Facebook is testing a system which charges users to send messages to people that they aren’t already connected to, with a premium to be paid for contacting very popular people.
The company confirmed Friday that trials have already begun for the new service, but that only a small number of Facebook users currently have access to the option to pay to send a direct message.
Every user currently has the ability to send a message to any other user for free, however unless being sent to a friend or friend of a friend the message goes directly to the receiver's 'other' folder. Described by Facebook as the place 'where less relevant messages go,' this little known option was introduced in 2010. The new service offers direct access to the receiver's inbox, provided the sender is prepared to pay the fee .
A technological analyst with Mashable was surprised when they attempted to send a message to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and received an option charging a hefty $100 fee to send a message directly to the social network's CEO. Zuckerberg has more than 16 million followers on the site and without paying for a direct message to his inbox, any message would go straight to his extremely overcrowded ‘other’ folder.
The company admits it is experimenting with ‘extreme price points' to reduce incoming spam for Facebook users with large subscriber counts and big online presences. Users are also limited to sending one of these kinds of messages per week.
Facebook is confident that imposing a financial cost on the sender will be the most effective way to discourage unwanted messages and best ensure the delivery of messages that are relevant and useful to the receiver.
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