Will Facebook start charging users?

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There’s a lot of rumours going around about how the social media giant, Facebook, is going to start charging its users for keeping a profile. This is definitely not true. Facebook issued a statement recently stating that they had absolutely no plan or intention of charging their customers.

Even though the internet is in no short supply of unfounded rumours and gossip, it’s not hard to believe where average users would have gotten the idea.

These rumours spread across the internet for fear that many changes would be made to Facebook’s price structure. The rumour is largely a hoax, but many have been worried about the substantial changes occurring to Facebook that are planned in the upcoming months.

Mark Zuckerberg recently announced the most dramatic change yet to the social site and will implement the “timeline” feature. It will take all of your information and create a timeline of your life.

Facebook's LogoZuckerberg is extremely excited about the change, but most people aren’t so thrilled. Some argue, that this is just another move by Facebook that greatly infringes on users’ online information and privacy. Either way, it’s site is free and will remain free for the foreseeable future.

Facebook simply wouldn’t survive a charge based membership services. There’s too much competition in the social media scene right now. Anything remotely resembling fees would sound the death of Facebook’s online supremacy.

Though it makes many wonder if there might come a time when social media sources will eventually switch to a pay system. Across the board, right now, we’re seeing some online features, once free to everyone, now being charged for or in the process of it.

Presently, most online social media sites depend largely on advertising as their main revenue stream. With millions of users interacting with these sites, advertisers are able to gain massive exposure.

Yet, it’s this issue that’s raised a lot of concerns and has begged the question, “Is Facebook selling your information to advertisers?” Facebook has vehemently denied these allegations, but it’s still unclear. For right now, no, Facebook will not charge for using it’s site, but no one can tell what the future of social media could bring.

19 thoughts on “Will Facebook start charging users?

  1. I doubt Facebook is going to charge. Unless all his competition is well off, especially Google+. Furthermore, they earned enough through advertising and I dont think they need to earn any further through subscription fee.

  2. I too feel Facebook not going to charge any penny as they’re are making enough money through advertising. Facebook wants to compete with Google+ and Twitter and if start charging it’s service then it would be really hard to survive in the competition.

  3. The whole idea of a good social media site is to be free for its users.. Thats how Facebook got 800 million users in the first place. These rumors are just created by idle people. As far as the timeline feature is concerned, I’m quite indifferent towards it. They’re asking for all your information from birth to now and then they’ll show it as 1 big timeline. Whats the big deal?

  4. This is just a rumor. I have also seen some of my friends sharing this one but how anyone can expect that Facebook will take such a step when it is facing a tough competition against Google+ which is free.

  5. I don’t think that Facebook sells my personal data to someone else as they still value their reputation and will never let such a thing.I agree that the competition is too high now among the social networks and to introduce some kind of fee for users is absolute nonsense.

    • Christopher (admin team)

      I am not sure on the legalities of selling information, but I am not sure that they can legally do that. That said, I have heard that they use your personal data to decide which add is ‘best’ for you.

      Thanks for your comment Peter, welcome to the community 🙂
      Christopher – Admin Team

  6. Since we know that the advertisements that pop up around our emails when we’re logged in are specifically directed just to our demographic (and how would they know that unless they have private information about us–like from our emails, maybe?) and we all accept that, why is it such a stretch to imagine that Facebook will sell our information to advertisers?
    While I think the idea totally stinks, Facebook in itself is absolutely the opposite of privacy, so if you’re worried about that I don’t think you’re the type who should even bother with Facebook at all–isn’t the point to broadcast your life for everyone to see? Not sure where the appeal is, but obviously 800 million other people do!

  7. hi Christopher,

    I doubt whether Facebook is going to charge a fee to its users. If it does that, then Google+ will have a tremendous advantage and more people will be interested in it. Currently, Facebook has reached its saturation level. Thank you for the post.

  8. I saw a few of my friends spreading this rumour around via Facebook, but I didn’t jump on that bandwagon and realised it was simply not true. As you mention in this post, the social media landscape is way too competitive for someone like FB or others to start charging users for their service, and since the whole model is based on gaining as many users/visitors/page views as possible there is more than enough opportunity to monetise your user base with advertisements. BTW Chris, thanks for looking in to the blog feed issue. I still get the message: “A feed could not be found at http://www.duedil.com” so I will have a word with my tech team to see if they can figure it out 🙂

    • Christopher (admin team)

      The thing is Kelly, Facebook is so popular, so if it started charging, what’s to stop Google charging?

      Thanks for your comment, welcome to the community 🙂
      Christopher – Admin Team

  9. Charging for Facebook simple usage would be a TURN OFF and not such a viable strategy for FB to follow with so many alternatives. I believe it’s just a rumor and nothing more. It goes with all the other hoax out there like FB being shut down on the 5th of November etc.

    As for the timeline, well.. Being on facebook is getting a whole new meaning for those who really do not have a life.

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