Facebook might actually start paying users to post

A user survey shows the company considering ways to incentivize its users by giving them money

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Facebook, especially compared to networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, is crushing it in the monthly active user department. With 1.2 billion, it tripled the number of LinkedIn users, and nearly quadruples Twitter. The last thing it needs to do is to incentivize users to join.

That's exactly what it seems to be planning, though, according to a user survey uncovered by The Verge on Tuesday, which asked users to pick from "options for promoting your cause or earning money using your personal presence on Facebook."

Another those being considered is a  "tip jar," where users would give other users money for posting. Personally, I can't imagine a Facebook status so good that it would lead to me reaching into my pocket, but maybe that's just me.

Others include "branded content," where users would get money by having a sponsorship brand; a "sponsor marketplace," where users could match up with advertisers for sponsorships: and revenue sharing, where the user would get a cut of any revenue made by having ads in their posts. 

It seems likely that very few users would benefit from some of these potential revenue sources. For example, I have 433 friends on Facebook, so my reach is not going to be big enough to warrant a sponsorship or brand partnership. If I had a few thousand friends, though, then it would be a different story.

This is what the survey looked like:

The real question is, why would Facebook want to do this? As I said earlier, it's not hurting for users, but it is facing an oncoming problem as the younger generation of Internet users are not quite as enamored with it as they once were.

A report last week found that Snapchat, for the first time, was the top social app among teens.

While Facebook has had to endure plenty of reports about teens abandoning the platform, the data shows that they are actually growing. While the company did see a big dip in the Spring of 2015, falling from 23 percent to 14 percent, it has actually grown in each of the last two reports, getting its number back up to 17 percent.

Data out from comScore earlier this month found that, while younger people spend a lot of time on Facebook, the network is seeing a lower percentage of young people than its rivals.

Among 18 to 34, Facebook still remains, far and way, the network that they spend the most time on, coming close to nearly 1,000 minutes per visitor, per month. Only two other networks even reach 200 minutes, Snapchat and Instagram. 

At the same time, only 16.5 percent of its users are 18 to 24, tied with Pinterest for the second-smallest percentage. Only LinkedIn is lower with 15.5 percent. In the next age group, 25 to 34 years old, it actually comes in last, with 20.3 percent.

So potentially giving them money could be a good way to lure them onto the platform.

VatorNews has reached out to Facebook for a comment on the report. Nobody was available at this time, but this is what a Facebook spokeswoman told The Verge:

"It's still very early, but we're committed to creating sustainable, long-term monetization models for our partners and we're listening to feedback."

(Image source: walkingdead.wikia.com)