Facebook’s new workplace app

Facebook has launched a special version of its social network meant to help people chat at work.

The app and website are based on the version of Facebook used by normal consumers. But it has been specially built for using in companies—with features that keep it separate from the normal version of the social network, for instance, and tools that ensure that data and information can stay secure.

Buoyed by the positive response from over 1,000 companies that are currently using Workplace (formerly known as Facebook at Work) including in India, the company has announced it will make the app available to all.

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 said that Workplace — which was presumably know as Facebook at Work — was inspired by the internal version of the network that is used by Facebook itself. It has had that for many years, it said, and has been testing the beta version of it with other companies for the last 18 months or so.

“People have created nearly 100,000 groups and the top five countries using Workplace are India, the US, Norway, UK and France,” Facebook said in a statement on Tuesday.

“We’re announcing that Workplace will now be available to any company or organisation that wants to use it,””it added.

Large multinational companies like Danone, Star- bucks 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.

“It’s a whole new paradigm in employee engagement! L&T @Work is leading our thrust to digital. Technology is nothing without people and this platform reflects the perfect synergy of people driving technology,” said SN Subrahmanyam, Deputy Managing Director and President, Larsen & Toubro.

Facebook also announced a competitive pricing model that is based on a monthly fee per active user.

“The more active users an organisation has, the less they pay per user. So $3 per user is for first 1,000 monthly active users, $2 for 1,00110,000 monthly active users and $1 for 10,000+ monthly active users,” it said.

“Workplace will be priced competitively - companies only pay for people who are actively using the product,” it added. AGENCIES