Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud

    Facebook Testing $1 Fee to Send Messages to Non-contacts

    By
    Todd R. Weiss
    -
    December 21, 2012
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Facebook is testing an idea to charge a $1 fee to allow someone to send a Facebook message to another user who is not a connected friend on the social media service. The idea, according to Facebook, could allow users to gain more control over how non-friends can attempt to send them messages outside the normal communications channels inside Facebook.

      The concept was announced in a Dec. 20 post on the Facebook Newsroom page as a continuing refinement to a recent introduction of a filtering system that helps determine how users receive messages from other Facebook users.

      Facebook users today receive internal messages from friends in their Message inboxes, while messages from people they aren’t friends with are directed to the “Other” folder in the Message area. The “Other” folder was introduced in 2010.

      That’s now changing again, according to Facebook.

      “We’ve heard that messages people care about may not always be delivered or may go unseen in the Other folder,” according to the post. “As we announced last month, we’re replacing the ‘Who can send me Facebook Messages’ setting with up-front filters that help to address this feedback.”

      Since the company’s high-profile initial public offering (IPO) in May, Facebook officials have been under pressure to find ways to leverage its 1 billion-plus users and monetize more of the social network’s services. The $1 fee for sending these particular Facebook messages could be another attempt at increasing revenue sources.

      Under the new system, users will have two options for how their new messages to their inboxes are filtered.

      If a user selects Basic Filtering, they’ll mostly see messages from friends and people they may know, including friends of friends, in their inboxes. Users who previously adjusted the settings to “friends of friends” or “everyone” will by default have Basic Filtering turned on, according to Facebook.

      If, however, a user selects Strict Filtering, then they’ll mostly see messages only from friends in their inbox. Those who previously used the “friends” setting will now have “Strict Filtering” on by default. As part of the adjustments, Facebook is also testing the $1 fee to a small number of users to allow them to send a message directly to the inbox of a non-friend, rather than going automatically to the recipient’s Other box.

      In its post, Facebook said:

      Several commentators and researchers have noted 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. This test is designed to address situations where neither social nor algorithmic signals are sufficient. For example, if you want to send a message to someone you heard speak at an event but are not friends with, or if you want to message someone about a job opportunity, you can use this feature to reach their inbox. For the receiver, this test allows them to hear from people who have an important message to send them.

      A Facebook spokesman, reached by eWEEK, had no comment about how long the test would be conducted or about how many people will test it. The fee is only being tested in the United States, though, and various fees less than $1 will also be tried to see how users react to them, said the spokesman. The test will also limit the number of messages that can be sent to an individual user’s inbox for a fee to only one per week.

      Earlier in December, Facebook’s one-week voting period to gauge user reaction to proposed changes to Facebook’s user policies ended, with the company winning the right to make policy changes as it sees fit. One of the key changes is that Facebook members will no longer be voting on proposed user policy changes as they have done in the past since the Website began.

      Todd R. Weiss
      As a technology journalist covering enterprise IT for more than 15 years, I joined eWEEK.com in September 2014 as the site's senior writer covering all things mobile. I write about smartphones, tablets, laptops, assorted mobile gadgets and services,mobile carriers and much more. I formerly was a staff writer for Computerworld.com from 2000 to 2008 and previously wrote for daily newspapers in eastern Pennsylvania. I'm an avid traveler, motorcyclist, technology lover, cook, reader, tinkerer and mechanic. I drove a yellow taxicab in college and collect toy taxis and taxi business cards from around the world.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×