How would you like to get paid to use Facebook, Inc.? Sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it? Well it’s coming. Let me clarify… Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg isn’t going to send you money for every status update you like, or for every photo that you share.

No, the cash won’t be coming from Facebook. In the near future, your employer will pay you to Facebook. It’s a complete 180, I know. Right now, your boss has Facebook blocked at work. You have to get all sneaky and login through a proxy website to get your Facebook fix during office hours.

That’s all about to change, thanks to a brand new version of the social networking site called, appropriately, Facebook at Work. It’s doubtful that you’ll get a pay increase, but as soon as your human resources department schedules you for Facebook at Work training, and its usage becomes mandatory, you’ll technically be getting paid to Facebook. In fact, you’ll legitimately be able to call yourself a professional Facebooker. Think about that, while I fill you in on all the details.

What is Facebook at Work, exactly? Basically, it’s the Facebook you’ve grown to love, with all the fun stripped out. Instead of being connected to your friends and loved ones, your network will consist of all the people at work that you do your best to tolerate. Facebook at Work will look and act just like the standard website, but its just for your company. It’s been reported that you may be able to link your existing Facebook profile with your new, boring work profile. If that’s the case, fear not. Facebook is implementing a strict “separation of church and state” type of environment. To ensure that your Super Bowl party pics don’t end up in your work news feed, Facebook borrowed a page from Roger Williams, and built a virtual wall of separation between the “garden of the office and the wilderness of the world”.

A great fit for the workplace

Facebook is actually a great fit for the workplace. Facebook for Work will provide the ability to easily post status updates, share files, participate in group messages, and receive event information. These are valuable tools. It’s unclear, however, how or if Facebook will try to monetize them.

Unlike Yammer, Microsoft’s social networking platform for the enterprise, which costs money, Facebook has always been free of charge. It’s possible that Facebook could unveil additional features, and charge a premium for access. Facebook’s director of engineering, Lars Rasmussen, is heading up the project, and he’s never short on ideas for additional features. He previously worked at Google, and one of the biggest complaints of his failed Google Wave project was that it had so many features it was too confusing to use. A clear advantage that Facebook for Work has is the platform’s familiarity. People already understand how it works, and it won’t be difficult for them to learn new features if and when they’re introduced.

The Facebook at Work website, as well as iOS and Android apps, are being rolled out to a small group of businesses as part of a pilot program. If your company isn’t on the list, be patient. It probably won’t be too long before FB@W receives a wide rollout. It will be interesting to see how widespread usage of Facebook at Work affects engagement on the standard Facebook site. Will users feel Facebook burnout? If you get written up at the office because you keep forgetting to update your Facebook at Work status, you might not feel like logging in when you get home.