Facebook: The Missing Manual

Chapter 10. Collaborating on Projects via Facebook

Expensive groupware, workflow management tools, and other collaboration programs have been around for quite a while. With its open-door policy and privacy concerns (see Chapter 13), Facebook is certainly no replacement for a dedicated, bulletproof collaboration program like Lotus Domino or Novell Groupwise. But you might find that some of Facebook’s tools are a handy—and free—way to help your team get work done quickly. This chapter gives Facebook’s messaging and subscription tools (which Chapter 4 through Chapter 7 introduced you to) a decidedly business spin. You’ll see how to use them to keep team members, co-workers, and clients in the loop—and projects on track.

Keeping in Touch

The same Facebook features that let you and your friends “talk” online—messaging(Sending Messages), events (Chapter 7), groups (Chapter 6), and notes (Creating Notes (Blogs))—can help you keep up-to-date with co-workers, clients, and customers.

Note

A recent study reported by CNET.com found that nearly half of all employers block access to social networking sites such as Facebook. The top two reasons? Loss of productivity and security concerns such as those explained in Chapter 13. If your employer won’t let you use Facebook at work, you can probably skip this chapter—unless you want to collaborate on non-work projects using Facebook.

The features themselves work the same way whether you’re interacting with your old college roommate or your boss. But there ...