just another time waster.

    6. Re:End up just like Google+ by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

      Why do senior managers keep thinking that we want social networks at the office? My previous company tried to foist Jive on us, and other than an initial token gesture by senior management, they didn't use it... and guess what? It's them who already needed to improve their communication with the rest of the company. I really don't give a shit about whatever banal thing somebody's doing today, right this moment. It's just noise. I will socialise in the pub after work, or even at lunch time, where I can speak my mind if I wish. Otherwise these overpriced toys don't help me get anything done.

      I guess they want it to gather information about companies and their employees' actions and connections with other companies for SALE SALE SALE to the highest spam and ad data bidders. Oops, I've said too much.

    7. Re:End up just like Google+ by Scroatzilla · · Score: 1

      I've worked in varying degrees of depth within Knowledge Management, and what I've seen over the years is that decisions like this aren't based on any real-world data. Guys want to roll out giant systems with the assumption that "everyone is going to use it," without defining the problem they're trying to resolve, and without gathering requirements. Further, there is zero serious thought given to the maintenance nor curation of such a resource once it is implemented.

      So, either a) lots of people use it, and it gets completely polluted by useless, outdated, and possibly confusing information (e.g. dump all of their crap in Box.net); or b) nobody uses it, because there was no reason to use it (e.g. Yammer is so cute, isn't it?).

      Talk to somebody who works at a company that has treated Knowledge Management as an actual project and you'll get a completely different perspective on $social_platform/$knowledge_platform. Unfortunately, it's the exception rather than the norm.

    8. Re:End up just like Google+ by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      But is it equally as useless as Linkedin?

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    9. Re:End up just like Google+ by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Why do senior managers keep thinking that we want social networks at the office? My previous company tried to foist Jive on us, and other than an initial token gesture by senior management, they didn't use it... and guess what? It's them who already needed to improve their communication with the rest of the company. I really don't give a shit about whatever banal thing somebody's doing today, right this moment. It's just noise. I will socialise in the pub after work, or even at lunch time, where I can speak my mind if I wish. Otherwise these overpriced toys don't help me get anything done.

      Senior management love to have big sounding objectives like "I will continue to improve communications with my staff" on their performance reviews. It's an easy box to tick by posting a couple of blogs copied from press releases and a tweet about the Xmas party during the year.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  3. Redundant / Prior Art by gachunt · · Score: 1
    Most of my co-workers already use Facebook at Work.

    From a branding aspect, F@WK is a horrible title -- and not just for the clever acronym I just made up.

    Upper Mgmt considers Facebook to be a time-waster for employees. They would have been better to market under a unique brand that isn't associated with that existing perception by not using Facebook in the name.

    The whole project is a bit ironic... As Zuck's philosophy has always been that a person should have one account, and friends/family/co-workers should intermix.

    “You have one identity,” he emphasized three times in a single interview with David Kirkpatrick in his book, “The Facebook Effect.” “The days of you having a different image for your work friends or co-workers and for the other people you know are probably coming to an end pretty quickly.” He adds: “Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity.”

    1. Re: Redundant / Prior Art by cunina · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Ah, the delicious spectacle of Zuckerberg lecturing us about integrity. Next up: Paula Deen nags us about eating healthy.

    2. Re: Redundant / Prior Art by MitchDev · · Score: 1

      MMMMM... deep-fried battered butter sticks....

    3. Re:Redundant / Prior Art by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      Wait, really? Who thinks someone would use the same FB account at work?

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
  4. Why not use the source article? by eepok · · Score: 1

    Why are we being linked to a Forbes article when Forbes cites a Techcrunch article for the information?

    "... according to tech site TechCrunch. The news site further noted..."

    https://techcrunch.com/2016/09...

    1. Re:Why not use the source article? by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 1

      Probably because the Forbes article is better written, has more information than that found in the original article, or is visually more appealing. Tracing back to source material would lead to worse (and probably fewer) articles. Besides, no one RTFAs.

      --
      That is all.
  5. Nothing bad can come of this... by KookyMan · · Score: 1

    Absolutely nothing bad can come of this.

    So "Personal Accounts" will be cordoned off. That don't mean much. Will the Facebook /databases/ be cordoned off? If not, it just means you won't be able to access personal accounts from at work, but Facebook will still link everything in the background. Won't it be so fun to have Facebook automagically add all your coworkers to prospective friends on your personal account. And what if you change companies? Do those accounts exist in a single "work facebook" database? or does each corporate account have its own isolated database?

    Way to many questions that I doubt will be answered when this is launched, or even afterwords.

    (I don't facebook, don't have one, don't want one, and would be pissed if my employer decided to jump on this bandwagon.)

  6. What a waste of time... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    If I don't use Facebook personally, why would I use Facebook for business?

    1. Re:What a waste of time... by Frederic54 · · Score: 1

      Because companies will use the Messenger chat features instead of Hipchat, and create events in FB for meeting, etc.
      I understand it will be a nightmare for people who don't want to be part of this FB thing, and I understand!

      --
      "Science will win because it works." - Stephen Hawking
    2. Re:What a waste of time... by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

      If I don't use Facebook personally, why would I use Facebook for business?

      I smell the next lower-cost WebEx equivalent in the future... Maybe the new Delete-Your-Files-Here-Instantly(tm) service. Wait, I mean STORE your files here.. not delete.. hehe.. little slip there.

      Hey, I'd be all Zuckerberged out if I had meeting details between large companies whenever I wanted to feel the narcissism satiated, you know, as a responsible behind-the-scenes administrator.

      To quote the Monty Burns character from The Simpsons: "Yesss.. Exxxcellllleeent. They're all doing my bidding now."

      Just a thought. Not like an employee at a company that has access to that data would ever, ever do something like that. Heh. Heh. Ehhhhh.

  7. They'll be altering the bargain... by ErikTheRed · · Score: 1

    After the massive privacy bait-and-switch Facebook pulled with the WhatsApp acquisition, who on earth would trust them with private information? The terms and conditions of just about every consumer software, hardware, and SaaS offerings contain language along the lines of "we'll change this agreement pretty much any time we want with as much or as little notice (posted on the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.') as we want." Facebook will be just as awful with their business offering.

    --

    Help save the critically endangered Blue Iguana
  8. Long Awaited? By who? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It has been SOOOO long-awaited that msmash says it TWICE in the first three sentences. Sounds like msmash is a Facebook fanboi.

    "This long-awaited foray by the social network has been long-awaited."
    [CITATION NEEDED]

    For crying out loud, we're all waiting for Facebook to become the next MySpace and Friendster.

  9. Does Facebook use this themselves? by TheMadTopher · · Score: 1

    I wonder if Facebook actually uses this themselves. You gotta eat your own dog food.

    1. Re:Does Facebook use this themselves? by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      I am sure they use the regular FB at work but have a who division which uses FB at Work which cannot communicate with normal FB while at work....

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
  10. Re:Slashdot at work to be released. by cayenne8 · · Score: 3, Funny
    I never joined Facebook as it is....

    I certainly wouldn't join it at work even.

    I would not like FB in a box...

    I would not like FB with a fox.......

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  11. Do Not Want by cowtamer · · Score: 1

    Also, no thank you.

    And I say this as a person who finds FB quite useful in real life.

    "You forgot to check in at the conference yesterday." "I see that you did not 'like' my presentation. Might I remind you that this is a condition of employment?" "I TOLD you not to respond to John's project update with department specific information."

    Having witnessed several commit comment wars, I can't see this going anywhere good...

  12. Solution looking for a problem? by ErichTheRed · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Slack, BitBucket and all that have the hipster startup market covered. LinkedIn is the contact management tool for regular businesses. Yammer is pretty much toast and Microsoft is folding its pieces into Skype and SharePoint. So, I'm not quite sure where Facebook expects to fit in this space.

    I really don't know why most non-startup, non-tech businesses would want a platform like this. I know the BCG, Gartner, etc. studies are telling companies "You're all a bunch of stuffy old suit-wearing curmudgeons, the MILLENNIALS are coming and they want social tools! They want positive affirmation and badges! They have phones and tablets, BYOD baby! They want to work at cafeteria tables in a bright white shared workspace! CHANGE or DIE, you LUDDITES!!!!!" But I'm just not seeing that. Outside of a very small minority, younger people I'm working with have the same needs as older people - a job and a quiet place to do it in. Having to feed another social media platform just doesn't seem like a task most people want to take on regardless of age.

    1. Re:Solution looking for a problem? by tomhath · · Score: 2

      A company I worked for a few years ago set up Yammer. There were some posts the first few days as people tried it out, then it faded away. As already noted, this is a solution in search of a problem.

  13. Re:Slashdot at work to be released. by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 2

    I never joined Facebook as it is....

    I certainly wouldn't join it at work even.

    I would not like FB in a box...

    I would not like FB with a fox.......

    I think FB is dumb as an ox!

    --
    Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
  14. Re:Slashdot at work to be released. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I certainly wouldn't join it at work even.

    That's a nice theory, but you'll probably be enrolled in a work account automatically when you join a company, if the company uses the tool.

    And while you can try not to use it, you'll put yourself at a disadvantage by being viewed as "not a team player" by refusing to use it.

    Welcome to the new reality.

  15. Sounds like they've been misinterpreting Wenger... by matbury · · Score: 1

    FB probably consulted with so "experts" about finding more ways to expand their surveillance empire and some bright spark brought up communities of practice (CoP). I bet I even know which book they read: https://www.worldcat.org/title...

    For all the wonderful ideas behind CoP and what it can offer to businesses and corporations, FB probably don't understand (and don't care about) the kind of culture change that is necessary to allow CoPs to develop, live, grow, and evolve in the workplace. It'll work at exceptional places like Valve and Ideo but 99% of the time it ain't gonna happen. They'll spend all their time and budget on setting up the software and systems and nowhere near enough time and resources to implement the part that actually makes the difference. As Bev Wenger-Trayner puts it,

    "Yet again I have a client – of 5 years – who has made the technology a centre-piece of their strategy.

    I cry.

    It’s a technology that I suggested and helped to create. But I seem powerless to convince them that the proportion of resources they are investing in technology as opposed to building the learning network are a waste of everyone’s time.

    Technology and community building are not the same thing. I get it. Funding can be easier for tech. Tech is sexy or mysterious – depending on your relationship with it. Organizations understand $$ for tech.

    But it won’t build you a network. Building a network requires social artistry, persistence, understanding the community, knowledge of the domain, attention to practices, conversations, more conversations, and concern for creating value."

    If your only qualifications are being a tech whizz, you are not cut out for the job.

    If training people on how to use a simple technology takes up a hundred per cent of your attention, you are on the wrong track. If it takes up less than five percent of your time – in response to requests by network members – you are probably getting close.

    It’s community building 101. And I have to watch as my.own.client repeats the same.old.mistake.

    I cry.

    Source: http://wenger-trayner.com/refl...

  16. fb by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    So we have a company that has made it known that they scan and use anything and everything that their members submit.. and now they expect to attract businesses? I guess if you are a business that doesn't have anything confidential going on you might be interested, but it doesn't seem like a very good strategy to give all your critical information to Facebook.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:fb by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

      So we have a company that has made it known that they scan and use anything and everything that their members submit.. and now they expect to attract businesses? I guess if you are a business that doesn't have anything confidential going on you might be interested, but it doesn't seem like a very good strategy to give all your critical information to Facebook.

      It will say in their 70-something agreements that the information is always confidential and never shared with anyone or any entity. C'mon, you know that, and you also know companies always follow the standards of their agreements.

      Sorry, I barfed a little there. ;)

  17. Re:Slashdot at work to be released. by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

    I never joined Facebook as it is....

    I certainly wouldn't join it at work even.

    I would not like FB in a box...

    I would not like FB with a fox.......

    OMG. You freakin' old-style old people.. You never want to us the new stuff that comes out. You're always afraid of this and that and.. Wait, I don't have a FB account either.

    Never mind. Carry on. :)

  18. Re:Slashdot at work to be released. by tehcyder · · Score: 1

    I certainly wouldn't join it at work even.

    I don't imagine it will be any more optional than refusing to use your work email or phone. Not keeping an up to date profile will reflect badly in your end of year review. Managers will compete with each other to post the wackiest work-related items at two o'clock in the morning.

    Welcome to the future.

    --
    To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it