Facebook Makes It Easier for Anyone to Message You

— -- Facebook is killing a message inbox you might not have even known existed until now.

The "other messages" section, located next to the inbox folder, has long been the dumping ground for messages from spammers.

The folder is being phased out in favor of "message requests," a new feature Facebook's David Marcus said will make it easier to connect with anyone you need to reach while also giving recipients more privacy controls for the messages they accept.

"We truly want to make Messenger the place where you can find and privately connect with anyone you need to reach, but only be reached by the people you want to communicate with," Marcus wrote on his Facebook page. "Now, the only thing you need to talk to virtually anyone in the world, is their name."

The change gives Facebook's 1.49 billion members the ability to initiate a conversation via message requests. Recipients will get more control about what they see -- choosing whether to accept or deny the messages without the sender ever knowing if they were read.