FACEBOOK has extended an experiment with paid-for messaging in the UK, raising the possibility that Australian users could face similar charges to contact celebrities or strangers in the future.
Facebook quietly began charging some UK users in late March, with fees of up to STG10 ($14.89) to send a private, high-priority message to popular celebrities like Olympic diver Tom Daley or rapper Snoop Lion.
It's part of a trial, first launched in the US in late 2012, which Facebook says should reduce spam.
The prices have reportedly been set on a sliding scale, with lesser fees to send messages to minor celebrities and a flat rate of 71 pence ($1.05) to send messages to ordinary people who aren't friends.
At the moment, private messages sent between strangers on Facebook generally land in the recipients' 'other' inbox - a folder some users are either unaware of or rarely check.
But in the trial, a limited number of paid-for messages are being channelled directly to the recipient's main inbox, making them more likely to be read.
Contact between friends and close associates on the site remains free under the UK and US trials.
A Facebook spokesman did not say if the fees will be trialled in Australia, where according to a November report by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) there are 11.36 million users.
"We are testing an option that allows people to pay to have their messages routed to someone's Inbox instead of their Other folder, even if they're not connected to them on Facebook," the spokesman told AAP on Monday.
"We are testing a number of price points in the UK and other countries to establish the optimal fee that signals importance."
Facebook has previously dismissed rumours about blanket fees to use the website and boasts on its homepage: "It's free and always will be".
But after listing on the US stock market in May 2012, experts say the company is under pressure to exploit revenue streams.
Laura Demasi, from marketing firm IPSOS Australia, says users will be cynical about the fees.
"I think that this one will be met with a fair amount cynicism and eye-rolling from everyday users, who are already well aware of the fact that Facebook is looking for ways to make money out of them," she said.
"They also need to be careful about just how rapidly they roll out these things.
"Consumers in our research often complain about not being able to keep up with the constant updates and changes to Facebook.
"One week it's a new addition to privacy settings, the next it's a weird fee like this one."
Facebook quietly began charging some UK users in late March, with fees of up to STG10 ($14.89) to send a private, high-priority message to popular celebrities like Olympic diver Tom Daley or rapper Snoop Lion.
It's part of a trial, first launched in the US in late 2012, which Facebook says should reduce spam.
The prices have reportedly been set on a sliding scale, with lesser fees to send messages to minor celebrities and a flat rate of 71 pence ($1.05) to send messages to ordinary people who aren't friends.
At the moment, private messages sent between strangers on Facebook generally land in the recipients' 'other' inbox - a folder some users are either unaware of or rarely check.
But in the trial, a limited number of paid-for messages are being channelled directly to the recipient's main inbox, making them more likely to be read.
Contact between friends and close associates on the site remains free under the UK and US trials.
A Facebook spokesman did not say if the fees will be trialled in Australia, where according to a November report by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) there are 11.36 million users.
"We are testing an option that allows people to pay to have their messages routed to someone's Inbox instead of their Other folder, even if they're not connected to them on Facebook," the spokesman told AAP on Monday.
"We are testing a number of price points in the UK and other countries to establish the optimal fee that signals importance."
Facebook has previously dismissed rumours about blanket fees to use the website and boasts on its homepage: "It's free and always will be".
But after listing on the US stock market in May 2012, experts say the company is under pressure to exploit revenue streams.
Laura Demasi, from marketing firm IPSOS Australia, says users will be cynical about the fees.
"I think that this one will be met with a fair amount cynicism and eye-rolling from everyday users, who are already well aware of the fact that Facebook is looking for ways to make money out of them," she said.
"They also need to be careful about just how rapidly they roll out these things.
"Consumers in our research often complain about not being able to keep up with the constant updates and changes to Facebook.
"One week it's a new addition to privacy settings, the next it's a weird fee like this one."