Facebook on Thursday announced a range of updates to its Messaging and chat service online, and associated Facebook Messenger apps for the iPhone and Android smartphones. Now Facebook will combine all of the messages of every type from any single contact into one steady conversation stream in each users’ Messages tab.
But among the most radical of changes is one that allows for users to pay $1 “or some other small fee,” to allow them to message uses they are not Friends with and put that message in the recipient’s main Inbox, rather than the “Other” folder usually relegated to spam.
Facebook calls the move a “test,” and frames it as actually a way to cut down on spam:
“Several commentators and researchers have noted that imposing a financial cost on the sender may be the most effective way to discourage unwanted messages and facilitate delivery of messages that are relevant and useful.”
The test is restricted to U.S. users for now.
(H/T: TechCrunch)
