A Facebook spokesman said that the paid-message feature is being rolled out to a small percentage of users in the U.S. who will receive, at most, one of these messages per week. "Brands can't use this feature -- not at the moment," he said.
To further that message of reassurance, Facebook said that "several commentators and researchers" think a fee will keep unwanted messages out and encourage relevant messages.
But if this feature, similar to the way LinkedIn does its InMail service, proves to have legs, it could become a staple -- and another form of revenue for a now public company eager for more ways to make money.
