Recently Facebook has made the declaration that the it is testing a
system which would allow users to send prioritized messages to those who
are not included into the list of contacts.
The users can send messages by paying US$1. This primary test engages a small group of people, it is the part of an attempt to monetize its user base. At present if any Facebook user sends message to people who are not on the contact list, the very message goes to a folder entitled ‘Other.’
The new system made the paid message to directly go to the user’s primary Inbox. The message routing
feature will only be accessible to persons in the U.S during its initial phase, and the most of the messages (moving from the Other folder to the Inbox) will be restricted to one per week.
The Facebook users are still able to send messages to people who are not in their contact list but the messages will be moved to the Other folder (in the condition if they are unpaid messages).
Todd Herrold, senior director of product marketing at Kenshoo Social, told TechNewsWorld,
“This test appears to be another example of Facebook trying to understand how best to monetize various aspects of its service.”
He added,
“Given Facebook’s 1 billion and growing user base and the volume of messages sent via Facebook each day, if just a small percentage of users pay to send messages, the revenue potential is great.”
However it is left to see that the users will want to pay to send messages to other users.
Ian Lurie, founder and CEO of Portent, told TechNewsWorld,
“I suspect [Facebook users will] be really unhappy in the near term, but Facebook users historically react strongly to big changes, then get used to it and move on.”
“At $1 per recipient, it’s unlikely anyone will exploit this system to send spam on a massive scale.”
On the other hand it is up to the message receiver that he/she might or might not want to receive them.
Herrold said that the reactions of users on receiving paid messages in their inbox is probably be mixed. He said,
. “As usual with paid messages, advertising or otherwise, users tend to react negatively to what they perceive as spam. If the message is timely and relevant, the user will most likely find it useful, interesting or otherwise valuable, and will most likely react favorably. Facebook will need to strike a very delicate balance in this regard.”
Alternatively few users might be glad with the new initiative of Facebook because it allows less messages from people they do not know.
Jason Weaver, CEO of Shoutlet, told TechNewsWorld,
“Users will feel that they are less likely to be contacted by people outside of their network if there’s a cost associated with doing so, and [that] could provide them with peace of mind that their friend network is intimate and secure.”
“I think they will be relieved. Most users don’t contact folks outside of their network unless it’s a friend request, which takes a different route to accomplish, and is free. For users that use Facebook as a platform to keep in touch with friends/family, this will likely have little impact on them.”
The move also significantly leaves out companies, organizations, and brands that might consider paying for messaging people who have liked their pages.
Tammy Kahn Fennell, CEO and co-founder of MarketMeSuite, told TechNewsWorld.
“It would seem more a logical step for brands to send individual messages to people who have already liked them.”
Added,
“The concern I have with individuals doing it is it goes away from what makes Facebook works — which is that it’s all opt-in.”
How far it is secure?
The new paid message program of Facebook could effectively lead to privacy invasion.
“It could be used to breach privacy and engage in stalking behaviors,” Jim Young, director of operations with PR Brigade, told TechNewsWorld. “This feels like a way to get around privacy features.”
There’s no guarantee, indeed, that any given user’s identity is genuine, which could lead to the sending of fraudulent messages.
“If Facebook is going to allow users to contact people who aren’t their friends, it can open up the door for people to rip people off,” Dan Smith, CEO and founder of Smith Publicity, told TechNewsWorld. “Social media is the wild west — anyone can put up anything up there.”
Like many of Facebook’s changes, this one needs to be tested and fine-tuned to see if it will work or not.
Brad Shimmin, principal analyst of collaboration platforms at Current Analysis, told TechNewsWorld,
“I don’t think this is going to cause a mass exodus, but it is a reminder that destination sites like Facebook really have to be careful with how they treat their constituencies.There are other services out there and other social networks. We’re not locked in to Facebook.” More
The users can send messages by paying US$1. This primary test engages a small group of people, it is the part of an attempt to monetize its user base. At present if any Facebook user sends message to people who are not on the contact list, the very message goes to a folder entitled ‘Other.’
The new system made the paid message to directly go to the user’s primary Inbox. The message routing
feature will only be accessible to persons in the U.S during its initial phase, and the most of the messages (moving from the Other folder to the Inbox) will be restricted to one per week.
The Facebook users are still able to send messages to people who are not in their contact list but the messages will be moved to the Other folder (in the condition if they are unpaid messages).
Todd Herrold, senior director of product marketing at Kenshoo Social, told TechNewsWorld,
“This test appears to be another example of Facebook trying to understand how best to monetize various aspects of its service.”
He added,
“Given Facebook’s 1 billion and growing user base and the volume of messages sent via Facebook each day, if just a small percentage of users pay to send messages, the revenue potential is great.”
However it is left to see that the users will want to pay to send messages to other users.
Ian Lurie, founder and CEO of Portent, told TechNewsWorld,
“I suspect [Facebook users will] be really unhappy in the near term, but Facebook users historically react strongly to big changes, then get used to it and move on.”
“At $1 per recipient, it’s unlikely anyone will exploit this system to send spam on a massive scale.”
On the other hand it is up to the message receiver that he/she might or might not want to receive them.
Herrold said that the reactions of users on receiving paid messages in their inbox is probably be mixed. He said,
. “As usual with paid messages, advertising or otherwise, users tend to react negatively to what they perceive as spam. If the message is timely and relevant, the user will most likely find it useful, interesting or otherwise valuable, and will most likely react favorably. Facebook will need to strike a very delicate balance in this regard.”
Alternatively few users might be glad with the new initiative of Facebook because it allows less messages from people they do not know.
Jason Weaver, CEO of Shoutlet, told TechNewsWorld,
“Users will feel that they are less likely to be contacted by people outside of their network if there’s a cost associated with doing so, and [that] could provide them with peace of mind that their friend network is intimate and secure.”
“I think they will be relieved. Most users don’t contact folks outside of their network unless it’s a friend request, which takes a different route to accomplish, and is free. For users that use Facebook as a platform to keep in touch with friends/family, this will likely have little impact on them.”
The move also significantly leaves out companies, organizations, and brands that might consider paying for messaging people who have liked their pages.
Tammy Kahn Fennell, CEO and co-founder of MarketMeSuite, told TechNewsWorld.
“It would seem more a logical step for brands to send individual messages to people who have already liked them.”
Added,
“The concern I have with individuals doing it is it goes away from what makes Facebook works — which is that it’s all opt-in.”
How far it is secure?
The new paid message program of Facebook could effectively lead to privacy invasion.
“It could be used to breach privacy and engage in stalking behaviors,” Jim Young, director of operations with PR Brigade, told TechNewsWorld. “This feels like a way to get around privacy features.”
There’s no guarantee, indeed, that any given user’s identity is genuine, which could lead to the sending of fraudulent messages.
“If Facebook is going to allow users to contact people who aren’t their friends, it can open up the door for people to rip people off,” Dan Smith, CEO and founder of Smith Publicity, told TechNewsWorld. “Social media is the wild west — anyone can put up anything up there.”
Like many of Facebook’s changes, this one needs to be tested and fine-tuned to see if it will work or not.
Brad Shimmin, principal analyst of collaboration platforms at Current Analysis, told TechNewsWorld,
“I don’t think this is going to cause a mass exodus, but it is a reminder that destination sites like Facebook really have to be careful with how they treat their constituencies.There are other services out there and other social networks. We’re not locked in to Facebook.” More
No comments :
Post a Comment