One year ago, Facebook launched Facebook Workplace, a new platform, and mobile app to be used within enterprises, on a more professional level, without being distracted by the newsfeed that Facebook itself has. Facebook Workplace has the same features as the social network: a timeline and chat, allowing employees to share thoughts, chat, create groups and even events.
This year, after hearing feedback from users, Facebook introduced new features for Facebook Workplace: a new chat desktop app suitable for both Windows and Mac and the possibility to share screens within the chat app.
Workplace has now over 14,000 businesses using it and paying 1 to 3$ per user. So it seems that the premises that this side of the business would not work with all the competition around were wrong. It is clear now for everyone that, after developing Facebook and wanting to transform it in “The Internet”, the purpose of Workplace is to gather all the needs of its users in one place, transforming into “The Tool” to work with. Whilst other similar platforms/ apps give the user only parts of the puzzle – see Slack, Skype etc-, Workplace will soon incorporate all the characteristics of its competition and will be preferred by companies and users as well, as they won’t have to use several apps to do multiple tasks.
The desktop version is still in beta use, getting feedback from its current users and improving features before rolling out for all its clients.
The desktop workplace chat app works as the web-based chat, which was created to be similar to messenger.com. You can search throughout the conversation, add photos, videos, and GIFs. In order not to lose any notification, the user can set up desktop notifications, which can be both visual and audio, that ride over other windows that the user might have opened.
But besides the app itself, Facebook is investing more and more in the visual communication and allows the user to share his screen with coworkers. But the novelty that Facebook comes with is that the user will be able to share only specific desktop apps that he is using. For example, you can only share the web browser you have the information on or the Excel document you have your calculations done. This is a good example of what Facebook thinks of privacy.
All these features that Facebook is introducing to Workplace make the desktop app substitute other apps that employees use nowadays and have the monopoly in the industry.
Do you or the company you work for use Facebook Workplace? Do you enjoy it? What other social media tools are you using? If you need to manage your social media, check out our reviews of what social media tools are hot right now what worked for other companies.
See also: How can I see who watched my Facebook live?
