Facebook has been in the news quite a bit lately. The social network is, of course, about to go public and the powers that be behind Facebook are trying their hand at a number of different services and features that might make the network more popular. One of the latest things that Facebook is attempting to implement is Facebook File Sharing. Just as you might have guessed, this new feature allows user to share files using the Facebook network.

Now, there are some definite advantages to this file sharing initiative, but there’s also the privacy concern. After all, Facebook has been criticized in the past for having lax security and privacy measures, so who wants to send a file of importance through this highly criticized network? Well, seemingly, millions of Facebook users do. Already, the Facebook File Sharing option is a smash hit and many are using this service to send and retrieve important files.

How Facebook File Sharing Works

First, it should be pointed out that Facebook File Sharing only works for groups at the time being. Facebook might open up file sharing to the general public soon enough, but you’ll have to create a group if you want to use this feature right now. So, once you have started a group, you will see the “select a file on your computer” option when you click on the “files” tab. You can upload a file up to 25MB for now by selecting a file from your computer. Any kind of file will work as long as that file is within Facebook’s size limits.

Once you’ve selected a file to share, you can then choose who you want to share it with (group members). As soon as a file has been uploaded and shared, anyone in your group will be able to see the file – it’s that simple. Most file types are accepted through the Facebook File Share network – except for audio and executable files. These files, for obvious reasons, are blocked. Group members who have access to an uploaded file can choose to download the file or to edit the file and repost.

Why Did Facebook Create This Feature?

According to a recent Mashable interview with Facebook execs, the millions of people who have created a Facebook group asked for file sharing services time and again. But, there are other reasons why file sharing will benefit the social network. One of those reasons is that Google offers file sharing and Facebook happens to be one of Google’s biggest social network competitors. It’s also possible that Facebook wishes to show investors that the social network does have future plans and can keep users interested – integral if Facebook plans to hook many investors.

Whatever the true reason may be, the Facebook File Sharing option is now available through group pages. If you don’t have a group, why not create one to test out this file sharing option? Just keep in mind that Facebook has had some privacy issues in the past, so don’t share any file that’s too top secret – you never know who could be watching.