Facebook has found another way to capitalize on their popular social network by experimenting on the idea of charging $1 for messages sent to strangers. Messages sent to people not in your social network usually ends up in the Other folder which is hardly checked at all. The new system sends it straight to the Inbox but then there’s a fee involved.
The company said that “imposing a financial cost on the sender may be the most effective way to discourage unwanted messages and facilitate delivery of messages that are relevant and useful.”
Right now the new system is only available for people in the U.S. who send personal messages. There’s also a one message weekly cap. If you want to contact someone who you are not connected with regarding a job opportunity then you really have to make it count.
When you try to send a message to someone who isn’t in your network of friends you will immediately receive a prompt which informs you that your message will be sent to the Other folder but have the option to pay $1 to have it routed to the Inbox. The advantage of having a message sent straight to the Inbox is that the person receiving it will get a notification. Messages that are sent to the Other folder don’t get notifications at all.
Facebook is currently exploring different ways to monetize their popular social network. Just recently they tested a service that allows a person to pay $7 to have their posts appear more visible on the site. The company is also earning from their Facebook Ads.
The social network currently has more than one billion active users spread worldwide. They began to go public last May with $38 per share price. That price has dipped below the $20 mark but currently is up at $27.
