The world's No.1 Internet social network with 1.35 billion
monthly users has been quietly testing a version of its website geared toward
workplace collaboration. The service, dubbed Facebook at Work, allows
users to exchange messages and share documents using Facebook's scrolling news
feed and other familiar features from the consumer version of Facebook.
The professional version of Facebook, which could compete
with services such as LinkedIn Corp, as well as Salesforce.com Inc and Microsoft
Corp, would allow users to maintain special profiles that are distinct from
their existing Facebook profiles, the person said. Work activities would not be
shared on a user's personal profile, and the baby photos, videos and general
banter popular in the consumer version of Facebook would not encroach into the
professional version.
A Facebook team in London is leading the effort and a small
number of companies are currently running a pilot version of the service. It is
still unclear how Facebook plans to make money from the professional service.
Facebook is not currently charging a subscription fee for the version being
tested, according to a report in the Financial Times, which first reported news
of the service. Facebook currently generates the bulk of its revenue from ads
that appear on its existing service.
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