Web Worker Daily has an interesting piece on how Facebook could be a killer app for working professionals. I gotta say, I agree wholeheartedly.
With my own experience, Facebook is becoming my defacto way of keeping in touch with literally almost everyone I know. They have an elegant site that without much imagination (and especially with all of the 3rd party applications), one could easily integrate many aspects of his own professional life into their service.
Collaboration with calendars, scheduling and other aspects of work could be done via Facebook already without any 3rd party apps. Really, it’s always been a great way to get a bunch of people on the same page with respects to schedules. If other professional services started integrating into the Facebook platform, it could be a web worker’s dream.
The article also points out differences between Facebook and LinkedIn. I personally don’t find much use for LinkedIn. It’s a little too pushy and professional for my tastes. Yeah, I said it. Too professional. Here’s why.
If I was going to hire someone, for example, I’d look equally at what type of person he/she was, alongside their skills. There’s no better way to do this than on Facebook. You can research what the person is like by what kinds of photos they have, or what types of groups their in. If I’ve found a potential hiring candidate and I see that he’s part of a “Why I Love Being a Nazi” group, it makes my decision sooo much easier.
You can’t get this type of information with LinkedIn. LinkedIn is just cold-hard connections, based on who you know. It’s almost like a giant contest to see how many people you know. I love this quote from the article.
Professionally, I believe Facebook has the potential to significantly impact web working. Shout if you never “talked shop” at a family barbeque when you’ve had the opportunity to chat about something related to your work that you enjoy. Shout if you never had a personal conversation with a colleague. ::crickets:: I thought so. Truth is, while there is a line between our work and personal lives, it’s a moving one. Facebook applications allow you to position that “line” between your worlds where you feel most comfortable.
When you can take care of both your personal and professional interactions in one place, it’s going to be very beneficial. Because let’s face it: Many of your friends are probably also your co-workers. There’s nothing wrong with mixing business and pleasure every now and again, right?
What do you think? How would you (if you don’t already) use Facebook as a productivity application?