Facebook steps into LinkedIn’s territory with Mentorship

When you're looking for professional advice, it seems Facebook might be a better place to look than LinkedIn.
13 August 2018

Where will you go for professional advice? Facebook or LinkedIn? Source: Shutterstock

People might not say it out loud, but there’s a difference between social media platforms Facebook and LinkedIn.

Facebook is a more casual place. It’s all fun and games, with tonnes of personal photos, amateur videos, and honest opinions. Contacts on Facebook, too, are often more ‘personal’.

LinkedIn, on the other hand, is the place with people intentionally put their best face forward. It’s the professional platform with an expectation that professionals will share industry-related content with their peers. Connections too are colleagues and acquaintances from networking meets.

They each have their role to play in life, and people have an active presence on both platforms usually. Marketers too understand the importance and role of each platform and tailor their campaigns accordingly.

However, in a new development, it seems Facebook has taken a step in LinkedIn’s direction, launching Mentorship – allowing users on a group to connect with Mentors from a local/online community.

There are more than 200 million people on Facebook who are members of groups that attract them and use groups to build and foster supportive communities around topics that matter to them.

“Today, we’re bringing Mentorship to Facebook Groups to make it easier for people who want help achieving their goals to connect with others in their community who have the experience or expertise to help,” said Gabriel Cohen, Product Manager for Mentorship.

Mentorship is available to people within select groups focused on parenting, professional and personal development. Here’s how it works:

  1. Group admins create a mentorship program. Admins can choose from a variety of template programs, such as career advancement, skill development, or encouragement and support, and select the one that best fits their community’s needs.
  2. People sign up and are matched with their mentor/ mentee: Group members can sign up to be a mentor or a mentee, then the group admin will pair people together.
  3. Pairs are introduced. Pairs can get to know each other and work through program steps in their one-on-one mentorship program on Facebook. They can share and comment on posts there or communicate through Messenger.
  4. Mentors and mentees get step-by-step guidance. The pairs progress through a guided program that encourages them to check in with each other weekly.

Facebook says that Mentorship is built with privacy and safety in mind.

All communications between a mentor and mentee will only be visible to the pair, and people can report issues to Facebook, and have access to the same reporting and blocking features available elsewhere on Facebook.

“Mentorship is only available to people 18 years and older. Our goal is to build tools that help people get the support they need. We hope that Mentorship makes it easier for people to build relationships that help them reach their goals,” explained Cohen.