Pay to highlight your status and get it seen by more friends! Facebook tests the theory.
Facebook is currently running tests through a number of users in New Zealand at present of a pilot scheme which allows users to ‘Pay to display’ or ‘Highlight’ statuses w/ a fee. Apparently, only around 12% of our posts are currently seen by friends/family and the scheme being tested allows a particular status to become more prominent to our friends and family for a chosen fee. Here is a screenshot of that wherein the trial scheme is seen when they post at present.
From the screenshot, it appears that the user would make a payment with either their credit card or paypal. When they post a status, the option to highlight the status appears. Highlighted posts will appear to more friends and subscribers and may stay in the news feed for longer. However, at this point, the highlighted status doesn’t change colour to make it stand out more. As for the cost – Facebook is also trialing different costings.
The Highlight/Pay to post trial is not advertising for business users, it is only for personal users statuses. Seem a little odd? Probably only to be used by the totally narcissistic and attention seeking Facebook users amongst us. The rest will probably keep their money in their pockets.
Expect to see many more money-making ideas trialed in the not too distant future as the powers of Facebook try to figure out how to keep interest flowing in the social network site prior to and post flotation of Facebook on the market.
Regarding the flotation, Mark Zuckerberg went on the road this week to promote the up and coming floating and also to sign up a few major investors. However, his dress code wasn’t what many expected from the young exec. Here is the man himself wearing ‘what he feels comfortable in’.
Yes, its a hoodie with a t-shirt underneath nonetheless. His business attire which falls far short of the conventional dark suit with shirt and tie has been criticized. Some say that it shows his immaturity, some say that he must have been concentrating on more pressing issues than dressing snappily.
It has also been pointed out that the hoodie is a piece of Facebook merchandise so it is actually a walking advertisement for Facebook. What is his point? Is he trying to make his ‘Mark’ in his own way on the business world? Does he really not care what he should or shouldn’t be doing or is he really ‘Facebook advertising’ as he goes? What are your thoughts?
UPDATE: Following the initial trials in New Zealand, it has been announced that the ‘pay to post’ concept is being rolled out across the whole of Facebook. You can read about it here.
What do you think of the Pay to post idea? Can you see yourself being a user of it for any reason? Do you think it will get passed the trial? We would love to hear from you, please post your comments in the box below.
