Another Facebook Hoax Spreads Across the Internet

myFOX Web Network - The interesting thing about social media is that when a rumor spreads about social media, social media is used to spread it. Is Facebook planning to charge users for it's services? The question is once again being raised.

Or should we say the question is being tossed about the internet like a ping pong ball.

This is what is being shared in people's status boxes:

FACEBOOK JUST RELEASED THEIR PRICE GRID FOR MEMBERSHIP. $9.99 PER MONTH FOR GOLD MEMBER SERVICES, $6.99 PER MONTH FOR SILVER MEMBER SERVICES, $3.99 PER MONTH FOR BRONZE MEMBER SERVICES, FREE IF YOU COPY AND PASTE THIS MESSAGE BEFORE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. WHEN YOU SIGN ON TOMORROW MORNING YOU WILL BE PROMPTED FOR PAYMENT INFO.. .IT IS OFFICIAL IT WAS EVEN ON THE NEWS. FACEBOOK WILL START CHARGING DUE TO THE NEW PROFILE CHANGES. IF YOU COPY THIS ON YOUR WALL YOUR ICON WILL TURN BLUE AND FACEBOOK WILL BE FREE FOR YOU. PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON IF NOT YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED IF YOU DO NOT PAY.

Facebook for it's part has published this response on it's support page:

"A rumor on the internet caught our attention. We have no plans to charge for Facebook. It's free and always will be."

There you go.  It's a hoax.  Who does this and why?

Various tech bloggers simply site them as "scammers."  You have to wonder if this is 12-year-old-boy humor or is there something more devious behind it?

Conspiracy theorists say people who share the "FB charge" hoax message may be put into a data base, perhaps titled as "gullible users" send your scam ads this way, "easy prey."

Who knows, but consider this: It's not the first time a hoax like this has hit the Facebook circuit, similar rumors about Facebook charging have been spread before."

Remember this: Facebook has more than 800-million users and generates more than $4.5 Billion in revenue, more than 80% of which comes from advertising, so to risk losing your audience because you charge them is not likely.

Besides, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg typically calls big press conferences when he makes any significant or not so significant changes to his product.  Charging users would likely come with a phat marketing campaign.

So got it? It's a rumor.  Please share this story in your status box, we'd love it to go viral.

Curious:  Would you pay to use Facebook?  Answer the poll, Sound-Off your comments below.

Good reads related to today's hoax:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/hoax-facebook-just-released-their-price-grid-for-membership/4068

p://blogs.computerworld.com/18996/facebook_charging_9_99_tomorrow_anatomy_of_a_chain_hoax?ua

http://urbanlegends.about.com/b/2011/09/23/facebook-to-start-charging-hoax.htm