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FACEBOOK IS REPORTEDLY trialling a system where users are charged €12 or more to send direct messages to the inbox of high-profile celebrity users.
The system, first reported in the Sunday Times yesterday, would see users pay Facebook so that their messages to celebrities would be delivered directly to that user’s private inbox.
Facebook users have two different types of messaging inbox – a formal ‘inbox’ which incorporates chats and private messages sent by other users, and an ‘other’ box which contains updates sent by Pages they follow, such as those from bands, movies or local groups.
The Sunday Times’ report (subscription needed) claims that the profiles of higher-profile users have been slightly modified so that messages from users who are not personal friends are filtered into the ‘other’ box – which does not notify users when a new message has arrived, to the point where many users don’t even know it exists.
In order to bypass this, and ensure that their direct private message to a celebrity arrives directly into the formal ‘inbox’ (usually triggering an email notification, or an alert in the corner of the user’s screen), ordinary users will now reportedly be asked to pay a premium fee.
This is despite a banner on Facebook’s homepage proudly proclaiming that Facebook is “free and always will be”.
The move is said to be a way of ensuring that celebrity users, who help to make the site popular by creating highly-followed ‘Pages’ for their professional pages, are not overwhelmed with unwanted contact from everyday fans and followers.
The Sunday Times report claimed that the fee for sending a message to a celebrity was retained by the website itself, rather than being shared with the celebrity concerned – and that the fee rose or fell depending on the popularity and profile of the user.
British Olympic diver Tom Daley was listed as appearing on the highest level of popularity, forcing users to pay £10.68 (€12.62) to send him a direct message, while author Salman Rushdie and rapper Snoop Dogg could only be accessed after paying £10.08 (€11.88).
The report said the scheme, currently being trialled in the UK, had already been rolled out to US users – where a $100 premium for contacting the most high-profile users was abolished when it emerged that Facebook’s own chief executive and founder, Mark Zuckerberg, was among the possible recipients.
Facebook’s press handlers had not responded to a request for comment from TheJournal.ie at the time of publication.
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What a shit idea
Can you not just go on twitter for free?
They’re scraping the barrel here. If this came out 20 years ago it would be a novelty to message a celebrity but in the times where you can tweet, Skype or chat a celebrity on their fan page I don’t think anyone will be silly enough to pay for it.
Yup, remember these cartoon hotlines? You could ring up your favourite cartoon character for the princely sum of the gross national debt of a third world country at the time. Many clatters about the head and a lock on the phone after me trying to phone She-Ra
http://www.buzzfeed.com/amandamarsh/15-celebrity-hotlines-of-the-80s-96ht?s=mobile
Now that’s funny..
This an April fools?
Most ‘Celebrity’ Facebook accounts are managed by their PR people, only a fool would pay 12euro idiot tax although fools and their money…….
And the rest of us will continue to keep in touch quite merrily and for free.
The real killer would be should they dare even charge a teeny nominal user fee.
I can imagine Facebook eventually moving towards an annual subscription, maybe $5 to begin with to retain full ‘functionality’. If that happens I’d imagine there’ll be a mass exodus!
Won’t happen, we are the product without us there is no facebook
I see a slight problem with this business model :
If you’re charging people to access a celebrity, the celebrity’s agent is going to start looking for money from Facebook to have an account at all.
I can’t see many celebrities and agents allowing a situation to develop where a third party’s making money out of their name without getting a cut themselves.
Twitter is free to send abuse?
Beginning of the end for f.b.
Just sick….. Think ill just delete my entire FB….
You can’t
i Know…. is also sick…
Yes, you can – and I did – successfully. Google it, do it, and feel the freedom!
Me too.
I escaped, I’m free!
It’s only full of adds nowadays boring as hell it is -
Go home Facebook you’re drunk !
Evolution is going backwards.
Sad thing is the likes of Bieber and Lady Gaga would inundated with messages.
What kind of saddo PMs a celeb anyway? I think David Kelly is right about celebs demanding a cut.
And those celebrities are really going to read those messages just because they’ve been paid for, really?!
This just goes beyond annoyingly sad.
This is a LOL right? How sad can you get!
This is idiotic! I cant believe facebook think people will actually buy into this. But they’ll probably still make money off it, there is plenty of stupid people out there who are willing to burn their hard earned dosh.
Sounds like facebook have hired Michael O’Leary as their PR man. Make some silly proposal to get media attention and keep everyone talking about you. Next thing Zuckerberg will be talking about charging us to use the toilet.
The other thing that’s likely is you’ll see celebrities being paid to endorse alternatives to Facebook if there’s a clear revenue stream there.
I bet you’ll see someone have their contact page exclusively on Google+ before long.
Celebrities ????….. more like over indulged egos…. what is this sad fascination with these people? ….. don’t people have better things to do with their time and money? ….. in the end I guess is all part of the general dumbing down of society that the media, reality tv and bad education is responsible for
stupit people will use that system o
How on earth this “idea” even got out of the brainstorming meeting is beyond me. They must have had one of those facilitators who insists “no idea is stupid”. At that the 22 year old intern with a PhD in maths must have splurted this nonsensical idea.
The question is how did no one say “are you mental – this wont work on so many levels”.
Or more worryingly – this was the brainchild of a very senior manager and FB haven’t the flat organisation designed to allow dissent and creativity that they claim. Because if they did another 22 year old overqualified intern would have said “are you mental – this wont work on so many levels”
Celebrities exit stage left
You can send me a message for a fiver. Special for this week only.
Face book is free now and always will be. What a load of s::te. Most be government owned.
Charging to speak to celebrities. Define celebrity Zuck. So if someone is also in the political sphere, or just politically outspoken, you’ll charge people to interact? Sounds like he’s heard of the Galway tent. There might be a point if 100% (no less) went to charities selected directly by the person paying. Wonder would he consider sending the monies to help Palestinians oppressed by his people. Guess not, it wouldn’t be profitable. Talk about reinforcing stereotypes, idiot.
So much for “its free and always will be”
It must be working. I haven’t received any emails yet.
have your say