Facebook starts charging users monthly fees from November 1
Facebook has announced today that it is introducing a monthly fee of $2.99 from November 1, but users still have options to use it free, with some limitations.
Facebook surprised millions of users with the news of a monthly fee to be charged starting from November 1. The introduction of the $2.99 charge was announced at a press conference this morning. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder, pointed out that was inevitable in view of the company’s mounting costs. The news is favorable for Facebook shareholders, having in mind the over 1.317 billion users the social network currently has.
Paul Horner, Facebook spokesman, explained the reason for introducing the fee in an interview for CNN. He pointed that ads did not yield much profit as planned, and with the increasing number of users the costs are increasing accordingly.
There is a general dislike expressed by users who have until now used the social platform for free. At the same time, there are companies concerned about their survival if they do not rely on Facebook, which is a preferred platform for promoting businesses.
Homer also informed reporters that users who cannot afford the monthly fee to be charged since November 1 can continue using the media. Free users will have one limitation only: they will not be able to access the games on Facebook.
One more free option described by Homer will enable users to access their accounts for up to one hour per week. After they exceed that time, they will be subjected to a charge of $0.49 per minute. So despite the news which may baffle users at first, there are different options that users can choose from, to continue using the media.
On Monday, Facebook shares closed at 76.80, rising by 1.42 percent. Monthly subscriptions can be ordered by using the Facebook hotline, (785) 273-0325. The users who pay for a whole year will be offered discounts.
