Facebook is considering charging its members US$2 to "highlight" important posts so they are more visible on the social networking site.

The feature is being trialled and was chanced across by a Facebook user in Whangarei who initially assumed it might be a scam.

However, Facebook spokeswoman Mia Garlick confirmed it was a new "feature" it was testing.

"We're constantly testing new features across the site. This particular test is simply to gauge people's interest in this method of sharing with their friends," she said.

Facebook was trialling the feature at a range of different price points, including offering it "free", she said. This means that during the trial members may be asked to pay different amounts, or nothing, to use it.

The trial appears to mark Facebook's first attempt to make money from postings by regular users and comes as it is gearing up for a public listing which is expected to value the company at about US$90 billion.

The Whangarei man said he was given the option of paying to highlight status updates and picture posts with a yellow background when he logged on to his Facebook page this morning.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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