Facebook Testing Charging for Some Messages

(Facebook)

Facebook has started a pilot program where people will only be able to message those they aren’t connected with if they pay a fee.

“Today we’re starting a small experiment to test the usefulness of economic signals to determine relevance,” the company said in its online newsroom.

Basically, instead of having the filer set to receive messages from anyone, as it automatically currently is, people would only be able to recieve messages from friends or friends of friends, in a move designed to stymie spammers and make Facebook some money.

The cost for messaging people outside of your connections would be $1, according to CNet, a business model similar to LinkedIn’s.

“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,” said Facebook in the web post.

“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.”

The test will only be for a small number of users in the United States, and the company will continue to tinker with the messages format in the coming months.