Got $100? Send a Facebook Message to Mark Zuckerberg
By Gilbert Falso :: 7:57 AM
As the world’s largest social media network looks to combat spam messaging, one of the ideas it is trying out is charging a fee to message users who are not friends of the message sender.
Indeed, many users are reporting seeing a fee to send messages to people – but it isn’t always a set value, and some users are seeing amounts as low as $1. Originally it seemed as if the network was putting a high price on celebrities or people with large followings, but that does not seem to be the case. For some users, the requested dollar amount seems very random. Facebook, it seems, is trying things out with a number of possibilities to see what generates the most positive response, and most likely, revenue for the company.
When Facebook users message someone outside of their Friends list, that message will go into the “Other†section of the Facebook Messages inbox. This is akin to the Spam folder in your Gmail – you never go in there, right? Most Facebook users never look in their “Other†section. The money that Facebook wants to charge you to send a message to a non-friend means that your message will go right into their Messages inbox, and not onto the “Other†section.
Have you seen a change in the options when you send a Facebook message? Feel free to tell us: @TheSocialZoo.