Dive Brief:
- Facebook says the professional version of its social network, Facebook at Work, is expected to launch in the coming months.
- The long-anticipated new service has been in tests for a year, Reuters reports.
- The service is geared towards workplace collaboration, a fast-growing space for businesses.
Dive Insight:
Facebook for Work is nearly identical to the original social network, except that users will maintain special profiles distinct from their existing Facebook profiles, according to Julien Codorniou, director of global platform partnerships at Facebook.
"I would say 95% of what we developed for Facebook is also adopted for Facebook at Work," Codorniou said.
The company is also developing exclusive products for Facebook at Work, including security tools, added Codorniou.
Facebook started beta-testing Facebook for Work in January as an "invite-only" service. More than 300 companies are reportedly already using the service.
Once it officially launches, Facebook for Work will be open to all companies. A company spokeswoman said Facebook then plans to charge "a few dollars per month per user" for premium services such as analytics and customer support.
The work collaboration market has seen increasing competition over the last several months. According to IDC, the space is currently worth about $6 billion a year.
