Facebook Workplace is a surprisingly inexpensive and feature-rich platform for training and knowledge sharing. Facebook launched its “Workplace” service to encourage organizations to use its platform for internal communications, training and knowledge sharing.  While we were initially skeptical, its low cost per user (free for nonprofits), familiar interface and wide range of features (live videos streams, web conferencing for up to 50 participants, file sharing, group management and events) make it a viable option for many training programs.

Most Internet users already have Facebook accounts. The majority of Internet users have Facebook accounts, so onboarding and support should be a non-issue.  Plus, hundreds of web apps, including many learning management systems, allow users to sign in using Facebook credentials,  saving administrative effort.

Facebook is 100% mobile-friendly, and can be accessed from any device, just about anywhere.

With the recent bad press over user privacy issues, it could be awkward mandating that people use it, as they might have legitimate concerns about how their data is collected, shared and used (and, despite Facebook’s claims that its Workplace service is private and secure, organizations might have concerns, too).  

It might not have a future with “Gen Z”. Given its dominance, Facebook may well have nowhere to go but down.  34% of Generation Z (people born after 2000) say that Facebook is “for old people”, and the site lags behind Snapchat and (Facebook-owned) Instagram as young people’s preferred social networking platform,   That said, it still has a solid presence among people of working age: 50% of younger millennials (age 18-24) still check their Facebook accounts daily.

It’s a social networking platform, not a learning platform.  While many of our clients use Facebook effectively for peer learning and group coaching, it remains a social networking site first and foremost, and organizations seeking to leverage it for learning may have to accept a few limitations.