Facebook is testing out a "promoted status update" feature in New Zealand, where users could pay to highlight their own posts.
"We're constantly testing new features across the site," a Facebook spokeswoman said in an email. "This particular test is simply to gauge people's interest in this method of sharing with their friends."
The feature was first reported by Stuff and also confirmed by the BBC.
Under the test uncovered by Stuff, one user was offered the chance to pay two New Zealand dollars to highlight an important post. "Make sure friends see this," the offer read, according to the Stuff report.
One source said that test participants have the option to "highlight" a post after submitting it, then pay, if that version of the test requires it. Other users will see the word "Highlighted" under the post, so they know that their friend chose that option.
Facebook representatives told the magazine that the offer was being made at different price points, including free. The higlighted posts place the status update and the photo against a yellow background.
Facebook was most likely trying out a variety of price points to determine which were most attractive to consumers. But while this may be the first time Facebook has let its users promote posts, it has permitted brands to do so for years, albeit more subtly.
In January, Facebook rolled out ads to users' Timelines or news feeds, labeling them "Featured Posts" from advertisers. In January 2011, Facebook unveiled Sponsored Stories, a feature that let advertisers promote status update mentions of their brands in a special promoted section of the website.
As Stuff notes, Facebook is preparing for an initial public offering later this month, with a stock price at up to $35, seeking to raise about $13.5 billion in a deal said to value the company upwards of $90 billion. In a new update to its S-1 filing this week, Facebook warned that, as it has before, that its mobile business is struggling: it does not "generate any meaningful revenue," the company said. About 488 million monthly active users accessed the Facebook mobile app during the month of March.
"We believe this increased usage of Facebook on mobile devices has contributed to the recent trend of our daily active users (DAUs) increasing more rapidly than the increase in the number of ads delivered," Facebook said in its filing.
What would your reaction be if a friend paid to promote his or her own Facebook status update? Would that be a breach of Facebook etiquette, or would there be a case where that would be permissible, such as the birth of a child? Tell us in the comments below.
[Image: Stuff.co.nz]
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