Would You Pay 1 Dollar A Month To Still Use Facebook?

[dave111223]

I have never seen any other polls on this subject but anyway I think it is easy for people to say "no" to an anonymous internet forum, but in reality if those 500 million most avid users (who check their FB everyday) tried to log in to find out what their friends are talking about today and found they could not access their account unless they pay 1 dollar, few would be able to resist. For many of these people, FB is not just a part of their life, it is their life.

I just don't understand how you can see a poll that says only 14 people out of 105 would pay for something and you say "That is totally wrong, really 104 out of 105 would definitely pay"...without any stats to back this up...hm...

Edited August 21, 2012 by dave111223

[brit1984]

I have never seen any other polls on this subject but anyway I think it is easy for people to say "no" to an anonymous internet forum, but in reality if those 500 million most avid users (who check their FB everyday) tried to log in to find out what their friends are talking about today and found they could not access their account unless they pay 1 dollar, few would be able to resist. For many of these people, FB is not just a part of their life, it is their life.

I just don't understand how you can see a poll that says only 14 people out of 105 would pay for something and you say "That is totally wrong, really 104 out of 105 would definitely pay"...without any stats to back this up...hm...

Sometimes (actually normally)* in business you just have to use judgement / common sense because there are no statistics that can accurately predict the future. The only way I can think of that Facebook could gain useful statistics would be to do a real test run in a particular geography, where non-payers actually lost access to their account.

* 76.5% of the time

[GarryP]

105. And the average age is?

[DrTuner]

Sometimes (actually normally)* in business you just have to use judgement / common sense because there are no statistics that can accurately predict the future.

Well there are short term trends that can be somewhat predicted .. like from this little chart here: http://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NASDAQ:FB

I think the market's starting to get ready for the next fad.

[jcw]

Hello, why do Thais take a photo of every meal and put it on Facebook, I do not get it.

[brit1984]

Hello, why do Thais take a photo of every meal and put it on Facebook, I do not get it.

... because they are obsessed with food and obsessed with Facebook.

[fin5prtw]

Not a chance. As much as I like facebook, if they started charging it would be their demise. Something else similar would pop up before long and everyone would jump across to that!

[StreetCowboy]

I suppose a more relevant question might be if this forum started charging, would you still subscribe?

SC

[aussiebebe]

Hello, why do Thais take a photo of every meal and put it on Facebook, I do not get it.

... because they are obsessed with food and obsessed with Facebook.

Yeah, that's pretty much the reason - my wife does that, it's embarrassing. Whenever we go out to a restaurant she can't resist, she says it's about bragging to her friends about where she's been but once, when I pressed her about it, she just said "Thai people are crazy" - unnervingly accurate for a comment made in jest.

[brit1984]

I suppose a more relevant question might be if this forum started charging, would you still subscribe?

SC

Indeed, but I guess George is more subtle, or maybe he just started this thread as a favour to Mark (his fellow website owner buddy)...

[brit1984]

I suppose a more relevant question might be if this forum started charging, would you still subscribe?

SC

...I would pay for a premium version of ThaiVisa whereby I have the same powers (but not responsibilities) as the mods.

[stefb1964]

I closed down my FB and G+ profile and I'm feeling happy with it. Why do feel people the need to spread their personal info over the internet ?

[stefb1964]

Hello, why do Thais take a photo of every meal and put it on Facebook, I do not get it.

Lol... I made that remark to my wife not so long ago. She replied with the following question : Why do yo westerners always seem to take pictures of buildings where they travel to ?

My answer was a short as witty : euh...

[thaibeachlovers]

Not only no - I would recommend you stop using it.

Look from day one - has anything at facebook gone down without a scam. Facebook is a virus and while it is still voluntary to use (for now) it is also getting into everything we all do.

Check out the new face image in stores they are a big part of and funding. Yep they are going to link your face (your real face) and facebook info and track you from one store to another as well as everywhere on the internet as they do now or try anyway. When you walk in the door your cards are also scanned for number of, type, and balance available. Your buying history will be the property of facebook as well as your email and everything you gave them willing or not - every image - every bit of family information - everything. Think of all the things other people post about you on facebook that becomes their property even if you don't use it - images - location - current work place - past work places. It is not just up to you what happens on facebook. Stores are willing to pay to have them do this to improve the information the already pay them for.

Was on Bloomberg today. The decal on the camera looks like a facebook label, but they said it would be changed or maybe not even seen. This is not tin foil hat stuff boys and girls - it is the only source of real income facebook has and as you can see they have been doing pretty good - so they plan on getting better. Information from the payment system they would use to collect it is worth more to them then the dollar you would be paying.

Well, what about those of us that don't use f'book, credit cards, internet banking or any other device that can track us ( though I see the computer has my location, which is why I don't use google to get onto anything like this forum )? Will we be overlooked, or will the IT police kidnap me and take me away to be waterboarded till I agree to get "logged in" to big brother?

[DrTuner]

Here's a happy thought for you: try Google's image search with your own photo: https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi (Click on the camera in the text input box). Now imagine somebody on the street, taking a quick photo of you on his Android phone, which does the search and return a plethora of information on you, including address, marital status, etc,etc. Stalker's delight.

That's just a year or so away. Be very, very careful what you let the search engines index.

[stoutfella]

I won't even pay SFA to use facebook.

[ITGabs]

No, I was out of facebook since one year aprox, recently I opened since some aplication slideshare or something similar use my profile to publish documents in my name, when I reopened fb the problem solved, very strange.

At the beginning I liked social networks, I found many old friends from the school etc etc bla bla, now I must say thank you for lose the contact with many of these friends, family etc. nothing bad, only keep going, meet new people, do different things and left the past in the past, if I want to speak with some one i use skype with a flat international subscription to call free almost every where, my experience its so much better, closer i feel better than chat or posting wherever, or looking into the life of another like a spy or like a old men with so much time for make my own opinion of whatever stupid thing that they do xD.

I prefer the entire world internet community, with an anonymous profile free to explore and discover new things about the world or myself.

I know that I am a bit alien, but I think all the expat and backpackers have some feeling to let the roots back and keep walking.

I only say it xD

[lujanit]

Mark Zucherberg should dump his shares now with they are still worth something.

He already did sell about a billion $ worth at the launch of the IPO and now has a class action suit to deal with. He can't sell any more until later on in the year.

Personally I don't use facebook, why would any sane person put all that personal info out there? The irony is that companies like Apple and Google have been investigated for supposed privacy breaches yet millions happily provide their most personal stuff for free. Bah jing jing and I'm not talking about sheep (but that could also apply!)

[Guest]

I think it would be impossible for Facebook to implement monthly payments.

1) They would have to organize methods of payments.

- Some people would be glad to give their credit card information to FB or pay via PayPal, but globally not likely.

For example in Thailand this would require either mobile payment or scratch cards. Some people would pay at the start, but after few months they might forget to pay and figure out that life goes on without FB.

2) If FB would require payments, there would be huge movement to already existing competitor Google+

3) Less users, less advertising revenue.

[gkinbkk]

A dollar a month...pffft.

The 'No's' are probably the same people that said 'I'll never pay to watch Television'

I would have lost contact with loads of good friends if it werent for Facebook. .....

[bdenner]

I would have lost contact with loads of good friends if it werent for Facebook. .....

Good friends indeed!

[Totster]

You can't really answer this question unless you know what percentage of your "friends" would pay. If none of your friends would pay then the question is irrelevant.

Totster

[Chads]

Facebook is already making so much money from the ads that they display, so why does a $1 charge even need to be mentioned? Guess greed knows no boundaries.

[StreetCowboy]

I won't even pay SFA to use facebook.

Is that in protest at Newco starting in the 3rd division? Drawing 1-1 with Berwick just now, with ten minutes to go, by the way

[brit1984]

Facebook is already making so much money from the ads that they display, so why does a $1 charge even need to be mentioned? Guess greed knows no boundaries.

Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.

PS: Adam Smith explained this in more detail in The Wealth of Nations (1776) if you don't believe me.

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

Edited August 26, 2012 by brit1984

[Chads]

Facebook is already making so much money from the ads that they display, so why does a $1 charge even need to be mentioned? Guess greed knows no boundaries.

Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.

PS: Adam Smith explained this in more detail in The Wealth of Nations (1776) if you don't believe me.

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

Has it done good in Thailand? I'm alright with my life here but just thinking about all the corruption and other things which stem from "greed".

[brit1984]

Facebook is already making so much money from the ads that they display, so why does a $1 charge even need to be mentioned? Guess greed knows no boundaries.

Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.

PS: Adam Smith explained this in more detail in The Wealth of Nations (1776) if you don't believe me.

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

Has it done good in Thailand? I'm alright with my life here but just thinking about all the corruption and other things which stem from "greed".

The modern world as we know it all stems from "greed".

Prior to greed (the motive for personal profit) which really took off with the industrial revolution (and has been with us ever since), life was a constant battle for survival with life expectancy of 20 - 30 years and infant mortality rates of 40 - 50% (not to mention that "life" for most people was not exactly a good laugh.

Obviously some of the less desirable of today's industrialised world are linked with greed, because everything is linked with greed, because without greed we would have nothing (not literally but nearly literally as few of us alive today could ever have even existed without greed).

Greed is good.

PS: I am on my computer so my automatic iPhone signature will not show below asking you to forgive any typos, but please do so (as well as any other nonsense in my post above) because I had a (small) bottle of Singha this evening (while watching the football) and hence I am rather drunk.

[Chads]

Facebook is already making so much money from the ads that they display, so why does a $1 charge even need to be mentioned? Guess greed knows no boundaries.

Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.

PS: Adam Smith explained this in more detail in The Wealth of Nations (1776) if you don't believe me.

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

Has it done good in Thailand? I'm alright with my life here but just thinking about all the corruption and other things which stem from "greed".

The modern world as we know it all stems from "greed".

Prior to greed (the motive for personal profit) which really took off with the industrial revolution (and has been with us ever since), life was a constant battle for survival with life expectancy of 20 - 30 years and infant mortality rates of 40 - 50% (not to mention that "life" for most people was not exactly a good laugh.

Obviously some of the less desirable of today's industrialised world are linked with greed, because everything is linked with greed, because without greed we would have nothing (not literally but nearly literally as few of us alive today could ever have even existed without greed).

Greed is good.

PS: I am on my computer so my automatic iPhone signature will not show below asking you to forgive any typos, but please do so (as well as any other nonsense in my post above) because I had a (small) bottle of Singha this evening (while watching the football) and hence I am rather drunk.

I understand what you mean, and I agree with it to a certain extent. But as I asked before, has it done much good for Thailand since the root cause of corruption seems to be greed?

[brit1984]

I understand what you mean, and I agree with it to a certain extent. But as I asked before, has it done much good for Thailand since the root cause of corruption seems to be greed?

As a result of "greed" (i.e. profit motive / capitalism), Thailand has become an industrialised nation, which has advantages (higher life expectancy, lower infant mortality, education opportunities, millions more humans, etc) and disadvantages (e.g. corruption, pollution, less trees, etc).

I think Thailand is better as an industrialised country but if you would prefer to live in a world without greed, I believe there are a couple of tribes in the Amazon rainforest that still live the old-fashioned way... doubt they even have Facebook.

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

[MAJIC]

No! why pay for an intrusive trivial nuisance?