Facebook's best-kept secret: A second website that's amazing for talking to your friends

As well as Facebook.com, the Californian tech company has less known, stripped-down website

Facebook has more than a billion daily users across the globe (Getty Images)

Everyone and their grandmother knows all about Facebook. You can't not. The social network has more than a billion daily users across the globe.

It's an essential part of modern life.

What's less well-known is that as well as Facebook.com, the Californian tech company has a second, stripped-down website you can use to talk to your friends.

And if that's all you want to do, it's a whole lot better than the original Facebook.

Take a look...

First, let's look at Facebook's main website. It has a huge amount of functionality. Photos, groups, news, statuses, and so on.

Business Insider (Business Insider)

But what if you want to just message a friend? That's relegated to about a quarter of the screen. The rest is just irrelevant annoyances.

Business Insider (Business Insider)

Luckily for you, Facebook has a little-known alternative...

Getty Images (Getty Images)

Fire up your web browser, and load Messenger.com.

Business Insider (Business Insider)

You're greeted with an incredibly clean interface. You get to chat with your friends — and nothing else.

Business Insider (Business Insider)

And at the same time, it has a lot of useful features.

Business Insider (Business Insider)

In plain white, it doesn't even look like Facebook — which could be a godsend in offices where the social network is banned.

Getty Images (Getty Images)

And if you're sitting at your desk, it's so much easier to use than any messaging app on your smartphone.

Getty Images (Getty Images)

All in all, it's very similar to the mobile Facebook Messenger app — but on desktop web browsers.

Facebook (Facebook)

Facebook launched Messenger.com back in April 2015. But almost no-one seems to know it exists.

Getty Images (Getty Images)

I conducted an (admittedly unscientific) poll of my coworkers. None of them — including other tech journalists — knew it's a thing.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The site only gets about 70 million visits per month, according to Similar Web — a tiny fraction of the overall Facebook audience.

iStock (iStock)

Head on over to Messenger.com now to give it a try, and enjoy messaging your Facebook friends without any of the social network's clutter.

Facebook (Facebook)

Feeling lazy? Here's a link

Read more:

• Twitter just named its new CMO
• VC analyst: '2016 will be the year of the rabbits'
• Refugees trying to return home from refugee camps

Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2015. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.