Facebook is a great way to stay in touch with your friends and family and keep up to date on world events. It’s not such a good thing when your boss catches you using it on the job—unless you work for the social media giant itself.
According to a 2009 study conducted by Boston-based Nucleus Research, 77 percent of all employees surveyed for the study use Facebook as much as two hours per day while at work. Of that group, 87 percent couldn’t think of a valid business reason for using the site while on the job.
But now there is a way to use Facebook at work and still be productive. It’s called Facebook at Work, and Santa Barbara-based real estate developer The Towbes Group was selected as one of the companies to test the new platform.
According to Towbes spokesman Sam Carey, Facebook received at least 90,000 applications and Towbes was among the 450 “unique” businesses that the social media company chose to try the new platform, which is currently in its beta stage.
Facebook at Work is essentially a tool employees can use to communicate and collaborate privately. An account is tailored to that company and each employee gets his or her own login credentials. Anything posted isn’t visible to the outside world but only to the company’s network. Think of it as a privatized Facebook just for companies.
Even though Towbes already has an established social media presence that keeps residents at its 13 developments up to date on what’s happening along the Central Coast, the new platform will improve internal communications between the company’s 120 employees.
“It’s a good way of having groups,” Carey told the Sun. “It also makes it easy to share pictures and videos too.”
Carey said Towbes decided to apply for the new platform after its information technology department spent more than two years of research into the newest communications tools out there.
The Towbes Group President Craig Zimmerman chose to embrace Facebook as a work tool rather than reject it.
Zimmerman added in a statement, “With the increasing prominence of social media in the work environment, The Towbes Group has worked diligently to ensure it remains up to date with the latest technology, yet being wise about the tools we use to communicate with our employees.”
The Towbes Group maintains a presence in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties with more than 1.8 million square feet of commercial office, industrial and retail space, and approximately 2,500 residential units. One of its latest completed projects is Hancock Terrace, a new 272-unit residential complex at 534 E. Boone St. in Santa Maria.
Highlights
• As the California drought drags on, it may be time to give serious thought to sustainable landscape practices. Gardeners, landscapers, homeowners, and any other inquiring minds are invited to participate in the Green Gardener Certificate Program. The 15-week course teaches sustainable landscaping, resource-efficient, and pollution-preventing landscape maintenance practices. The course is free and is taught in both English and Spanish. The courses run from Aug. 22 to Dec. 7 from 4:30 to 6:45 p.m. in room 26 at the Wake Center located at 300 N. Turnpike Road in Santa Barbara. For more information, call 898-8160 or email greengardener.org.
• Are you considering a career in photography? The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is hosting a lecture by Michael Miner, who’ll be talking about the principles of large format landscape photography. The lecture will include demonstrations as well as discussions of composition and exposure. The lecture costs $5 for members of the Buellton Chamber of Commerce and $10 for non-members. To reserve a spot or get more information, call 686-8315 or email info@wildlingmuseum.org. The Wildling Museum is located at 1511 Mission Drive in Solvang.
• Get up to date on who’s running in the Lompoc elections. The American Association of University Women will have a forum for the candidates vying for a City Council or mayoral seat. The forum will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 19, at the Grossman Gallery multi-purpose room in the Lompoc Library. For more information, contact Dianne Owens at dianneowens9@gmail.com or call 733-1734.
• The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission will be holding a special hearing to consider the option of allowing public tasting rooms at wineries on small, rural agricultural parcels. The hearing will be at 9 a.m. on Sept. 19. in room 17 at 123 E. Anapamu St. in Santa Barbara. For more information, contact David Villalobos at 568-2058 or email at dvillalo@co.santa-barbara.ca.us.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Aug 18-25, 2016.