Pay for Facebook?

Will you pay for Facebook? You may have to!

Premium accounts may become an option to improve revenues, since Facebook must now explain itself to shareholders. Now having become a public company it's entered a completely different world from life as a private company. Facebook may even generate more invasive advertising, as investors demand better performance. Facebook will need new revenue streams. Regardless, the option is ridiculous. The complete reason behind social networking sites itself prevents such an arrangement from ever being effective.

You're the Key to Facebook's success; Facebook is designed upon the hope that the user will divulge personal information. This personal information is used to create connections, and enjoy the social aspect of the site. Without this, a profile will be nothing more than a glorified personal website. There are many social-like services - Match.com by way of example - but these sites have a specific purpose. You pay Match.com for the possibility of this website matching you to the one true love of your life. So for such sites, the reason for the charge is clear and it is something you are probably not able to do yourself. That is why LinkedIn attempted to monetize its own networking sites. While a lot like the more consumer-focused sites, at heart LinkedIn is a service intended for connecting you on like-minded professionals. However, most people find that the free, basic features of the site suit their needs and they don't feel the need to purchase a premium package.

What service does Facebook offer the user, except a chance to connect with friends and/or brands, groups, etc. that interest you? Charging because of this is like paying for friends. Who would pay for that? Or perhaps we will be paying for Privacy? No thanks! Someone half-joked that a premium Facebook account could provide a service where users' personal information isn't disclosed or surfaced. You will pay for privacy. That's a talking point for anti-Facebook crowd - they're invading our privacy! A fast way to address that; don't use Facebook. Despite what you might think, you can survive life without it. Paying to make certain of your privacy is a ridiculous argument, because it is your information and not Facebook's.

The problem is that companies such as Google will provide similar services and they are less likely to charge for them because they are less powerful within the social networking market. As long as there's competition, Facebook will by all means remain subjected to its users.

The sad fact is however that out of the 845 million Facebook users, the majority of them are addicted to the social aspect of Facebook. Many teenagers today have grown accustomed to Facebook being the connection between them and their friends. The website is their social life. They are out of touch with such social mediums as picking up the telephone, writing a letter or walking to their friend's house to talk in person. It is then the opinion of this writer that due to the addiction Facebook has become, that people will pay for the service of connecting them with their friends via the website, Facebook.