When I published a post on the unavoidable demise of the freemium era a month ago, I did not realize how imminent this was, and how pervasive it was also becoming.
You can also read: A new trend shows #freemium days are numbered
I got a shock of my life earlier tonight when trying to send a Facebook inbox to someone who I know well but I am not friends with on this social network.
Facebook Inbox to Non-Friend
I have sent Facebook messages to non-friends numerous times before, and I have never seen this message until tonight! Notice in the screen grab above that there is a freemium option – called “the Other folder” – an odd name by all accounts. See what this option means below:
Description of Freemuim Option for Facebook Inbox to Non-Friend
My logical interpretation of this option is that your message is not prioritised, and you do not have guarantee that the intended recipient will read it in time, if at all. The initial Internet formula where users pay nothing and advertisers foot the bill is certainly changing of late, as some social networks are in a scramble to keep their Income Statements healthy and their shareholders happy.
All signs are there that freemium is heading for a rapid demise. Looks like Rupert Murdoch was not causing a storm in a teacup when he threatened to charge for access to news from his media empire’s Websites as far back as 2009, after all.
This reminded me, a muted debate about whether people should pay for sending emails -an Internet service that has been free for over 20 years now – in an attempt to reduce spamming, has been making rounds for the last 5 years or so. I predict that this debate is going to grow stronger now that we are starting to pay for everything Internet as users as well.
Back to Facebook. What more are we going to pay for in the future, posting messages on our walls maybe? It sounds impossible to imagine right now, right?
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