Are new Facebook initiatives a sign social media has grown up?

Last week, Facebook unveiled plans to include Amber Alerts in user timelines and provide workers with an internal communication network.

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As we become more ingrained in our adult, professional lives, it’s always fun to see when even the craziest, most party-loving person we knew when we were younger finally mellows out and grows up. It’s also a little weird.

Facebook reminds me of that person (or, if you went to a party school, those people). Now that it’s a publicly traded company, the social network that was once only for users with a .edu email address, is being forced to grow up. Part of that is proving to people that it’s more than just an agent of wasted work time.

Enter the brand’s latest release, Facebook at Work. It’s basically a social network with the same user functions as Facebook for friends, but it’s limited to work conversations. In the coming months, I’m sure you’ll see an article on this site about someone who gets fired because of something they post to their Facebook at Work account that was intended to be shared with friends. Mark my words.

Last week, Facebook also announced that it will bring Amber Alerts to its service to notify people when a child in their area has gone missing.

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