Will You Ever Pay for Facebook? It Won't Let You

Facebook is dramatically changing its designs and features, but one thing will remain unchanging on the fast-changing social media giant: you will never pay to use Facebook services.

The widespread rumor that Facebook will soon make its users pay a monthly fee triggered the company to assure its users on its own website.

A rumor on the internet caught our attention. We have no plans to charge for Facebook. It's free and always will be, reads a Facebook post by Facebook on Sunday.

Over the weekend, the hoax spread virally on the Internet, shortly after Facebook unveiled an overhaul of its new features including Timeline profiles and new designs.

The rumor goes:

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.

A good liar makes a lie sound like a truth, and makes sure even the doubtful will have a just in case reason to join the flock:

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.

Well, the truth is that Facebook, the social media empire now ruling over 800 million active users' lives, does not really need users' money.

In the first half of 2011, the company has doubled its profits and entered the billion-dollar range.

Facebook is expected to record advertising revenue in excess of $4 billion this year, according to ZDNet. And the social network, despite having $0 subscription revenues, is worth $75.3 billion, seven times higher than Twitter's $10.7 billion implied value, according to Sharespost, a service tracking private companies. Facebook, the world's largest social network and second most popular Web site (next only to Google), could gross more than $100 billion in an initial public offering next year, according to estimates by analysts.

The company is looking to take another big step forward as its strategic updates attempt to keep users on the site and raise ad revenues.

Back in July, Facebook announced its partnership with Skype and received a similar round of rumors.

But the company, at least for the time being, has no intention to charge its users.