Facebook tests 'pay and message anyone' service

Besides the fact that Facebook helps users get virtually closer to an acquaintance, the fact that it keeps a common user on the same platform as a celebrity, makes it for an interesting proposition. Almost for the whole of yesterday, the social networking giant grabbed headlines over a certain new feature that allowed the regular Joe user to send a message to Mark Zuckerberg himself, albeit for a good sum. The catch here is that the message sent thus would reach Zuckerberg's Inbox on Facebook directly, instead of the Other folder, where messages from unknown users generally go. While many wouldn’t buy the idea of paying money to send a message to someone on Facebook whom they’re not friends with, the bit about being able to send a message directly to a celeb’s inbox would find its takers.

Pay and message anyone on Facebook

A report by Mashable indicated how Facebook could be offering some of its users the option to send a message to Zuckerberg, and have it reach his Inbox directly for $100. That, or they could send the message anyway and have it reach his Others box. Mashable added, "In our tests from multiple accounts, it appeared to be the case that users only get this message if they're not one of Zuck's 16 million followers. That, however, could still be coincidental."

In December last year, Facebook did hint at something like this, and if what Mashable reports is true, then it could be the earliest instance of that. Facebook had, at the time, stated that it was experimenting 'to test the usefulness of economic signals to determine relevance'. It revealed how, like its social and algorithmic signals, the economic signal would help them deliver only the most relevant messages to the user's Inbox. That apart, Facebook stated that according to researchers, financial bearing on the sender usually discouraged unwanted messages. “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,” Facebook had stated. The test, reportedly, is being done among a small group.

Recently, Facebook also introduced its Pages Manager app for Android users. The app allows Facebook Page admins to connect with their audiences and keep up with activity on several other Pages.

The app allows Page admins to post new updates and photos, and reply to comments on their Pages. They can also view and reply to private messages sent to their Page. Admins can get notifications about new activity on their pages and can also view their latest page insights. To be able to use the app, users will require Android devices running v2.2 and above.