Facebook Inc (FB) New Revenue Test: Fee to Send Messages?

Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has been notoriously experimenting with a variety of potential revenue-generating services in the months since its IPO, and while a few such concepts have gone into circulation on the global social network, there are many others that have gone by the wayside, perhaps never to be seen again.  It’s too early to tell which side of the scale this latest experiment will be on, but it does lead to this question:

How much is it worth to you to send a message to someone who is not your “friend” on Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)? How much is it worth to you to reach out to someone you may know but is not on your friends list? You might be able to help Facebook answer these questions.

Reports are out that Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has been tweaking its messaging feature to charge users a fee to send messages to non-friends, supposedly with the rationale of reducing or eliminating spam messages in users’ Facebook inbox, and to better ensure that messages from non-friends are not dropped into recipients’ “Other” e-mail folder – where many messages go to die, according to The Verge. How much is the message worth?According to AllThingsD, sources indicate that the service will cost $1 per message, but Facebook hasn’t said anything to confirm these estimates. It’s also unclear as to whether or not a user can send a message to multiple recipients at the same time for that $1, or if the fee applies to each recipient.

Here is the thought behind this new concept, from Facebook: “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.” There are some claims that this is a way for Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) to sell access to a user’s inbox or a end-around privacy settings. Here is what Facebook has to say about it, officially.

Could you consider situations in your life where you might find the need to contact a non-friend on Facebook, and would that contact be valuable enough to warrant paying $1 to ensure the recipient gets the message?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below, and be sure to check out related FB coverage:

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