diff --git a/lib/appenders/gelf.js b/lib/appenders/gelf.js
index e3df4f1..eca067e 100644
--- a/lib/appenders/gelf.js
+++ b/lib/appenders/gelf.js
@@ -48,11 +48,14 @@ function gelfAppender (layout, host, port, hostname, facility) {
   host = host || 'localhost';
   port = port || 12201;
   hostname = hostname || require('os').hostname();
-  facility = facility || 'nodejs-server';
   layout = layout || layouts.messagePassThroughLayout;
 
   var defaultCustomFields = customFields || {};
-  
+
+  if(facility) {
+    defaultCustomFields['_facility'] = facility;
+  }
+
   var client = dgram.createSocket("udp4");
   
   process.on('exit', function() {
@@ -98,11 +101,10 @@ function gelfAppender (layout, host, port, hostname, facility) {
     addCustomFields(loggingEvent, msg);
     msg.short_message = layout(loggingEvent);
     
-    msg.version="1.0";
+    msg.version="1.1";
     msg.timestamp = msg.timestamp || new Date().getTime() / 1000; // log should use millisecond 
     msg.host = hostname;
     msg.level = levelMapping[loggingEvent.level || levels.DEBUG];
-    msg.facility = facility;
     return msg;
   }
   
diff --git a/test/gelfAppender-test.js b/test/gelfAppender-test.js
index 64750b5..6b33b72 100644
--- a/test/gelfAppender-test.js
+++ b/test/gelfAppender-test.js
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ var vows = require('vows')
       console: fakeConsole
     }
   });
-  
+
   log4js.clearAppenders();
   log4js.addAppender(appender.configure(options || {}), category || "gelf-test");
   return {
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ var vows = require('vows')
 };
 
 vows.describe('log4js gelfAppender').addBatch({
-  
+
   'with default gelfAppender settings': {
     topic: function() {
       var setup = setupLogging();
@@ -115,10 +115,9 @@ vows.describe('log4js gelfAppender').addBatch({
         return message;
       },
       'should be in the gelf format': function(message) {
-        assert.equal(message.version, '1.0');
+        assert.equal(message.version, '1.1');
         assert.equal(message.host, require('os').hostname());
         assert.equal(message.level, 6); //INFO
-        assert.equal(message.facility, 'nodejs-server');
         assert.equal(message.short_message, 'This is a test');
       }
     }
@@ -165,7 +164,7 @@ vows.describe('log4js gelfAppender').addBatch({
       },
       'should pick up the options': function(message) {
         assert.equal(message.host, 'cheese');
-        assert.equal(message.facility, 'nonsense');
+        assert.equal(message._facility, 'nonsense');
       }
     }
   },
@@ -245,11 +244,11 @@ vows.describe('log4js gelfAppender').addBatch({
       },
       'should pick up the options': function(message) {
         assert.equal(message.host, 'cheese');
-        assert.equal(message.facility, 'nonsense');
+        assert.equal(message._facility, 'nonsense');
         assert.equal(message._every1, 'Hello every one'); // the default value
         assert.equal(message._every2, 'Overwritten!'); // the overwritten value
         assert.equal(message._myField, 'This is my field!'); // the value for this message only
-        assert.equal(message.short_message, 'Just testing.'); // skip the field object 
+        assert.equal(message.short_message, 'Just testing.'); // skip the field object
       }
     }
   }