Facebook Will Always Be Free, Company Says
EmailAn Internet rumor claiming that users will soon have to pay for Facebook prompted the company to issue a denial and promise the service always be free.
The rumor has made the rounds via numerous members’ status updates:
“IT IS OFFICIAL IT WAS EVEN ON THE NEWS. FACEBOOK WILL START CHARGING DUE TO THE NEW PROFILE CHANGES. IF YOU COPY THIS ON YOUR WALL YOUR ICON WILL TURN BLUE AND FACEBOOK WILL BE FREE FOR YOU. PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON IF NOT YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED IF YOU DO NOT PAY”
Facebook gave us a statement and posted this on their own Facebook page last night: “A rumor on the internet caught our attention. We have no plans to charge for Facebook. It’s free and always will be.”
The website has recently come under harsh criticism for changes to the service’s newsfeed–the first of many changes coming to Facebook.
It’s not the first time such misinformation has spread. In July when Facebook announced it was partnering with the video chat service Skype, a similar rumor made the rounds.
Facebook may not need the money — Reuters reported earlier this month that the company’s profits for the first half of 2011 had doubled into the billion-dollar range. The privately-held social networking company makes money from advertisements on the site and is valued at over $80 billion.
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there is a post going around…but its a JOKE!!!!!
LMFAO
Posted by: J | September 26, 2011, 10:16 am 10:16 am
This article is a hoax.
Posted by: Ray | September 26, 2011, 11:00 am 11:00 am
OF COURSE it’s free! They need your information to sell–which is exactly how they make their money. This is why I use OnlyMeWorld–which is ALSO free, but doesn’t require any real name or e-mail address to join. There’s an article about it on Yahoo!
Posted by: Eri | September 26, 2011, 1:55 pm 1:55 pm
I don’t really care – I am not using Facebook, and it will become irrelevant at some point, just as Friendster and MySpace are. And please hold the “Wait, but this is different” … It is the same. And it will be forgotten… as it should. Too bad for people betting their retirement on stuff like this.
Posted by: bate vanko | September 26, 2011, 2:01 pm 2:01 pm
Facebook will always protect your privacy too. We know how that has turned out.
Posted by: jed | September 26, 2011, 4:11 pm 4:11 pm
Hey I just read from abc.com, and they say the rumor is a hoax, and facebook will alway’s be free for life.
Posted by: tigerman00 | September 26, 2011, 5:30 pm 5:30 pm
Just like years ago when Pay Pal first hit the net……their phrase was…….”Pay Pal, free and always will be.” Then eBay bought it and it isn’t free anymore. I just wonder if Facebook’s “always” is the same as Pay Pal’s “always”.
Posted by: beachbucks | September 26, 2011, 11:17 pm 11:17 pm
Considering how much information Facebook sells to marketers, of course it will be free. There’s nothing like something that is free to get people to volunteer marketable information..for free.
Posted by: Wayne | September 27, 2011, 10:14 pm 10:14 pm
In the absence of such educational messages, a lot more and more individuals will go for the easy option and the knock on result is that gyms will increasingly battle to be heard in a crowded health and fitness market.
Posted by: Cyber Articles | December 15, 2011, 2:05 pm 2:05 pm